15 Tevet · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Huna – Amora
Rabbi Huna – Amora
Yahrzeit - 15 Tevet
Burial place - Suraban, Iraq
Rabbi Huna - head of the Sura Yeshiva in Babylon, in his youth was a farmer. Despite the hard work in the field, he studied Torah every free moment, day and most of the night — continuously and diligently. And over time he became a great sage, one of the most respected of his generation. But even then he remained a poor man.
Our Sages, may their memory be blessed, relate that once people came to Rabbi Huna and asked him to judge between them, for there was a dispute between them. He said to them:
— If you hire a worker to gather dates in my place, I will be able to judge you. If not — I cannot, because I am unable to stop working!
Rabbi Huna never asked anyone for help and did not wish to gain honor at another's expense. Once, when he was returning from work in the field with a hoe on his shoulder, he met one of the young sages, Rabbi Chana bar Chanilai, who wanted to carry the hoe for him, but Rabbi Huna said to him:
— If you are accustomed to carrying your own work tools, I agree. But if you are not accustomed to this and wish to carry them out of respect for me, I object! There is no honor for me in your humbling yourself for my sake.
Because of the poverty that prevailed in his house, he did not always even have wine for Kiddush. Once Rabbi Huna came to his own rabbi — at that time the head of the Sura Yeshiva, a great sage who was simply called "Rabbi." And he saw that Rabbi Huna looked unusual. His clothing was tied not with his usual belt, but with a rope made of coarse grass. The Rabbi looked at him in surprise and asked:
— What is this? How are you dressed today? Where is your usual belt?
Rabbi Huna told him:
— I had no money to buy wine for Kiddush. And although we learn that if there is no wine, one may make Kiddush over a piece of bread, it is still better to sanctify the Shabbat over wine. So I borrowed money to buy wine for Kiddush and gave my belt as collateral until I pay off the debt.
The Rabbi was amazed at the piety of his exemplary and wise student, who did not complain at all about his need, asked for nothing, but pawned his belt in order to fulfill the mitzvah of sanctifying the wine! And now he, the best of his students, stood before his teacher, girded with a rope of grass, like the poorest of the poor!
Then the Rabbi blessed him:
— May it be G-d's blessing that in the future you become a great wealthy man and be dressed in silken garments!
And the blessing was fulfilled. Rabbi Huna became wealthy and lacked for nothing. And then came the day of his son's wedding. The wedding was celebrated with great joy and splendor. At the end of the day, Rabbi Huna wanted to rest a little from the excitement of the day. He went into one of the rooms and lay down on the bed.
Rabbi Huna was of short stature, and in the dim light of dusk, no one noticed that he was resting in that room. His daughters and daughters-in-law came in, took off their garments of costly silk, and laid them on the bed. Rabbi Huna woke up and found himself completely covered in silk!
May the merit of the tzadik protect our people!
(http://www.istok.ru/library/58-tak-postupali-nashi-mudretsy-4-subbota.html)