Huna ben (Bereih de-Rav) Joshua

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HUNA BEN (Bereih de-Rav) JOSHUA

HUNA BEN (Bereih de-Rav) JOSHUA (fourth century c.e.), Babylonian amora. R. Huna, together with R. *Papa, was a pupil of *Abbaye (Pes. 111b) and of *Rava (bb 22a). Rava held them in great esteem, saying of them "Happy are the righteous" (Hor. 10b; Kid. 32b), but he was also censorious of them, calling them "Ye white geese that strip people of their cloaks" (Ket. 85a). Huna testified of himself that he never walked four cubits bareheaded (Shab. 118b). His long life is attributed to the fact that he never stood upon his rights (rh 17a). The Talmud (bb 130b) cites the directives given by Rava to Huna and Papa, on how to deal with legal decisions both during his lifetime and after his death. After Rava's death, R. Papa founded a yeshivah in Naresh and Huna became "head of the *kallah" (Ber. 57a, according to another reading he became head of his group) and in several places the Talmud cites the decisions Huna gave there (Yoma 69a, et al.). Huna and Papa are frequently mentioned together in the Talmud. Although they occupied themselves mainly with halakhah, aggadic statements of theirs occur (Shab. 89a). They engaged in business too (Git. 73a) and were of substantial means (see bb 26a; Hor. 10b).

bibliography:

Hyman, Toledot, s.v.; S.W. Rabinowitz, Sha'arei Torat Bavel (1961), 379–80.

[Zvi Kaplan]

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