Mar son of Ravina
Mar son of Ravina(Aramaic: מר בריה דרבינא;Mar Breih deRavina) was aBabylonianJewishrabbiwho lived around the late third century (fourth generation ofAmoraim). He was not the son ofRavina IorRavina II(both of whom lived after him), but of a different father having the same name.
Practices[edit]
TheTalmudmentions Mar son of Ravina's many unique pious practices. His friendRav Nachman bar Yitzchakdescribed him as "fearing Heaven" due to his strict practice of the details ofhalachaand his aspiration to act in a way that would fulfill all halachic opinions.
A number of his practices have become accepted halacha to this day, for example:
- In situations in which one possesses a full loaf of barley bread and a slice of wheat bread, and wants to know which bread to make theHamotziblessing over, Mar son of Ravina's approach was to place the slice within the full loaf, and make the blessing over the slice and the full loaf simultaneously.[1]
- With regards to the question of whether to put the right or left shoe on first, Mar son of Ravina would put the right shoe on without tying it, then the left shoe, then tie the left shoe, then tie the right shoe.[2]This practice was accepted by theShulchan Aruch.[3]
- The Talmud records a special prayer which Mar son of Ravina would say at the end of theAmidahprayer.[4]A variation of this prayer is said by all Jews today, known by its opening wordsElokai netzor.
- Mar son of Ravina would let down thetefillinstraps on his front side, as is done to this day.[5]He would insert the fourtzitzitstrings into the corner of his garment and fold them over, forming eight strings, as is done today.[6]
- Mar son of Ravina would fast every day of the year exceptPurim,Shavuot,and ErevYom Kippur- three days on which there is a specialmitzvahto eat.[7]
- At his son's wedding, Mar son of Ravina considered the guests' celebration to be excessive, so he brought a cup worth 400zuzand broke it before them, to cause him distress.[8]This is the source of the current custom to break a cup atJewish weddingswhile recitingPsalms 137:5–6,in memory of the destroyedTemple in Jerusalem.
- Mar son of Ravina did not permit his son to perform medical bloodletting on him, considering it a possible violation of the Biblical prohibition on a son striking or wounding his parent.[9]
- Once he passed the cityBabylon,which was already ruined at the time. Mar son of Ravina took some of its dust and threw it outside the city, to fulfill the Biblical prophecy "I shall sweep it with the broom of destruction" (Isaiah 14:23).[10]