Sanhedrin 98b

Question

shalom aleichem dear Rabbi

1) What are “Hillak” and “Billak” in this text?

“Rav Giddel says that Rav says: The Jewish people are destined to eat from the bounty of, i.e., enjoy, the years of the Messiah. Rav Yosef says: Isn’t this obvious? And rather, who else will eat from them? Will Ḥillak and Billak, two shiftless characters, eat from them?”

2) who is “Rav” when Rav Giddel said: “Rav says” ?

3) What is the difference between “Rav” and “Rabbi”?

4) who is Rabbi Hillel in this text? Is he the same “Hillel the elder”?

“The Gemara explains that Rav Giddel’s statement serves to exclude the statement of Rabbi Hillel, who says: There is no Messiah coming for the Jewish people, as they already ate from him, as all the prophecies relating to the Messiah were already fulfilled during the days of Hezekiah.”

5) was hezekiah the same messiah according to hillel’s commantry? why Rabbi Hillel said this sentences? was he wrong?! And How his opinion more accepted rather than Beith Shammai ?

6) Who founded the Beit of Hillel? Rabbi Hillel?

7) in Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 43:10 we read:

אַתּוּן סַהֲדִין קֳדָמַי אֲמַר יְיָ וְעַבְדִי מְשִׁיחָא דְאִתְרְעֵתִי בֵיהּ בְּדִיל דְתִידְעוּן וּתְהֵימְנוּן קֳדָמָי וְתִסְתַּכְּלוּן אֲרֵי אֲנָא הוּא דְמִלְקַדְמִין אַף עַלְמֵי עַלְמַיָא דִילִי אִינוּן וּבַר מִנִי לֵית אֱלָהּ:

is this translation correct?

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant, the Messiah, in whom is my delight, in order that ye may know, and that ye may believe in me, and understand that I am He who was from the beginning; yea, ages after ages are mine, and beside me there is no god.

with blessing

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    1) Rashi explains that Chillak and Billak are fictional characters who represent evilness. The roots of their names are derived from words that mean destruction.
    2) Rav alone in the Talmud always refers to the Rabbi Abba Aricha who established the famous Yeshivah in Sura, Babylonia.
    3) There is no real qualitative difference between them. They are both titles of respect and signify that the person is a Torah Scholar and teacher.
    4) The Rabbi Hillel cited is not the famous sage Hillel the Elder. Rather, it is one of his grandsons. Although Hillel the Elder is quoted all over the Talmud he is normally referred to simply as Hillel without any titles. Occasionally he is referred to as Hillel the Elder.
    5) The Talmud teaches that King Chizkiyahu could have been the Messiah but for various reasons it was not to be. Hillel then opines that there will not be another Messianic Era as all the prophecies pertaining to the Messianic Era came about during Chizkiyahu’s reign. Hillel is not suggesting that there will not be a final redemption, rather he is teaching that the final redemption will not take place with the Messiah revealing his identity rather it will come about through God’s direct intervention without any human input. In all events Hillel’s opinion is not accepted by the Talmud.
    6) Beit Hillel is the Yeshivah that was founded and led by Hillel the Elder until his death. After his passing it was headed by his children and grandchildren.
    7) Yes, that is an accurate translation.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team