Simeon the Yemenite (Hebrew: שמעון התֵּימָנִי, translit: Shimon HaTeimani) or the variant Simeon of Timnah (Hebrew: שמעון התִּימְנִי, romanized: Shimon HaTimni) (fl. c. 80 - 120 CE)[1] was a third-generation Tanna of possible Yemenite origin who was active in Judaea.[2]
He was one of the three Simeons who were considered among the great "students" of the generation before the Bar Kokhba Revolt, the other two being Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma.[3] His teachers were Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon.[4][5] He had a daily study session with Judah ben Baba.[6] His teachings recorded in the Mishnah and Baraitot generally refer to matters of Halakhah, only a few being of an Aggadic nature.[4] Renowned for his ability to solve complex issues,[7] he was one of the most important sages of the SanhedrininJabneh and was among the few who were proficient in seventy languages.[4] He reportedly died at a young age before gaining ordination and is therefore never referred to as "Rabbi".[7]
He is noted for saying: "A bastard is anyone who is born from an [illegal] union for which his parents are liable to kareth",[8] and which teaching comes to exclude a single parent who gave birth to a child outside of wedlock, and whose child is often wrongly called "bastard" under common law.
There is a dispute regarding Rabbi Simeon's origin, whether he was from Yemen or from the Judean town of Timnah. This is due to a variant reading of the Hebrew word "תימני" which can either be pronounced as "Teimani"or"Timni". A reference in tractate Ketubot is identified by Adin Steinsaltz as being "Shimon HaTimni", named so after his native town of Timnah.[4] This is a position taken by earlier commentators, such as Rashi (Ta'anit 19a), Bartenura (Mishnah Ta'anit 3, 7) and Machzor Vitri.[9] Steinsaltz suggest's he was active in his hometown, though he seems to have spent much of his time in the academy at Jabneh.[4] Other commentators believe this tanna was from Yemen, a view taken by Jacob Emden.[10] One attempt to reconcile the issue based on a list of tannaim prepared by Maimonides suggests that there were in fact two rabbis, one from Yemen and one from Timnah.[11] Another view suggests that he was from Teman, an important city of ancient Edom,[12] a view ratified by the Jewish Encyclopedia which calls him "Simeon of Teman".[13]
^Nezikin Mishnah; Gavriel Finkel; Yehezkel Danziger (30 March 2007). The Mishnah. Mesorah Publications. p. 256. ISBN978-1-4226-0521-9. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
^Yehudah Leṿi Naḥum; Joseph Tobi (1981). מיצירות ספרותיות מתימן. הוצאת מפעל חשיפת גנזי תימן. p. 110.
