Pt2 Sage on the Run: The Fleeing and Death of Rabba bar Naḥmani (Bava Metzia 86a)
More miraculous events in the Inn in Pumbedita - wall crumbles; In the swamp; dispute in Heavenly Yeshiva; Death; Strong winds on the day he died
Part two of a two-part series. First part here.
More miraculous events in the Inn in Pumbedita - wall crumbles
The messenger assured that he would not disclose Rabba bar Naḥmani's location if he left the inn, even if it meant his own death. However, he admitted that under torture (נגידי - literally: “whipping, hitting”), he might reveal it.
Trusting this, they brought Rabba to the messenger, who then took Rabba into a small vestibule and closed the door. Rabba prayed, causing the wall to crumble, allowing him to escape and hide in a swamp.
אמר: אזלינא מהא,
אי מקטל קטלו לההוא גברא – לא מגלינא,
ואי נגידי מנגדין ליה – מגלינא.
אתיוה לקמיה,
עייליה לאדרונא,
וטרקיה לבבא באנפיה.
בעא רחמי, פרק אשיתא,
ערק, ואזל לאגמא.
The messenger said that they should tell Rabba bar Naḥmani: I will leave this inn and will not disclose your location.
Even if they will kill that man, i.e., me, I will not disclose your location.
But if they will beat him, me, I will disclose your whereabouts, as I cannot bear being tortured.
With that guarantee, they brought Rabba bar Naḥmani before the messenger.
They took him into a small vestibule [le’idrona]
and closed the door before him.
Rabba bar Naḥmani prayed for mercy, and the wall crumbled.
He fled and went to hide in a swamp.
In the swamp; dispute in Heavenly Yeshiva
Rabba bar Naḥmani was sitting on a palm tree stump, studying Torah alone.
Meanwhile, the Sages in the Heavenly Yeshiva were debating a certain halacha about tzaraath.1 (I skip the specifics.) God declared the individual pure, but the rest of the Heavenly Yeshiva declared him impure.
They decided Rabba bar Naḥmani should arbitrate the dispute, as he had previously claimed expertise in the halakhot of Nega'im2 and Oholot.3
Consequently, they sent a heavenly messenger to take Rabba's soul to the heavenly academy.
הוה יתיב אגירדא דדקולא וקא גריס.
קא מיפלגי במתיבתא דרקיעא:
[...]
הקדוש ברוך הוא אומר: טהור, וכולהו מתיבתא דרקיעא אמרי: טמא.
ואמרי: מאן נוכח?
נוכח רבה בר נחמני. דאמר רבה בר נחמני: אני יחיד בנגעים, אני יחיד באהלות.
שדרו שליחא בתריה.
He was sitting on the stump of a palm tree and studying Torah alone.
At that moment, the Sages in the heavenly academy were disagreeing with regard to a halakha of leprosy.
[...]
The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: The individual is pure,
but every other member of the heavenly academy says: He is impure.
And they said: Who can arbitrate in this dispute?
They agreed that Rabba bar Naḥmani should arbitrate, as Rabba bar Naḥmani once said: I am preeminent in the halakhot of leprosy and I am preeminent in the halakhot of ritual impurity imparted by tents.
They sent a messenger from heaven after him to take his soul up to the heavenly academy,
Death
The Angel of Death (מלאך המות) couldn't approach Rabba bar Naḥmani because he was continuously studying Torah. Then, a wind howled between the branches, and Rabba mistakenly thought it was an approaching cavalry battalion (גונדא דפרשי). He preferred to die rather than be captured by the government, allowing the Angel of Death to take his soul.
As he died, he declared in response to the heavenly dispute: "It is pure; it is pure." A Divine Voice (בת קול) then proclaimed that Rabba bar Naḥmani was blessed, as both his body and soul were pure, and his soul departed with the word "pure."
לא הוה מצי מלאך המות למקרב ליה, מדלא הוה קא פסיק פומיה מגרסיה.
אדהכי, נשב זיקא, ואווש ביני קני,
סבר גונדא דפרשי הוא.
אמר: תינח נפשיה דההוא גברא, ולא ימסר בידא דמלכותא.
כי הוה קא ניחא נפשיה, אמר: טהור, טהור.
יצאת בת קול ואמרה: אשריך רבה בר נחמני שגופך טהור, ויצאתה נשמתך בטהור.
the Angel of Death was unable to approach Rabba bar Naḥmani, as his mouth did not cease from his Torah study.
