THE NEAREST FRIEND of Abayei bar Chyailil was Rava, the son of Rav Joseph bar Chama, who is always called simply “Rava.” Even though the two were always sharply divided in opinion and lived far apart also, they are nevertheless always mentioned together. They were brought together from the days of their youth, though the details of this are not known. In spite of their conflicts of opinion there are rare instances in which they said the same thing.
It is interesting that when their differences are mentioned, Abayei is usually mentioned first and then Rava. We cannot deduce from this, however, that Abayei was the greater of the two. It is simply because Abayei became famous first by winning a contest for the position of the head of the academy of Pumbeditha. In addition it should be mentioned that even though Rava headed his own academy in Mechoza, he would often go to Pumbeditha to hear Abayei’s opinion in matters which he found somewhat difficult to decide by himself.
Rava learned most of what he knew from Rav Nachman bar Jacob, who laid the foundation of all his learning. Every one of Rav Nachman’s words was carved deep in his memory and anyone who found some difficulty in Rav Nachman’s words would come to Rava for an explanation. Before he studied with Rav Nachman bar Jacob, Rava was a student of Rabah bar Avuha. Later he studied a great deal under Rav Huna and Rav Chisda, whose daughter he married after she was widowed of her husband, Rami bar Chama.
Concerning this marriage it is related that when Rav Chisda’s daughter was a child and sat upon her father’s knee while he was teaching, the two students who sat in the first row were Rami bar Chama and Rava, trying to hear exactly what their teacher said. Rav Chisda asked the child which of the two students she wished to have for her husband, and the child answered, “I want both.” To this Rava answered: “First Rami will be her husband and then I.” And so it happened in fact. First Rav Chisda’s daughter married Rami bar Chama and after she was widowed she married Rava.1)בבא בתרא י״ב ב׳.
For a while after Rav Nachman’s death, Rava studied under Rav Joseph bar Chiya and also under Rav Sheshet.
It is said that Rava was blessed with riches. He had fields and vineyards which he hired out to tenants. He also engaged in trade and owned ships.2)בבא בתרא קנ״ג א׳. Because of his riches he was able to keep the whole population of Mechoza under his control. And being blessed with wisdom also he was accorded the greatest respect by everybody. Therefore he would say concerning himself that “I requested the Almighty to give me the wisdom of Rav Huna and the riches of Rav Chisda and He gave them to me. There is only one good thing which I have not been granted. I prayed the Lord to grant me the modesty of Rabah bar Rav Huna and I did not receive it.”3)מועד קטן כ״ח א׳. But it may be said with certainty that what Rava says about his modesty is not true. Some of his sayings prove that he could compare with the greatest of the prominent modest men. Only through modesty could a person in Rava’s place have the insight that “When a man does not insist upon the dignity of his rank, God pardons his sins.”4)יומא כ״ג א׳. And in speaking of learning Rava said that “the Torah was not given to angels.”5)ברכות כ״ה ב׳. Once too he mentioned the verse “it is not in Heaven” referring to the Torah, and he said that Torah cannot be grasped by those who are as proud in their opinions as the height of Heaven.6)ערובין נ״ה א׳. At the end of his prayer every day, Rava would say: “Before I was born I did not deserve to be born, and now that I am born I am as though I had never been born. Dust am I in my life and how much more so after my death.”7)ברכות י״ז א׳, יומא פ״ז ב׳.
It was characteristic of Rava also that he loved truth and hated flattery fearfully.8)כתובות ק״ה ב׳. Therefore he said; “A scholar who is otherwise when alone than he appears in company cannot be considered a scholar.”9)יומא ע״ב ב׳. Rava did much to increase the honor of the Torah and scholars flocked around him in thousands. He asked, however, that they should not come to him in the months of Nisan and Tishri, for in Nisan the harvest was gathered in from the fields, and in Tishri the grapes were trodden in the winepress, because in these two months people prepared their livelihood for the rest of the year.10)ברכות ל״ה ב׳.*)These are not the same as the “Lecture months,” Elul and Adar, when the scholars did gather to study the laws of the oncoming holidays.
Rava had his school in Mechoza. It seems that he was born there and his father, Rav Joseph bar Chama, had his own school there in the days of Rabah bar Avuha, after Papa bar Netzer destroyed Nehardea and the scholars had to flee. Mechoza was a large city in which the Jews were a majority of the population. Most of the people were merchants.11)גטין ו׳ א׳. Some were very wealthy.12)בבא קמא קי״ט א׳. The happy situation of the Jews in Mechoza caused many pagans to be converted.13)קדושין ע״ג א׳.
Nevertheless there were poor people in Mechoza, as we may see by the fact that when Rafram bar Papa spoke in praise of Rav Huna saying that when he broke fast he would have his gates and doors opened to every needy person to come and eat with him, Rava replied: “All this could be imitated here except the part of breaking fast with bread for we have here too many poor people who would be glad to come if they were invited.14)תענית כ׳ ב׳.
Rava founded a center of Jewish learning in this town which competed successfully with the academy in Pumbeditha. In a city of such a mixed population it is easily understood that the head of the academy needed a large degree of tolerance towards the various elements. It is remarkable therefore that Rava instructed his children not to marry converts.15)ברכות ה׳ ב׳. This might make us think that Rava was very careful never to come in contact with pagans. Yet he once sent a certain pagan named Bar-Shishach a present, or perhaps even a “sacrifice” in honor of a pagan holiday, for he said that this Bar-Shishach was not an idolater.16)עבודה זרה ס״ה א׳.
