Joshua ben Levi
RabbiWikipedia
28
MENTIONS
10
EPISODES
9
PODCASTS
Search complete. 28 mentions across 10 episodes found for "Joshua ben Levi".
Oct 14, 2026
Shlomo FarhiHOST
So how do we get a child in the Torah that's called Chatzar Mavet, the son of Yoktan? [slurping] So let me share with you a beautiful idea.
Shlomo FarhiHOST
Gemara says, "You know what this Chatzar Mavet, you know what place it was? It wasn't just a city in the middle of Texas." Rather, the Midrash says, Rabbi Lev- Levi Amar, Rabbi Levi says, "Duma zeh chatzar mavet." So what does Duma mean? Who's...
Shlomo FarhiHOST
what's Duma? The Gemara tells us that there's an angel that's responsible for the souls of the dead when they pass away, when they're buried, and that's why the Pasuk says, "V'lo call your day Duma." And not those that go down into their graves, Duma, to the domain of Duma.
Shlomo FarhiHOST
I always thought it was so interesting that the, the evolution of words through, uh, different pathways and religion to get to, like, the idea today, when you talk about something like this, you call it doom.
speaker_0HOST
So that's the first, uh, two pshatim, Rav, and the Midrash says that these were sheidim, v'chachamim mesum, they were yevamos, and as we saw from the Meiri, could be anybody, not anybody, a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law, not just any two yevamos.
speaker_0HOST
Rav Simon quotes Rav Yehoshua ben Levi, who says that no, no, no, no, no, they were actually harlots.
speaker_0HOST
They were zonos, and, um, that's why Shlomo HaMelech didn't have to, uh, go ahead and work with them, uh, in terms of having witnesses and chasrah and all the other issues.
speaker_0HOST
Why? Because there was an umdena de-muchach, there was an idea of a standard, uh, umdena, a standard understanding.
Henry AbramsonHOST
He was born in Bavel and he moved to Israel where he became a student of Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Chanina.
Henry AbramsonHOST
But perhaps the most important influence on his later career, in particular in politics, was through Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, who was noted as a profound and skilled negotiator with the Romans.
Henry AbramsonHOST
And it's believed that perhaps from Yehoshua ben Levi, he received, Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba received the kind of skills that he would need for his later diplomatic missions throughout the Near East.
Henry AbramsonHOST
He was a diligent student and particularly in halakha, for which he is especially known.
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
Okay.
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
Now what's Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi going to say with what Ravina holds? That Rav Shimon wouldn't argue in the Reisha, because it's maasa ma shekasava Torah.
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
So Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi holds you could be maasa ma shekasava Torah.
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
Why would Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi says [speaking foreign language]? Says the Gemara, [speaking foreign language] Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi will say [reading foreign language].
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
You're not really stipulating against the Torah.
Daniel GlatsteinHOST
This condition here is except.
Fishel OsterHOST
Rav Nachman says, How do I know that Rav Shimon would agree after you chop off its head that it's Asaba? No.
Fishel OsterHOST
Because Levi gave the following explanation.
Fishel OsterHOST
What's this Indian that you chop off the head of the Petah HaMoer? He brought a loss to the money of the Qayin.
Fishel OsterHOST
The Cain should have gotten a lamb, and he didn't do that.
Fishel OsterHOST
So therefore, he also has the laws that he has to chop off the head of this Petah Hamar.
Fishel OsterHOST
That's the reason for this, the Torah says, if you don't redeem it with a lamb, you chop off the head.
Fishel OsterHOST
Now Mani, who's the one that's saying this? Is this reasoning that Levi said according to Rabbi Yehuda? What does that mean? Again, again.
Fishel OsterHOST
Is this according to Rabbi Yehuda? What are you saying? That now he has to chop off his head and he loses with this.
Henry AbramsonHOST
Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of Jewish history in Daf Yomi.
Henry AbramsonHOST
Today I just want to look at one quick biographical study of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.
Henry AbramsonHOST
He's an exceptionally important individual in the history of the Talmud and you see his teachings suffused throughout the document as a whole.