In the meantime, a wind blew and howled between the branches.
Rabba bar Naḥmani thought that the noise was due to an infantry battalion [gunda] about to capture him.
He said: Let that man, i.e., me, die and not be given over to the hands of the government. The Angel of Death was therefore able to take his soul.
As he was dying, he said in response to the dispute in heaven: It is pure; it is pure.
A Divine Voice emerged from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabba bar Naḥmani, as your body is pure and your soul left you with the word: Pure.
Announcement of Death, and Searching for his body
A note4 fell from heaven into the academy of Pumbedita, stating that Rabba bar Naḥmani had been summoned to the Heavenly Yeshiva (ישיבה של מעלה), meaning he had died.
Abaye, Rava, and “all the Rabbis” (כולהו רבנן) went to arrange his burial, but did not know where his body was. They went to the swamp and saw birds forming a shade and hovering over a specific spot. The Rabbis concluded that Rabba's body was there.
נפל פתקא מרקיעא בפומבדיתא: רבה בר נחמני נתבקש בישיבה של מעלה.
נפקו אביי ורבא וכולהו רבנן לאיעסוקי ביה.
לא הוו ידעי דוכתיה.
אזלו לאגמא
חזו צפרי דמטללי וקיימי,
אמרי: שמע מינה, התם הוא.
A note [pitka] fell from heaven and landed in the academy of Pumbedita. The note read: Rabba bar Naḥmani was summoned to the heavenly academy, i.e., he has died.
Abaye and Rava and all of the other Rabbis went out to tend to his burial;
however, they did not know the location of his body.
They went to the swamp
and saw birds forming a shade and hovering over a certain spot.
The Rabbis said: We can conclude from this that he is there.
Mourning (hesped)
The Rabbis mourned Rabba bar Naḥmani for three days and nights.
Then another note (see previous section) fell from heaven warning that anyone who left the mourning would be ostracized (נידוי), so they continued mourning for seven days.
Finally, another note fell from heaven, telling them to go to their homes in peace.
ספדוה תלתא יומי ותלתא לילותא.
נפל פתקא: כל הפורש יהא בנידוי.
ספדוה שבעה יומי.
נפל פתקא: לכו לביתכם לשלום.
The Rabbis lamented him for three days and three nights.
A note fell from heaven, upon which was written: Anyone who removes himself from the lamentations shall be ostracized.
Accordingly, they lamented him for seven days.
Another note fell from heaven, stating: Go to your homes in peace.
Strong winds on the day he died
On the day Rabba bar Naḥmani died, a hurricane lifted an Arab merchant (טייעא) and his camel, carrying them across the Pappa River (נהר פפא). Confused, the merchant asked what was happening, and those present informed him of Rabba bar Naḥmani's death.
The merchant then prayed to God, questioning why the world was being destroyed for Rabba's sake. Following his plea, the storm subsided.
ההוא יומא דנח נפשיה, דלייה זעפא ודרי לההוא טייעא כי רכיב גמלא
מהאי גיסא דנהר פפא, ושדייה בהך גיסא.
אמר: מאי האי?
אמרי ליה: נח נפשיה דרבה בר נחמני.
אמר לפניו: רבונו של עולם!
כולי עלמא דידך הוא,
ורבה בר נחמני דידך,
את דרבה ורבה דידך –
אמאי קא מחרבת ליה לעלמא?
נח זעפא.
On that day when Rabba bar Naḥmani died, a hurricane lifted a certain Arab [taya’a] merchant while he was riding his camel.
The hurricane carried him from one side of the Pappa River and threw him onto the other side.
He said: What is this?
Those present said to him: Rabba bar Naḥmani has died.
He said before God: Master of the Universe!
The entire world is Yours
and Rabba bar Naḥmani is also Yours.
You are to Rabba and Rabba is to You, i.e., you are beloved to each other.
If so, why are You destroying the world on his account?
The storm subsided.
Wikipedia: “frequently translated as leprosy [...] a term used in the Bible to describe various ritually impure disfigurative conditions of the human skin, clothing, and houses”.
נגעים - meaning, the laws of tzaraath.
Wikipedia: “the ritual impurity of corpses, and the peculiar quality they have to make all objects in the same tent-like structure impure as well”.