Grave

Chananya ben Akashya - Tana

Yahrzeit (Hillula)

29 Sivan — Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya - Tana

Grave of the Tana Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya

Burial place - the cave of Kefar Hananya, (Kefar H̱Ananya, Hazafon, Israel).

Yahrzeit - 29 Sivan.

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya - a Tana whose name is recited daily before the Kaddish.

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya was a Tana of the 4th generation.

We have preserved teachings of Rabbi Chananya, one of which is well known and is quoted after Torah study before reciting Kaddish.

Little is known about Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya.

He may be the brother of Rabbi Shimon ben Akashya, another Tana who is mentioned once in the Mishnah in Masechet Kinnim.

In total, we have three teachings from Rabbi Chananya.

Two are halachic; one in the Tosefta, establishing the exact place where the parts of dismembered offerings are kept before they are brought, and the second in Masechet Sofrim.

The third teaching is Aggadic in nature and appears in the Mishnah at the end of Makkot:

"Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya says: 'The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to grant merit to Israel, therefore He gave them much Torah and many mitzvot, as it is said: "The L-rd desired, for the sake of His righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious."' (Yeshayahu 42:21) (Makkot 3:16).

This teaching is well known and is quoted before reciting Kaddish after Torah study, since in order to say Kaddish, the section of study must include a teaching from the Aggadah.

Ashkenazim quote it in the summer months, when it is customary to study Masechet Avot every week after Shabbat Mincha.

Sephardim quote it almost daily, since they repeat Kaddish after Torah study.

One explanation of this teaching is that it is enough for any Jew to fulfill a single mitzvah perfectly in order to receive a share in the World to Come.

Therefore many different mitzvot were given, so that everyone could find the one suited to them.

Rabbi Chananya is buried in the cave of Kefar Hananya together with his wife and numerous students. The cave contains 25 graves, and it is not known for certain which one belongs to Rabbi Chananya ben Akashya.

In the immediate vicinity are the resting places of the Tana Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov and Rabbi Zecharia ben HaKatzav.

(based on materials from Tzadikim.com)