Henry AbramsonHOST
We're not going to go deeply into the substance of his teachings which I'll leave to your maggid here but let's just understand a little bit about him and his life.
Henry AbramsonHOST
Now there's a fascinating 21st century aspect to this because in 2009 this American farmer living in Israel named Mitch Pilcher discovered while he was clearing rubble in his farmland for a bed and breakfast in northern Israel he discovered an ancient grave which happens all the time in Israel of course and it had a lintel marking that clearly said this is the grave of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.
Henry AbramsonHOST
Oh my gosh amazing thing.
Henry AbramsonHOST
Now here's a close-up of that lintel it's actually not as easy to see as I'd like to but nevertheless this immediately embroiled a huge controversy because of course the Antiquities Commission is quite invested in preserving remains of this nature and of course there are lots of Jewish ritual requirements that are associated with any body but certainly the body of a great rabbi like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.
Henry AbramsonHOST
But what's important for us is the question you know could this really be the grave of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi or perhaps is it the grave of another rabbi whose name was also Yehoshua ben Levi? Questions remain.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
Now, they're only a certain percentage of Shevet Levi, and they have different jobs.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
Different roles, but they say, "Ked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi," just like Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says, and we've quoted this a whole bunch of times.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
Um, it came up in in the last time we saw it.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
"To amar Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi b'esrim v'arba'ah makomot mikre'u kohanim Leviyim, v'zeh achad mehem, haKohanim haLeviym benei Tzadok." Okay, they quote this pasuk from Yechezkel.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
"Hakohanim haLeviym benei Tzadok." Now, benei Tzadok were, were Kohanim.
Michelle Cohen FarberHOST
They weren't Levites, but it calls them also Leviyim.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
In other words, it begins from what happened at that time during the census.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
What happens to a Ben Levi? Then a Levi who owned a seh, d'afka, his seh was used to remove the kedusha of the donkeys of the Yiden.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
So then l'paka or lifka, then that same seh can also have the koach to redeem his own donkey.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
But what happens if there was a Levi that, uh, did not own a seh? That-- The lifka.
5 MINS LATER
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
Now, what about-- that doesn't answer the last question regarding Adam.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
Adam was a Kohen.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
Kahana min ha'olam k'derech Yehoshua ben Levi.
Avraham Meyer ZajacHOST
Ta amre Yehoshua ben Levi, d'b'esnim b'adam hakois nikro Kahanim Leviim.
Maier BorensteinHOST
Now the Gemara's going to Meklar, is this tenfold, is this legit, or is that an exaggeration? Maybe it's even a hundredfold, the Gemara is going to Avotat.
Maier BorensteinHOST
So Zucht Gemara, Davka Elav Davka, that which we said tenfold, is that real? Tenfold, Zucht Gemara Toshma, the Omar Yehoshua Ben Levi, Yehoshua Ben Levi said Amrich Avdo Le'akum, if you sell an Eved, okay, so this is not an animal but rather an Eved, and we have to keep in mind the back and forth between Eved and Behema over here, the Gemara's trying to bring a Raya from Eved, but when it comes to an Eved, it says what do you do if you sell it to a Goy, so Kintzin Oyisoy, Adme Abidama, you know what we do, we count to you a hundredfold.
Maier BorensteinHOST
So the way Rashi's Masver is, is that why are we saying a hundredfold, why don't we say ten? Obviously it's Davka, when it comes to an Eved it's actually a hundredfold, but when it comes to the Behema it's tenfold and it's literal.
Maier BorensteinHOST
So there's tenfold for an animal and a hundredfold for an Eved, and these are real Halachas, it's not an exaggeration, it's real tenfold.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
hours.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya said, Our eyes never saw sleep.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
The Talmud then has to deal with the obvious problem that humans need sleep.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
and resolves it by saying they dozed on each other's shoulders while standing.
CornHOST
Why is the night celebration named after the morning water
Herman PoppleberryHOST
ritual? The Jerusalem Talmud has two answers.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said it was called that because from there they drew divine inspiration.
Herman PoppleberryHOST
The word for drawing water, Sheva, becomes drawing in the sense of drawing out prophecy.