Eleazar ben Arach was one of the tannaim of the second generation (1st century CE).
Being first among the disciples of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakai,[1] he delighted his master with his wisdom and penetration, so that the most extravagant praises were lavished upon him. It was said, "If all the sages of Israel were placed in one scale, and Eleazar ben Arach in the other, he would outweigh them all",[2] and Yochanan described him as a "gushing stream" or "ever-flowing spring".[2]
Yochanan once asked his students, "What is the best thing, the one that a person should cherish most?" Several solutions were handed in, among them one from Eleazar, who suggested, "A good heart"; thereupon Yochanan remarked, "I prefer Eleazar's solution to all of yours, since yours are included in his".[3] Again, Yochanan asked, "What is the worst thing, the one that a person should shun most?" In this case, also, Eleazar's reply, "An evil heart," was preferred by the teacher because it included all the others.[3]
Eleazar also distinguished himself in the mystical interpretation of the Tanakh, and to such an extent as to call forth his master's ecstatic exclamation, "Happy are you, O father Abraham, from whose loins sprang Eleazar ben Arach".[4] To his counsel, often sought and always beneficial, was applied the Biblical expression, "Whatever he does shall prosper".[5] Beneficiaries of his counsel in their admiration called him "Prophet"; to which he replied, "I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but my teachers have communicated to me the traditional truth that every council that serves to promote the glory of God achieves positive outcomes".[6] His motto was, "Be diligent in the pursuit of study; be prepared to respond to an Epicurean (i.e.aheretic); and know for whom you toil and who will pay you the reward of your labor."[7]
Eleazar's name is connected with only a few halakhot, and with only one halakhic midrash. The reason for this paucity of teachings is found in the story of the period immediately succeeding the death of Yochanan ben Zakai. The disciples chose Yavne for their scene of activity, while Eleazar went to Emmaus, the residence of his wife — a particularly healthful place, blessed with good water, a pleasant climate, and warm baths.
Separated from his colleagues, his faculties became stunted, and he is said to have completely forgotten all he had ever learned.[8] In later years he was pointed out as a warning to the self-opinionated; the Talmud applying to him the motto of Nehorai: "Go to a place where the Law is studied, and do not say that the Torah will follow you, for it is your companions who will make it your permanent possession. Do not rely upon your own understanding".[9]
Crusader-period Jewish sources identify Eleazar ben Arach's tomb at the Upper Galilee town of Alma. Benjamin of Tudela mentions his tomb in a "large cemetery of the Israelites" at Alma, which also houses the tombs of Eleazar ben Azariah, Honi HaMe'agel, Simeon ben Gamliel and Jose the Galilean.[10] An anonymous Hebrew manuscript of the same period states that the Jews and Muslims of Alma light candles on Eleazar ben Arach's tomb on Shabbat Eve, and mention a nearby miracle-working tree.[11]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Eleazar ben 'Arak". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.|
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