Rabbi Chanina b. Dosa

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Talmudic Figures
R. Chanina b. Dosa lived before and after the Temple's destruction. He was known for his piety, his faith and his ability to petition God. In this regard, the greatest scholars would turn to him to pray for them. He lived on next to nothing and experienced many miracles on behalf of himself and his family.
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Faith that Defies Nature
REFERENCE
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's faith was so profound that he could invoke divine intervention, even making vinegar burn like oil. This story from the Talmudic period showcases the miraculous deeds of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, emphasizing his extraordinary piety and divine favor.
It is related that the vinegar burned all day Saturday and lasted until the Havdalah was lit from it.
The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa 25
Miracles Through Faith
JEWISH THOUGHT
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's unwavering faith enabled him to perform miracles that defy the natural order. In Nefesh HaChayim, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin explores the profound relationship between man and God, emphasizing the power of pure faith and intention.
And he will also be able to decree something and it will happen, to cause wondrous matters and miracles opposite to the natural order, because he harnesses and adheres the purity of his heart/mind’s reliance with an unshakable truth only to Him (blessed be He) alone, and relative to Him it’s all the same, each moment, whether to act in accordance with the decreed natural order or opposite to the natural order. This is as we found in the case of Rabbee Chaneena Ben Dosa who would decree something and it would be carried out per his will at all times, opposite to the natural order…
Nefesh HaChayim, Gate III 12:11
The Power of Collective Righteousness
CHASIDUT
The prayers of a single righteous person are powerful, as exemplified by Chanina ben Dosa's ability to affect the weather through his supplications. However, the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of Hasidic Judaism, teaches that the effectiveness of individual prayers is contingent upon the collective righteousness of the community.
If you follow My statutes . . . I will give your rain in its season” (Leviticus 26:3-4)
According to its simple meaning, this verse can be explained as follows. The Talmud states: “Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was traveling on the road. It began to rain. ‘Master of the World! The entire world is comfortable, and Chanina is suffering!’ he said. The rain stopped.” It turns out that the rain stopped for the sake of this Tzaddik. However, “If you follow My statutes” you will all be Tzaddikim. Then the prayers of an individual Tzaddik will be ineffective compared to those of the majority…
Ba'al Shem Tov, Bechukotai 1:1
Sustained by Faith
TALMUD
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's profound faith and spiritual connection were so great that a Divine Voice proclaimed the entire world was sustained by his merit. The Talmudic tractate Berakhot recounts the daily Divine Voice and Rabbi Chanina's subsistence on minimal sustenance, highlighting his deep reliance on God.
As Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Every day a Divine Voice emerges from Mount Horeb and says: The entire world is sustained by the merit of Ḥanina ben Dosa, my son, and for Ḥanina, my son, a kav of carobs is sufficient to sustain him for an entire week, from one Shabbat eve to the next Shabbat eve.
Berakhot 17b:3
Unwavering Devotion in Prayer
MUSAR
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's unwavering focus and devotion during prayer were so intense that he did not feel the pain of a poisonous lizard bite. In the 18th-century ethical masterpiece, Mesillat Yesharim, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto illustrates the profound level of piety and devotion one can achieve.
In the Talmud Yerushalmi it is reported: "While Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was standing in prayer a poisonous lizard came and bit him but he did not interrupt his prayer... His disciples asked him: 'Rabeinu! Did you not feel anything?! He replied to them: 'I swear that due to my heart being intent on the prayer, I felt nothing'"
Mesillat Yesharim 19:96
A Righteous Woman's Reward
CHASIDUT
The heavenly voice proclaims the future reward of a righteous woman, emphasizing her unique role in the World to Come. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov explores the mystical significance surrounding Chanina ben Dosa's wife.
This is: A heavenly voice proclaimed — It was specifically a heavenly voice that made this known. “What have you to do with this basket? It belongs to the wife of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, who will one day store in it tekhelet for the tzaddikim in the World to Come.”
Likutei Moharan 18:8:6
