Simeon ben Lakish (in Hebrew, Shimon ben Lakish; in Aramaic, Shimon bar Lakish or bar Lakisha), better known by his nickname of Resh Lakish, was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina in the third century CE. He was reputedly born in Bostra, east of the Jordan River, in around 200 CE, but lived most of his life in Sepphoris (Grätz, "Gesch." v. 240). Nothing is known of his ancestry except his father's name. He is something of an anomaly among the giants of Torah study as he was supposed to have been, in his early youth, a bandit and gladiator. He was regarded as one of the most prominent amoraim of the second generation, the other being his brother-in-law and halakhic opponent Rabbi Yochanan. Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 6 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... Aramaic is a Semitic language with a 3,000-year history. ... Amora, plural Amoraim, (from the Hebrew root amar to say or tell over), were renowned Jewish scholars who said or told over the teachings of the Oral law, from about 200 to 500 CE in Babylonia and Israel. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... This article is about political regions. ... See related article Occupations of Palestine. ... Bosra (alternative Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra, Busra Eski Sham, Busra ash-Sham, Nova Trojana Bostra) is an ancient city in southern modern-day Syria. ... Northern part of the Great Rift Valley as seen from space (NASA) The Jordan River today The Jordan River is a river in Southwest Asia flowing through the Jordan Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. ... For other uses, see number 200. ... Tzippori, also known by several other names & spellings including Sepphoris, is one of the oldest Jewish settlements to be uncovered by archaeologists, and one of the richest in what has been found there. ... Heinrich Graetz (October 31, 1817 - September 7, 1891) was the first historian in the modern times who wrote a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. ... Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... Butch Cassidy, a famous outlaw An outlaw, a person living the lifestyle of outlawry, is most familiar to contemporary readers as a stock character in Western movies. ... Pollice Verso, an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, is a well known history painters researched conception of a gladiatorial combat. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish rabbinic law, custom and tradition. ... Rabbi Yochanan was a rabbi in the early era of the Talmud. ...

His Teachers

According to the Talmud, Resh Lakish, like Yochanan, ascribed his knowledge of the Torah to his good fortune in having been privileged to see the patriarch Judah ha-Nasi (Yer. Berakhot 63a). According to Halevy ("Dorot ha-Rishonim"), he was a pupil of R. Judah Nesiah (grandson of Rabbi), in whose name he transmits many sayings. Bacher supposes that he was a pupil of Bar Kappara, since he often hands down sayings in his name ("Ag. Pal. Amor." i. 340). He appears also to have attended the seminary of R. Hoshaiah, whom he cites (Ḳid. 80a; Me'i. 7b; Bek. 13a), questions (Yeb. 57a), and calls the "father of the Mishnah" (Yer. B. Ḳ. 4c). The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, which Jewish tradition considers authoritative. ... Judah haNasi, or more accurately in Hebrew, Yehudah HaNasi, was a key leader of the Jewish community of Judea under the Roman empire, toward the end of the 2nd century CE. He was reputedly from the Davidic line of the royal line from King David, hence his title Prince (Nasi...

Physical characteristics

Many stories are told of Simeon's gigantic strength and of his corpulence. He was accustomed to lie on the hard ground, saying, "My fat is my cushion" (bGittim 47a). Under the stress of unfavorable circumstances he gave up the study of the Torah and sought to support himself by a worldly calling. He sold himself to the managers of a circus ("ludii," "ludiarii"), where he could make use of his great bodily strength. He worked as a gladiator, where he was compelled to risk his life continually in combats with wild beasts (ib.) According to other sources, Resh Lakish lived for a time in the wilderness where he made his livelihood as a bandit. From this low estate he was brought back to his studies by Rabbi Yochanan. Obesity is a condition where the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals is increased to the point where it may impair health. ... Fat is one of the three main classes of food and, at approximately 38 kJ (9 kilocalories) per gram, as compared to sugar with 17 kJ (4 kcal) per gram or ethanol with 29 kJ (7 kcal) per gram, the most concentrated form of metabolic energy available to humans. ...

