Pt2 Astrological Destinies in the Talmud: Influence of Birth Timings on Character (Shabbat 156a)

R' Ḥanina: the hour of birth, not the day, determines one's nature

This is the second and final installment of a two part series. The first part is here.

R' Ḥanina: the hour of birth, not the day, determines one's nature

R' Hanina asserts that it's not the day but the the hour that influences a person's destiny.

The Talmud details how planetary influences affect one's character, with additional anecdotes at the end from sages like Rav Ashi and Rabba.

אמר להו רבי חנינא:

פוקו אמרו ליה לבר ליואי:

לא מזל יום גורם, אלא מזל שעה גורם. 

Rabbi Ḥanina said to his students who heard all this:

Go and tell the son of Leiva’i, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi:

It is not the constellation of the day of the week that determines a person’s nature; rather, it is the constellation of the hour that determines his nature.

Constellations and Birth Influences, Influences of planets:

1. Sun (חמה): Radiant, self-sufficient.

2. Venus (כוכב נוגה):¹ Rich and promiscuous

3. Mercury (כוכב): Enlightened and expert

4. Moon (לבנה): Suffering and resource-dependent

5. Saturn (שבתאי):² Thoughts are futile

6. Jupiter (צדק): Just person

7. Mars (מאדים): Blood spiller (e.g., butcher or surgeon)

Sun: Radiant, self-sufficient.

האי מאן דבחמה — 

יהי גבר זיותן, 

יהי אכיל מדיליה ושתי מדיליה, 

ורזוהי גליין, 

אם גניב — לא מצלח. 

One who was born under the influence of the sun 

will be a radiant person; 

he will eat from his own resources and drink from his own resources, 

and his secrets will be exposed. 

If he steals he will not succeed, because he will be like the sun that shines and is revealed to all.

Venus: Rich and promiscuous

האי מאן דבכוכב נוגה — 

יהי גבר עתיר, וזנאי יהי. 

מאי טעמא? 

משום דאיתיליד ביה נורא. 

One who was born under the influence of Venus 

will be a rich and promiscuous person. 

What is the reason for this? 

Because fire was born during the hour of Venus, he will be subject the fire of the evil inclination, which burns perpetually.

Mercury: Enlightened and expert

האי מאן דבכוכב — 

יהי גבר נהיר וחכים, 

משום דספרא דחמה הוא. 

One who was born under the influence of Mercury 

will be an enlightened and expert man, 

because Mercury is the sun’s scribe, as it is closest to the sun.

Moon: Suffering and resource-dependent

האי מאן דבלבנה — 

יהי גבר סביל מרעין, 

בני וסתר, סתר ובני, 

אכיל דלא דיליה, ושתי דלא דיליה 

ורזוהי כסיין 

אם גנב — מצלח. 

One who was born under the influence of the moon 

will be a man who suffers pains, 

who builds and destroys, and destroys and builds. 

He will be a man who eats not from his own resources and drinks not from his own resources, 

and whose secrets are hidden. 

If he steals he will succeed, as he is like the moon that constantly changes form, whose light is not its own, and who is at times exposed and at times hidden.

Saturn: Thoughts are futile

האי מאן דבשבתאי — 

יהי גבר מחשבתיה בטלין. 

ואית דאמרי: כל דמחשבין עליה, בטלין. 

One who was born under the influence of Saturn 

will be a man whose thoughts are for naught. 

And some say that everything that others think about him and plan to do to him is for naught.

Jupiter: Just person

האי מאן דבצדק —

 יהי גבר צדקן. 

אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק: וצדקן במצות. 

One who was born under the influence of Jupiter [tzedek] 

will be a just person [tzadkan]. 

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And just in this context means just in the performance of mitzvot.

Mars: Blood spiller (e.g., butcher or surgeon)

האי מאן דבמאדים — 

יהי גבר אשיד דמא. 

אמר רב אשי: 

1. אי אומנא, 

2. אי גנבא, 

3. אי טבחא, 

4. אי מהולא. 

אמר רבה: אנא במאדים הואי. 

אמר אביי: מר נמי עניש וקטיל.

One who was born under the influence of Mars 

will be one who spills blood. 

Rav Ashi said: He will be either 

1. a blood letter, 

2. or a thief, 

3. or a slaughterer of animals, 

4. or a circumciser. 

Rabba said: I was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of those activities. 

Abaye said: My Master also punishes and kills as a judge.

Summary of R' Ḥanina’s Position

איתמר, 

רבי חנינא אומר: 

1. מזל מחכים, 

2. מזל מעשיר, 

3. ויש מזל לישראל. 

It was stated that 

Rabbi Ḥanina says: 

1. A constellation makes one wise 

2. and a constellation makes one wealthy, 

3. and there is a constellation for the Jewish people that influences them. 

1. On the Talmudic names of planets, see Wikipedia, Hebrew astronomy > “In the Talmud“ > “The heavenly bodies and their motions“.

2. See Wiktionary, “שבתאי“:

From שבת (“Sabbath, Shabbat, Saturday”). The Hebrew name of the planet is derived from the name of the day of the week, ultimately through analogy with the Roman name for Saturday, which is still named after the Roman god Saturn in some European languages.

Compare also the name Shabbetai / Sabbeta, that is found in the Talmud for non-rabbis, see my piece here.