Eleazar Ḥisma

Eleazar Chisma (Ḥisma; Hebrew: אלעזר חסמא‎‎, "Eleazar Chasma", or אלעזר בן חסמא, "Eleazar ben Chasma") was a tanna (sage) of the second and third generations (2nd century); he was a disciple of Joshua ben Hananiah and Gamaliel II. (Ḥag. 3a; Hor. 10a).

In their use of the word "ben" in connection with his cognomen "Ḥisma" or "Ḥasma" (see Geiger, "Schriften," iv. 343, and Strack, "Einleitung in den Thalmud," 2d ed., p. 81), the sources are inconsistent; its insertion, however, seems justifiable. "Ḥisma," is not an adjectival cognomen (see Eleazar I.), but a locative, the place probably being identical with Hizmeh (see Luncz, "Jerusalem," vi. 67; Selbie, J. A. (1898). "Azmaveth". In James Hastings. A Dictionary of the Bible. I. p. 208. ; hence "ben Ḥisma" means "son of [= "native of"] Ḥisma" (compare R. H. 17a; Meg. 19a; Ḳid. ii. 3).

Several halakot are preserved under Eleazar's name in the Mishnah (Ter. iii. 5; B. M. vii. 5), and he is met with in halakic controversies with Eleazar ben Azariah and Rabbi Akiva (Neg. vii. 2; Sifra, Tazria', i. 2), and with Eliezer ben Jacob I (Pes. 32a; Yalḳ., Lev. 638); and to him is ascribed the economic rule that the employee is not entitled to a proportion of his employer's produce greater than the amount of his wages (B. M. vii. 5, 92a; Sifre, Deut. 266).

Some haggadot also are ascribed to him (Mek., Beshallaḥ Wayassa', 4; ib., Amalek, 1; Yoma 19b). Conjointly with Rabbi Joshua, he gives an allegorical reason for Amalek's attack on Israel (Ex. xvii. 8 et seq.) just at the time it occurred. Citing Job viii. 11, "Can a rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water?" he remarks, "Even so is it impossible for Israel to flourish without the Law; and since they had neglected the Law [see Ex. xvii. 1-7], an enemy was ordered out to war against them" (compare Yalḳ. to Ex. l.c., § 262; anonymous in Yalḳ. to Job l.c., § 904). Again, he cites Isa. xliii. 22, "But thou hast not called on me, O Jacob," and applies it to those who are not devout in their prayers, but while reciting the "Shema'" communicate with their neighbors by sign language (compare Yalḳ. to Isa. l.c., § 318).

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