Resh Lakish and Yochanan

It is said that Resh Lakish saw Yochanan bathing in the Jordan, and mistaking him for a woman, at one bound he was beside him in the water. "Thy strength would be more appropriate for studying the Law," said R. Yochanan; "And thy beauty for women," answered Resh Lakish. Rabbi Yochanan promised Resh Lakish his sister's hand in marriage if the latter would rejoin the yeshiva and begin his studies anew (Baba Metzia 84a). R. Yochanan might be called a teacher of Resh Lakish (Berakhot 31a); but the latter, through his extraordinary talent and his exhaustless diligence, soon attained so complete a knowledge of the Law that he stood on an equal footing with R. Johanan. They are designated as "the two great authorities" (Yer. Berakhot 12c). While R. Yochanan was still in Sepphoris, teaching at the same time as Hanina, Resh Lakish stood on an equality with him and enjoyed equal rights as a member of the yeshiva and council (Yer. Sanhedrin 18c; Yer. Niddah ii. 50b). Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ...

His Independence of Judgment

When R. Yochanan went to Tiberias and founded an academy there, Simeon accompanied him and took the second position in the school (comp. B. M. 117a). He exceeded even R. Yochanan in acuteness, and the latter himself admitted that his right hand was missing when R. Simeon was not present (Yer. Sanh. ii. 19d, 20a). "When he discussed halakhic questions it was as if he were uprooting mountains and rubbing them together," says 'Ula of him (Sanh. 24a). R. Yochanan was often compelled by Simeon's logic to surrender his own opinion and accept that of Simeon (Yer. Yoma 38a), and even to act in accordance with the latter's views (Yer. 'Eruvim 18c). Yet it is said in praise of R. Simeon that all his objections to R. Yochanan's conclusions were founded on the Mishnah, and that with him it was not a question of showing himself to be in the right, but of securing a clear and well-established decision, and that when he could find no support for his opinion he was not ashamed to abandon it (Yer. Gittim iii. 44d). He had a strong love of truth and an unusually courageous way of saying what he thought. He even declared to the patriarch Judah Nesiah that fear of the latter would never induce him to keep back God's word or any opinion derived from it (Yer. Sanh. 20a); and once he ventured to convey a veiled rebuke to the patriarch for avarice (Genesis Rabbah lxxviii. 16). Neither did he hesitate to revoke decisions of his colleagues, including R. Yochanan, even when action had already been taken in accordance with those decisions (Yer. Ket. 32d, 37a; B. B. 16b; Ket. 54b, 84b). On one occasion, when R. Yochanan presented a halakic demonstration before R. Yannai, and the latter praised him for it, Simeon boldly declared, "In spite of R. Yannai's great praise, R. Yochanan's opinion is not correct" (Yer. Sotah ii. 18b). He would defend his views fearlessly before the whole faculty (Kid. 44a), and sometimes he ventured to give a decision that conflicted with the Mishnah (Yer. Ter. vii. 44c; Yer. Hag. iii. 79c). Nevertheless, his opinions, when they differed from those of R. Yochanan, were not recognized as valid, except in three cases mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud (Yeb. 36a). Tiberias in 1862, the ruins reminiscent of its ancient heritage. ... The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. ... God is the term used to denote the Supreme Being believed by monotheistic religions to exist and to be the creator and ruler of the Universe. ... Genesis Rabba (Bereshith Rabba in Hebrew) is a religious text holy to classical Judaism. ...

No one equaled Simeon ben LaKish in diligence and eagerness to learn. It was his custom regularly to repeat a section from the Mishnah forty times (Ta'an. 8a); he boasted that even Rabbi Hiyya, who was renowned for his diligence, was no more diligent than he (Yer. Ket. xii. 3). In order to urge his pupils to continual industry, he often quoted a proverb which he ascribed to the Torah: "If thou leavest me one day, I shall leave thee for two" (Yer. Ber. ix. 14d). His conscientiousness and delicately balanced sense of honor are also celebrated. He avoided association with people of whose probity he was not fully convinced; hence the testimony of any one allowed to associate with Simeon b. Lakish was accredited even in the absence of witnesses (Yoma 9a). Simeon ben Lakish was faithful to his friends, and was ever ready to render them active assistance. This is shown by the way in which, at the risk of his own life, he rescued Rabbi Assi, who had been imprisoned and was regarded as practically dead by his colleagues (Yer. Ter. 46b). Once his vigorous interference saved R. Yochanan's property from injury (ib.).

