person · P0152
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar רבי שמעון בן אלעזר
Student and faithful transmitter of Rabbi Meir, cited far more often in baraitot and the Tosefta than in the Mishnah itself. A contemporary of Rebbi, he preserved his teacher's traditions with the formula "in the name of Rabbi Meir," and left signature ethical teachings in the Mishnah and in Avot — on trust in providence and on tact toward a fellow in his hour of anger.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- רבי שמעון בן אלעזר
- Also known as
- Shimon ben Elazar
- Era
- tannaim
- Generation
- T5
- Received the mesorah from
- Rabbi Meir
- Teachers
- Rabbi Meir
- Colleagues
- Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3900–3970 AM
- Academic
- c. 140–210 CE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈70 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taught: "Have you ever seen a beast or a bird that has a trade? Yet they are sustained without anguish. They were created only to serve me, and I was created to serve my Maker — surely I should be sustained without anguish; but I corrupted my deeds and forfeited my sustenance." | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Taught in Avot: do not appease your fellow in the hour of his anger, do not comfort him while his dead lies before him, do not question him at the hour of his vow, and do not seek to see him at the hour of his disgrace. | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Transmitted baraitot in the name of Rabbi Meir, e.g. on the fate of Achaz, Achazyahu, and the kings of Israel of whom it is written "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord." | rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Personally observed Rabbi Meir writing a mezuzah and questioned him about its physical layout.
The passage establishes direct personal contact and observation of Rabbi Meir's scribal work.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3900–3970 AM (c. 140–210 CE): student of Rabbi Meir, active in the generation of Rebbi.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |