Rabbah Bar Bar Chanah
Born in Babylonia, Rabbah Bar Bar Hana went to Israel to study under R. Yochanan, but then returned to the academies of his birthplace. He is most famous for his unusually extravagant stories, which have elicited both wonder and close reading.
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The Tale of the Giant Fish and the Swift ShipTALMUD
The Tale of the Giant Fish and the Swift Ship
TALMUD
Besides the many legal opinions recorded in his name, Rabbah bar bar Chanah is the teller of many fantastical stories of travels at sea and in the desert. Several pages of tractate Bava Batra are devoted to a collection of these surprising stories, including this one about an enormous fish.
The Rebels Swallowed by the DesertMIDRASH
The Rebels Swallowed by the Desert
MIDRASH
The stories of Rabbah bar bar Chana's travels include his visits to sites from the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness following the exodus from Egypt. Ein Yaakov, a 16th-century compilation of Talmudic stories and interpretations, records what he witnessed at the location where Korach and his compatriots were swallowed up by the earth after rebelling against Moses.
Hidden Meanings of Hidden CreaturesCHASIDUT
Hidden Meanings of Hidden Creatures
CHASIDUT
Rabbah bar bar Chanah's stories have been scrutinized for deeper meanings and allegorical interpretations. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who himself composed ambiguous, surprising tales that others have struggled to interpret, offers an interpretation of one of Rabbah bar bar Chanah's adventures that connects it to themes of divine concealment and revelation.