His Haggadot

The independence which Simeon ben Lakish manifested in the discussion of halakic questions was equally pronounced in his treatment of aggadic matters. In aggadah, also, he held a prominent position, and advanced many original and independent views which struck his contemporaries with amazement and which did not win respect until later. His aggadot include exegetical and homiletical interpretations of the Scriptures; observations concerning Biblical characters and stories; sayings concerning the Commandments, prayer, the study of the Law, God, the angels, Creation, Israel, and Rome, Messianic and eschatological subjects, as well as other dicta and proverbs. Some of his aggadic sentences are as follows: "Should the sons of Israel find rest with the people among whom they are scattered, they would lose their desire to return to Palestine, the land of their fathers" (Lam. R. i. 3). "Israel is dear to God, and He takes no pleasure in any one that utters calumnies against Israel" (Cant. R. i. 6). Aggadah ( Aramaic אגדה: tales, lore; pl. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up Creation on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Creation is the following: Generally, creation is the act or result of bringing something into existence by recombining structures of matter. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... The MIAs logo. ... Albrecht Dürer - Four horsemen of the Apocalypse This article is about the concept of the end of the world. ...

Examples of His Exegesis

"The proselyte, however, is dearer to God than was Israel when it was gathered together at Sinai, because Israel would not have received the Law of God without the miracles of its revelation, whereas the proselyte, without seeing a single miracle, has consecrated himself to God and accepted the kingdom of heaven" (Tan., Lek Leka, ed. Buber, p. 32a). "The world exists only by virtue of the breath which comes from the mouths of school-children. The instruction of the young should not be interrupted, even by the building of a sanctuary" (Shab. 119b). "The words of the Torah can be remembered only by one who sacrifices himself for the sake of studying them" (Ber. 63b; Shab. 83b). "Israel took the names of the angels from the Babylonians during the period of the Exile, because Isaiah [vi. 6] speaks only of 'one of the seraphim,' without calling him by name; whereas Daniel names the angels Michael and Gabriel" (Yer. R. H. 56d). "Job never actually existed; he is only the imaginary hero of the poem, the invention of the poet" (Yer. Sotah 20d). It has been suggested that Ger Tzedek be merged into this article or section. ... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ...

Simeon ben Lakish's haggadah is especially rich in maxims and proverbs: "No man commits a sin," says Simeon, "unless struck by momentary insanity" (Sotah 3a). "Adorn [i.e., instruct] thyself first; afterward adorn others" (B. M. 107b). "Greater is he that lends than he that gives alms; but he that aids by taking part in a business undertaking is greater than either" (Shab. 63a). "Do not live in the neighborhood of an ignorant man who is pious" (ib.). "Who commits the sin of adultery only with the eyes is an adulterer" (Lev. R. xxiii. 12; comp. a similar statement in Matt. v. 28). Adultery is generally defined as consensual sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their lawful spouse. ...

His demise

In his aggadot Simeon frequently makes use of similes, some of which recall the days when he won a livelihood in the circus. In general, he spoke unreservedly of that time; yet an allusion to his earlier calling made by his colleague and brother-in-law R. Yochanan wounded him so deeply that he became ill and died. This happened as follows: On one occasion there was a dispute as to the time when the different kinds of knives and weapons might be considered to have been first perfected. The opinion of Simeon ben Lakish differed from that of R. Yochanan, whereupon the latter remarked, "A robber knows his own tools" (B. M. 84a). R. Yochanan alluded to Simeon's life as a gladiator, in which a knowledge of sharp weapons was a matter of course. This speech of R. Yochanan's not only caused the illness and death of Simeon b. Lakish, but it had also a disastrous influence on his reputation. The saying, which was certainly used figurtively, was taken literally by many later scholars, and the opinion became current that Simeon had been a bandit, or even a robber chief, in his younger days, an opinion which found expression in Pirke Rabbi Eli'ezer (xliii.). Yet nowhere in surviving contemporary sources is there the slightest authority for such a statement (comp. Weiss, "Dor," iii. 84, and Bacher, l.c. i. 344, note 5). Simile is an Italian musical term meaning similarly; it indicates that the performer should continue to apply the preceding directive, whatever it was. ... traditional Norse knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ...

Struck with guilt, R. Yochanan was in despair at the death of Simeon, and it is said that he kept calling, "Where is Bar Lekisha, where is Bar Lekisha?" He soon followed Simeon to the grave (B. M. 84a).

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ...