Rabbi Eliezer b. Hyrcanus

Talmudic Figures

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was a rabbinic sage in the first and second centuries of the Common Era and one of the most frequently quoted rabbis in the Mishnah. Considered to be R. Yochanan ben Zakkai's greatest student, R. Eliezer was nevertheless a controversial figure. Coming from a wealthy but uneducated family, he left them to study Torah in poverty and eventually directed an academy in Lod. Highly conservative in his approach to Torah, he was isolated and eventually excommunicated by his colleagues.

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The Plastered Cistern

MISHNAH

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was a student of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. Pirkei Avot, a work of ancient rabbinic ethics and wisdom, presents Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai's praises of each his top students.

Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: if you have learned much Torah, do not claim credit for yourself, because for such a purpose were you created. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had five disciples and they were these: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, Rabbi Yose, the priest, Rabbi Shimon ben Nethaneel and Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach. He [Rabbi Johanan] used to list their outstanding virtues: Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus is a plastered cistern which loses not a drop…

Pirkei Avot 2:8

Miracles and Halakhic Authority

TALMUD

Rabbi Eliezer's use of miraculous signs to support his halakhic opinions was unique and controversial. In the talmudic tractate Bava Metzia, Rabbi Eliezer attempts to prove his stance through miracles, but the other rabbis reject these signs.

After failing to convince the Rabbis logically, Rabbi Eliezer said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, this carob tree will prove it. The carob tree was uprooted from its place one hundred cubits, and some say four hundred cubits. The Rabbis said to him: One does not cite halakhic proof from the carob tree. Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, the stream will prove it…

Bava Metzia 59b:2

From Humble Beginnings to Revered Scholar

MIDRASH

The midrash describes Rabbi Eliezer's journey from humble beginnings and physical hardships to being a revered Torah scholar. Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient midrash on the book of Genesis, recounts his steadfast pursuit of learning and turn of fate.

“It was in the days of Amrafel king of Shinar, Aryokh king of Elasar, Kedorlaomer king of Eilam, and Tidal king of Goyim,” (Genesis 14:1).
“It was in the days of Amrafel king of Shinar” – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi began: “The wicked drew their swords…their swords will come into their own hearts….” (Psalms 37:14–15). There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos, that his brothers were plowing in the plain and he was plowing on the mountain. His cow fell and was incapacitated. He said: It was for my benefit that my cow was incapacitated…

Bereshit Rabbah 42:1

The Lonely Scholar's Lament

TALMUD

Rabbi Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, despite his immense dedication to Torah study, faced isolation and disappointment as he lay on his deathbed, feeling abandoned by his students. This poignant talmudic narrative captures the tension between Rabbi Eliezer's unwavering commitment to tradition and the personal pain of feeling neglected by his disciples.

The Gemara asks: And did Rabbi Akiva learn these halakhot from Rabbi Yehoshua? But isn’t it taught in a baraita: When Rabbi Eliezer took ill, Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues came to visit him. He was sitting on his canopied bed [bekinof ], and they were sitting in his parlor [biteraklin]; they did not know if he would be able to receive them, due to his illness. And that day was Shabbat eve, and Rabbi Eliezer’s son Hyrcanus entered to remove his phylacteries, as phylacteries are not worn on Shabbat…

Sanhedrin 68a:1-5

The Keeper of Authentic Teachings

TALMUD

R. Eliezer is celebrated for his strict adherence to tradition, teaching only what he learned directly from his mentors. Tractate Sukkah describes an encounter between R. Eliezer and other sages, in which R. Eliezer explains some principles by which he lived.

The Gemara relates a similar incident. The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer, who stayed in the Upper Galilee, and the people there asked him thirty halakhot in the halakhot of sukka. In response to twelve, he said to them: I heard an answer from my teachers, and he related what he heard. In response to the other eighteen, he said to them: I did not hear an answer. Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: It was the reverse of these matters…

Sukkah 28a:2-3

The Mystical Departure of Rabbi Eliezer

KABBALAH

In kabbalistic tradition, Rabbi Eliezer's final moments are enveloped in mystical and esoteric elements. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, portrays the spiritual and otherworldly nature of Rabbi Eliezer's teachings and departure.

The sages discussed the time when the great Rabbi Eliezer became ill. The day was Shabbat Eve, and Rabbi Eliezer made his son, Horkenoos, sit to his right. He then revealed great and deep secrets to him. But his mind was not ready to hear him, because he thought that his father's mind was not sufficiently clear. Only after he saw that his father's mind was completely clear did he receive 189 sublime secrets from him. When he reached the marble stones that are mixed with the supernal Waters, Rabbi Eliezer wept and stopped talking. He said, Get up and go over there, my son! He asks him why…

Zohar, Vayera 3:32-35

From Prophecy to Rabbinic Authority

COMMENTARY

The excommunication of Rabbi Eliezer marks a turning point in Jewish history, symbolizing the transition from prophetic to rabbinic authority and the central role of the Torah in Jewish identity. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores this momentous event in his 21st-century work, emphasizing how the Torah and halakhah became the spiritual bedrock for Jewish survival after the destruction of the Second Temple.

Thus R. Eliezer’s contemporaries were following biblical precedent. The Torah is “not in heaven,” which is to say, its meaning must be determined rationally, in accordance with exegetical principles. Once the Torah has been given, no further miracle or supernatural revelation can change it. The prophets spoke the word of God for their time, but the Torah is the word of God for all time. The prophets summoned the people to return to the Torah, not to turn to a new Torah. The second issue at stake, however, was the self-understanding of the sages at a time of crisis. The dialogue between R…

Covenant and Conversation; Deuteronomy; Renewal of the Sinai Covenant, Nitzavim, Not in Heaven 30-33

The Revered Rabbi Eliezer

TALMUD

Rabbi Eliezer's students and colleagues held him in deep respect and admiration. Tractate Sanhedrin in the Babylonian Talmud describes the visit of four sages to the ailing Rabbi Eliezer and their reverence for him.

The Sages taught in a baraita: When Rabbi Eliezer fell ill, four Sages entered to visit him: Rabbi Tarfon, and Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, and Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Tarfon responded to the situation with words of encouragement and said: You are better for the Jewish people than a drop of rain, as a drop of rain provides benefit in this world, and my teacher provides them benefit in this world and in the World-to-Come. Rabbi Yehoshua responded and said: You are better for the Jewish people than the sphere of the sun…

Sanhedrin 101a:13-101b:1