Rav Pappa

Talmudic Figures

Rav Pappa studied under Abaye and Rava, among others. He was wealthy and established his own academy in Naresh, not far from Sura. He is often remembered for his pithy aphorisms.

Notable Sources

All Sources

Rav Pappa's Tacit Interest Agreements

TALMUD

Rav Pappa's practice of selling liquor with delayed payment at a higher price challenges conventional views on tacit interest agreements. The Gemara in Bava Metzia discusses the halakhic implications of Rav Pappa's business practices, particularly his approach to interest and profit.

The Gemara clarifies these statements: The halakha is not in accordance with those who approve of the tacit interest agreement of Rav Pappa; this is referring to the tacit interest agreement of Rav Pappa (65a). Rav Pappa would sell liquor and accept delayed payment at a higher price, and believed this to be permitted since he did not gain anything from the arrangement.

Bava Metzia 68a:6

Rav Pappa's Safety Tips

TALMUD

Rav Pappa offers practical advice for personal safety, particularly concerning the presence or absence of a cat in a house and the associated risks with snakes. In the Talmudic tractate Pesachim, Rav Pappa discusses the dangers posed by snake bones in houses with cats and live snakes in houses without cats.

Rav Pappa said: With regard to a house in which there is a cat, a person should not enter there barefoot. What is the reason? Because the cat might kill a snake and eat it, and the snake has small bones, and if a small bone gets into one’s foot it cannot be removed, and he will be in danger. Some say that Rav Pappa said: With regard to a house in which there is no cat, a person should not enter there in the dark. What is the reason? Since there is no cat to hunt snakes…

Pesachim 112b:10

Maintaining Family Honor

TALMUD

Rav Pappa emphasizes the importance of maintaining family honor and moral restraint among Jewish women. In the Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin, Rav Pappa and Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Ika, discuss the prohibition of following doctors' recommendations that could lead to moral laxity within Jewish families.

Rav Pappa says: This is due to the potential family flaw, i.e., harm to the family name, as it is not permitted to bring disgrace to the entire family in order to save the lovesick man. Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Ika, says: This is so that the daughters of Israel should not be promiscuous with regard to forbidden sexual relations. Were they to listen to the doctors’ recommendations, Jewish women might lose moral restraint.

Sanhedrin 75a:4

Rav Pappa's Incredible Journey

REFERENCE

Rav Pappa's journey from poverty to wealth through his entrepreneurial ventures is both inspiring and instructive. This biography delves into the life of Rav Pappa, an influential Amoraic sage, highlighting his significant contributions to the Talmud and his unique personal history.

RAV PAPA WAS about twenty years younger than Rav Nachman bar Isaac, but a more prominent figure. He was a student of Abayei in Pumbeditha and he remained there studying with Rava until the latter died. Rav Papa was born about 300 C. E. and died 375 C. E. In his youth it appears that Rav Papa was a poor man. Later he began to make beer out of dates and became very rich. He also dealt in poppy-seeds.

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume III; The Amoraim of Babylon and the Babylonian Talmud, Rav Papa 1

Maintaining a Rabbi's Honor

TALMUD

Even if a rabbi forgoes his own honor, it is still important for others to show reverence. In the Talmudic tractate Kiddushin, an incident at Rav Pappa's son's wedding illustrates this principle.

And furthermore, it happened that Rav Pappa was serving drinks to the guests at the wedding celebration [hillula] of Abba Mar, his son, and he poured a cup for Rav Yitzḥak, son of Rav Yehuda, and he did not stand before him, and Rav Pappa became angry. These anecdotes indicate that even when a rabbi forgoes the honor due to him by serving drinks to his guests, his honor is not forgone. The Gemara answers: A rabbi can forgo the full measure of honor due to him, but even so, others are required to perform some act of reverence…

Kiddushin 32b:3

Reconciling Mishnah Opinions

TALMUD

Rav Pappa's reconciliation of differing opinions within the Mishnah highlights the dynamic and multifaceted nature of Jewish legal discourse. In the Talmud, Rav Pappa resolves an apparent contradiction between two mishnayot by attributing them to the differing opinions of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel.

Rather Rav Pappa said: This is not difficult. This mishna is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Shammai, and that mishna is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel. As we learned in a mishna that Beit Shammai say:

Shabbat 124a:20

When to Recite a Second Blessing

TALMUD

Rav Pappa's interpretation of halakha provides a nuanced understanding of when a second blessing after a meal is necessary. In the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Berakhot, Rav Pappa explains that a second blessing is only required if the table has been removed.

The Gemara relates: Rav Pappa happened to come to the house of Rav Huna, son of Rav Natan. After they finished their meal, they brought before them something to eat. Rav Pappa took this food item and ate it without reciting a blessing. They said to him: Do you, Master, not hold that once one finished his meal he is forbidden to eat again without reciting a blessing? He said to them that in the correct version of that halakha, it is stated: Removed…

Berakhot 42a:5

Livedתקופת פעילות

Amoraim - Fifth Generation

c.350 – c.375 CE

Learn Moreלקריאה נוספת

Wikipedia

Jewish Encyclopedia

Studentsתלמידים

Rav Idi b. Avin (II)

Mar Zutra

Rav Ashi

Teachersמורים

Abaye

Rava

Rav Idi b. Avin (I)

Sheetsדפי מקורות

Related Sheets