Judah ben Bathyra

Judah ben Bathyra or simply Judah Bathyra (also Beseira, Hebrew: יהודה בן בתירא) was an eminent tanna. He must have lived before the destruction of the Temple, since he prevented a pagan in Jerusalem from partaking of the Paschal offering. Thereupon he received the message: "Hail to thee, Rabbi Judah ben Bathyra! Thou livest in Nisibis, but thy net is spread in Jerusalem" (Pes. 3b). Since R. Judah was not present himself at the Passover in Jerusalem, it may be concluded that he was far advanced in years, although as a citizen of a foreign land he was not bound by the law which demanded the celebration of the Passover at Jerusalem (Tosefot to Pes. l.c.). At Nisibis in Mesopotamia he had a famous college, which is expressly recommended together with other famous schools (Sanh. 32b).

The Mishnah quotes 17, the Baraita about 40, Halakot by R. Judah, and he was also a prolific haggadist. Since controversies between him and R. Akiba are frequently mentioned, these being chronologically impossible, the existence of a second R. Judah b. Bathyra must be assumed (Tosefot to Men. 65b; Seder ha-Dorot, ed. Warsaw, ii. 110), who was probably a grandson of the former, and therefore Akiba's contemporary; it is possible that there existed even a third R. Judah b. Bathyra, who was a contemporary of R. Josiah (Sifre, Num. 123) or of R. Judah I (Ḥul. 54a; Shab.) 130a; see also Midrash Shmuel x.); he also seems to have lived at Nisibis (Sanh. 96a; but the version "R. Judah ben Bathyra" is doubtful; see Rabbinowicz, Diḳduḳe Soferim, ad loc., note 10).

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