person · P0210
Rav Yosef רב יוסף
Rabbah's colleague and successor at Pumbedita (third generation, Bavel), called "Sinai" for his comprehensive mastery of transmitted traditions — the great repository against Rabbah's dialectic. Blind in his later years, he was a master of Targum; Abaye and Rava received from him as from Rabbah.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- רב יוסף
- Also known as
- Rav Yosef bar Chiya, Sinai
- Era
- amoraim
- Generation
- A3
- Received the mesorah from
- Rav Huna, Rav Yehudah
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Abaye, Rava
- Teachers
- Rav Huna, Rav Yehudah
- Colleagues
- Rabbah
- Students
- Abaye, Rava
II. When
- Traditional
- d. 4083 AM (Seleucid 634 = 323 CE, per the Iggeret)
- Academic
- d. 323 CE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈53 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Pumbedita
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Among the sages who received from Rav Huna and from Rav Yehudah were Rabbah and Rav Yosef" — the Rambam's reception statement, seconded by the Iggeret's placement of both at Pumbedita with Rav Yehudah. | rabbinic tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| After Rabbah, "Rav Yosef reigned at Pumbedita two and a half years and died in the Seleucid year 634" (323 CE). | tradition | ★★★★☆ | |
| When the Pumbedita leadership became vacant, Rav Yosef was initially preferred but declined the position after being told that he would rule for only two years... the diviners' word was that Rabbah's tenure would be long and Rav Yosef's short; Rabbah therefore served first.
The passage presents this as a response to the astrologers' or experts' prediction.
|
rabbinic tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| Rav Yosef was blind.
The passage discusses his reflections on a blind person's legal obligations.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| A serious illness caused Rav Yosef to forget portions of his learning, and Abaye repeatedly restored them by reminding him of what Rav Yosef himself had previously taught.
The memory loss and Abaye's role are explicit.
|
rabbinic tradition | ★★★★★ |