Rabbis in Gemara

רבי

Rabi (Rabbi Yehuda haNasi) succeeded his father, R. Shimon ben Gamliel as Nasi and was a key figure in Jewish history. A pious and brilliant scholar, he worked to further consolidate the authority of his office. His great wealth and his prestige among the Jews also impressed the Romans, resulting in many discussions with them. His greatest achievement, however, was his organization and compilation of Jewish Law in the Mishnah.

רבה בר בר חנה

Born in Babylonia, Rabbah Bar Bar Hana went to Israel to study under R. Yochanan, but then returned to the academies of his birthplace. He is most famous for his unusually extravagant stories, which have elicited both wonder and close reading.

רבי אליעזר

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was a rabbinic sage in the first and second centuries of the Common Era and one of the most frequently quoted rabbis in the Mishnah. Considered to be R. Yochanan ben Zakkai's greatest student, R. Eliezer was nevertheless a controversial figure. Coming from a wealthy but uneducated family, he left them to study Torah in poverty and eventually directed an academy in Lod. Highly conservative in his approach to Torah, he was isolated and eventually excommunicated by his colleagues.

רבי עקיבא

R. Akiva was a student of R. Tarfon, R. Eliezer and R. Yehoshua, but quickly became their colleague. Coming from a simple family of converts, he began his study of Torah at age forty at the behest of his wife, Rachel. At the height of his glory, he is reputed to have had twenty-four thousand students. Yet these students died prematurely, and his prolific teachings were passed on by a small elite following. In the face of Roman persecution, he supported Bar Kochba's revolt and ultimately died as a martyr.

רבי יוחנן

R. Yochanan studied under R. Yehudah haNasi and emerged as the next leader after his death. He directed the academy in Tiberias and set up the groundwork for the Jerusalem Talmud. His unusual beauty, sharpness and personal sufferings made him a captivating yet intimidating teacher. It was due to his personality and his unrivaled learning that the center of Torah study did not move to Babylonia during his lifetime.

רבי אחא

R. Aha was a teacher from Lod who was a colleague of R. Yehudah b. Pazzi. He is mentioned very frequently in the Jerusalem Talmud, but almost not at all in the Babylonian Talmud.

רבי יהודה

R. Yehudah was one of the most prolific scholars of the Mishnaic period, cited almost 3,000 times in Tannaitic literature. He had several teachers but was likely closest to R. Tarfon. Due to his conciliatory attitude towards the Romans, they decreed that he speak first at rabbinic convocations.

רבי יאשיה

R. Yoshiah was a student of R. Yishmael and was often involved in disputes with R. Yonatan. It appears that he left Israel during the time of the Hadrianic persecutions, as we read about teaching at the academy of R. Yehudah b. Betirah in northern Babylonia..

רבי יצחק

R. Yitzhak was a rabbi in Babylonia at the time of R. Yehudah haNasi. Together with R. Natan, he was involved in helping R. Yehudah haNasi maintain his office's influence over the community in Babylonia.