We may see how Rava venerated the Torah from the fact that when he saw Rav Hamnuna spending a long time at his prayers, he said: “People abandon eternal life and devote themselves to their temporal interests,”17)שבת י׳ א׳. from which we may infer that Rava did not consider prayer to be particularly important, and the scholars who observed the commandments of the Torah were far more important in his eyes, as he would say, “How foolish are those people who stand up before a Bible scroll and do not stand up before a great man.”18)מכות כ״ב ב׳.
Rava’s attitude to poor people is particularly interesting. It is said that when a poor man came to Rava once and asked for food, Rava asked him: “What sort of food do you ordinarily eat?” The pauper replied: “I am accustomed to eat stuffed birds and to wash them down with old wine.” To this Rava said: “Aren’t you concerned about the bad times which afflict the general public?” The man answered: “Does my food belong to them then? I eat only what the Almighty has destined for me.” While they were speaking a sister of Rava arrived, whom he had not seen for thirteen years, and she brought with her a stuffed bird and old wine. Rava turned to the poor man and said: “I have been given this because of you; come then and eat with me.”19)כתובות ס״ז ב׳.
It is related that thieves dug their way into Rava’s stable and stole some sheep. The loot was later recovered and Rava refused to accept them because, since the thieves had accomplished their theft at the risk of their lives, the property belonged to them.20)סנהדרין ע״ב א׳. There are dozens of legends about Rava. For instance it is said that Rava would be greeted from Heaven every year on the eve of Yom Kippur. He was therefore a little disappointed that Abayei would get such greetings every Friday. When Rava inquired the reason, he was told to be satisfied to be able to protect a whole city with his merit.21)תענית כ״ב א׳.
The old queen Ifra Hurmiz, the mother of king Sapor the Second, felt particular affection for Rava. As we said, king Sapor II was bad to the Jews. His mother, Ifra Hurmiz, would often stop him from proclaiming some evil against the Jews because of her affection for Rava. Rava once had a Jew flogged for marrying an Aramitess. The victim died of his wounds. On hearing this the king wanted to punish Rava severely. The old queen said to him, “I pray you do not get into a fight with the Jews because whatever these people want, their God does for them.” “What, for instance, can their God do for them?” the king asked his mother with a skeptical smile upon his lips. “For instance, he gives them rain whenever they ask for it.” “Then let this Rava bring it about that now, suddenly in the month of Tammuz, there be rainfall, and I will remit his punishment,” said the king. So Rava stood up to pray for rain and after a short pleading with the Lord there was a violent rainfall which extended from Mechoza to the Tigris.22)תענית כ״ב ב׳. On another occasion it is related that the queen Ifra Hurmiz sent four hundred golden armlets to Rav Ami who did not wish to accept her gift. Rava did accept this donation and divided it among the poor Gentiles.23)בבא בתרא י׳ ב׳. It is related that the queen once sent Rava a sacrifice to be offered up in the name of the Jewish God.24)זבחים קט״ז ב׳.
The question of how long and when Rava lived is very complicated. According to Rashi, Rava lived only forty years.25)עבודה זרה י״ט ב׳. There is a place in the Talmud which says that Rava was born on the day when Rav Judah bar Ezekiel died. But the “Chronicle of Rav Shrira Gaon” says that Rava was born in the year 352 C. E. which contradicts the place cited from the Talmud, for if it is true, then Rava would have been born not on the day of Rav Judah bar Ezekiel’s death but thirteen years later. Another theory is that of Maimonides who amends the Talmudical source to read that Rava was born before the death of Rav Judah. The Talmud also mentions once that Rava said something to Rav Judah.26)בבא בתרא צ״ז א׳. On another occasion he quoted something in Rav Judah’s name.27)שבת קכ״ט א׳. Since Rava was head of the academy in Mechoza for fourteen years, there are some who estimate his life at 74 years.
We should note that during the time of Rava’s life the greatest worry of the Babylonian scholars was to determine the beginning of a new month and the holidays since they always had to wait for the decision of the High Court in Palestine. Then Hillel the Second, the Nasi of Palestine, wished to introduce a radical change in the manner of determining the Jewish calendar. Times were such as made it a risk of life to send out messengers with the news of the observation of the new moon and the ratification of the new month by the High Court, even within Palestine itself. We can imagine what dangers were involved in sending messengers to Babylon. At that time Rav Huna bar Abin gave Rava the system of the leap years. The scholars also possessed the system of leap years composed by Samuel Yarchinai. Later Hillel II set up the Jewish calendar in such a way that anyone could figure out the beginnings of the months and the dates of the holidays by himself. It was provided however that even though the Babylonians would be able to determine the months by themselves they should nevertheless continue to observe the second day of the holidays as they did previously before they had correct calendars. Rava was very strict in this matter with himself, more even than with others and he used to observe “Yom Kippur” two days, for he thought that perhaps the High Court in Palestine had set the day of Yom Kippur one day later than he had done himself.28)ראש השנה כ״א א׳.