15 Av · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Yosei HaGlili
Rabbi Yosei HaGlili was a Tanna of the third generation and one of the sages of Yavne.
Yahrzeit – 15 Av
Resting place – Dalton;
He spent his youth in the Galilee, where for a time he taught the young Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah. In his old age he joined the academy at Yavne and was immediately accepted by the sages because of his vast knowledge. He had a difficult wife whom he divorced, but he continued to support her out of compassion whenever she fell on hard times.
Zimun
Rabbi Yosei HaGlili said regarding the blessing of Zimun: "The blessing should correspond to the size of the assembly, as it is said (Tehillim 68:27): 'In assemblies bless G-d, the L-rd, from the source of Israel.'"
Bruriah
There is a well-known episode involving Bruriah, the wife of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, who sharply answered Rabbi Yosei HaGlili when he asked her:
"Which road should I take to Lod?"
"You foolish Galilean! Did the sages not teach not to speak excessively with a woman? You should have asked, 'To Lod, how?' (Eruvin 53b)."
The Broken Tablets
"Rabbi Yosei HaGlili said: I will tell you a parable of what this is like. A king in the flesh said to his messenger: go and betroth for me a beautiful and virtuous young woman. The messenger went and betrothed her. But afterward he discovered that she had been unfaithful with another man. He reasoned to himself and said: if I give her the ketubah now, she will be condemned to death. Better that I tear up the ketubah and free her from my master forever. So too Moshe, the righteous one, reasoned with himself and said: how can I give Israel these tablets? For they impose upon them serious commandments, and for their violation the penalty is death, as it is said, 'Whoever sacrifices to gods, other than to the L-rd alone, shall be utterly destroyed' (Shemot 22:19). But it is better that I break them and turn their hearts to good. And the Creator agreed with him, as it is said: 'the tablets which you broke' (Devarim 10:2) — well done for breaking them!"
(Avot D'Rabbi Natan 2:3).
Gilgul of David HaMelech
Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropol, in his wondrous segula for Erev Pesach, reveals that Rabbi Yosei HaGlili was a gilgul of David HaMelech. He explains that the Egyptians were punished in Egypt with ten plagues, and at the sea with fifty plagues, through the power of the Name שפו, to which David the son of Yishai holds fast, and the Al-mighty spoke — and punished them. And this is the essence of the wondrous and astonishing matter of the dispute between Rabbi Yosei HaGlili, Rabbi Eliezer, and Rabbi Akiva. This is the secret — for the words "Rabbi Yosei HaGlili" (רבי יוסי הגלילי), have the numerical value of שפ"ו – 386 exactly!!
And the essence of the fact that "Rabbi Yosei HaGlili said…" is that the Name (of the Al-mighty) שפ"ו spoke and punished them. And regarding the phrase "to which David the son of Yishai holds fast" — the essence is that the words "David the son of Yishai" (דוד בן ישי) also have the numerical value of שפ"ו! And it was with this very Name that the Al-mighty punished them (the Egyptians). And it is written in "Sodei Razaya" that Rabbi Yosei HaGlili was a spark (of the soul) of King David the son of Yishai, and it is with this very name that Moshiach, "son of Yishai," will come. And although there are wondrous and awesome secrets here, nevertheless, the essence is as mentioned above.
(Tzadikim website, based on an article by Rav Gedalia Spinadel — Segula of Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropol for the Silatehilim website)
Pilgrimage site:
Grave: Yosei HaGlili