Rabbi Hananyah b. Teradyon

Talmudic Figures

Rabbi Hananyah ben Teradyon studied Torah under Rabbi Yose ben Kisma until Rabbi Yose felt it was counterproductive. Alongside Rabbi Elazar ben Parta, they were captured by the Romans. Rabbi Hananyah predicted that Rabbi Elazar would be saved due to his extensive acts of kindness, whereas Rabbi Hananyah himself excelled primarily in Torah study. Rabbi Hananyah was the father of Bruriah, who became the wife of Rabbi Meir.

Notable Sources

All Sources

Fortunate in Persecution

TALMUD

Rabbi Elazar ben Perata considered Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon fortunate for being arrested on only one charge, specifically for teaching Torah publicly, while he himself faced multiple charges. The Talmudic tractate Avodah Zara recounts the arrest of these rabbis during a period of Roman religious persecution.

§ The Gemara returns to its discussion of the judgments of the Sages by the Roman rulers. The Sages taught: When Rabbi Elazar ben Perata and Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon were arrested by the Romans during the time of the religious persecution of the Jewish people, Rabbi Elazar ben Perata said to Rabbi Ḥanina ben Teradyon: Fortunate are you, as you were arrested on one charge only, of teaching Torah publicly; woe is me, as I have been arrested on five charges.

Avodah Zarah 17b:4

A Martyr for Torah

COMMENTARY

The story of Rabbi Hananyah ben Teradyon's execution is a powerful testament to Jewish perseverance and dedication to Torah study. The Talmudic tractate Avodah Zarah 18a recounts the brutal martyrdom of Rabbi Hananyah ben Teradyon by the Romans for teaching Torah publicly.

Avodah Zarah 18a – Rabi Chaninah ben Tradyon
This is a difficult question to answer. Perhaps an answer can be found in an equally problematic episode presented in Avodah Zarah 18a involving the gruesome and brutal execution of Rabi Chaninah ben Tradyon.

Depths of Yonah 1:14:4

The Martyrdom of Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon

LITURGY

The brutal and prolonged nature of Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon's execution serves as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made in Jewish history. This text, part of the Yom Kippur Musaf service, recounts the martyrdom of ten rabbis by the Romans, including the harrowing details of Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon's death.

He commanded them to bring out Rabbi Chananya ben Tradyon from his house of study, and on a pyre of green brushwood they burnt his body. Layers of wet wool were placed on his chest to prolong the agony; and when they were removed he was consumed immediately together with the Torah Scroll he held.

Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz, Musaf for Yom Kippur, The Ten Martyrs 19

A Martyr's Dilemma

REFERENCE

Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion's defiance of Roman bans on teaching Torah exemplifies the tension between religious devotion and the risk of persecution. This narrative from the early 2nd century CE highlights Rabbi Jose ben Kisma's warning to Rabbi Hanina about the dangers of teaching Torah under Roman rule.

In the early years of his career Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion studied together with Rabbi Jose ben Kisma but it appears that Rabbi Jose departed when the situation became too dangerous and when learning of the Torah was declared to be an “offense” punishable by death. When Rabbi Jose fell sick before his death he was visited by Rabbi Hanina and he chided the latter for his daring in endangering his life because of his teachings. Rabbi Jose said, “God handed the government to the Romans. They destroyed his house, burned his temple, slaughtered the pious, the best men of our people…

The Jewish Spiritual Heroes, Volume I; The Creators of the Mishna, The Ten Martyrs 35