Miraculous Prayers of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa
TALMUD
Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's prayers were so powerful that they resulted in immediate and miraculous divine responses. The Talmud recounts a story where Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa's prayer for relief from poverty led to the miraculous provision of a golden table leg from Heaven.
The Gemara further relates: Rabbi Ḥanina’s wife said to him: Until when will we continue to suffer this poverty? He said to her: What can we do? She responded: Pray for mercy that something will be given to you from Heaven. He prayed for mercy and something like the palm of a hand emerged and gave him one leg of a golden table. That night, his wife saw in a dream that in the future, i.e., in the World-to-Come, the righteous will eat at a golden table that has three legs, but she will be eating on a table that has two legs.
Taanit 25a:3
The Power of Moral Conduct
TALMUD
According to tractate Berakhot, Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa proves that moral conduct, not external threats, offers true protection. This illustrates how righteousness shields beyond physical defenses.
Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa placed the arvad over his shoulder and brought it to the study hall. He said to those assembled there: See, my sons, it is not the arvad that kills a person, rather transgression kills a person. The arvad has no power over one who is free of transgression.
Berakhot 33a:9
Poverty and Spiritual Dedication
COMMENTARY
The poverty of righteous individuals is seen as a divine measure to ensure their complete dedication to Torah study and spiritual refinement. In his commentary on Pirkei Avot, the Maharal of Prague explores the relationship between material wealth and spiritual pursuits, emphasizing the greater existence in the world to come for those who are spiritually dedicated.
However several times, you will find righteous people like Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa and similar ones [who remained poor]. The Midrash said (Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 934) on the verse (Proverbs 3:16), "Length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand are riches and honor": The Torah said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "It is written, 'in her left hand are riches and honor.' On account of what are my children poor?" So the Holy One, blessed be He, answered, "'To endow those who love me, there exists' (Proverbs 8:21)…
Derekh Chayyim 4:9:10
The Miraculous Prayers of a First-Century Sage
REFERENCE
A first-century sage was sought after for his prayers during emergencies, showcasing his exceptional piety and miraculous abilities. Gershom Bader's early 20th-century biography provides a detailed account of this sage's life, highlighting his role in guiding and intervening during crises.
We already told that in time of calamity everyone turned to Rabbi Chanina. Thus it happened that the daughter of Nechunia the well digger once fell into a well which her father dug. People at once ran to Rabbi Chanina that he should advise how to raise the girl from the well.
The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa 13
Miracles and Faith
MIDRASH
The life of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was filled with miraculous events that showcased profound faith and divine intervention. The Talmud, in tractate Taanit, recounts various miracles performed by this sage, such as the miraculous provision of bread, the burning of vinegar, and the extension of house beams.
Said R. Juda, in the name of Rab: "Every day a heavenly voice goes forth and says: 'The whole world is sustained merely through the merits of Chanina, my son, and as for Chanina himself, one Kab of carobs suffices him from one Sabbath-eve to another.'" On the eve of every Sabbath the wife of R. Chanina was accustomed to make fire in her oven and to throw twigs into the stove (Fol. 25) to prevent the disgrace of being exposed of her poverty. She had, however, one bad neighbor, who said: "I know that they have nothing to cook for the Sabbath…
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Taanit 3:34
Wisdom, Fear, and Deeds
MISHNAH
Rabbi Chanina b. Dosa teaches that wisdom is only enduring when it is preceded by fear of sin and when one's deeds exceed their wisdom. Pirkei Avot, a tractate of the Mishnah, offers ethical teachings and maxims from the Rabbis, providing moral guidance.
Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa said: anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom, his wisdom is enduring, but anyone whose wisdom precedes his fear of sin, his wisdom is not enduring. He [also] used to say: anyone whose deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom is enduring, but anyone whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, his wisdom is not enduring.
Pirkei Avot 3:9

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Tannaim - Second Generation
c.40 – c.80 CE

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