Yudan Ben Manasseh

Palestinian amora of the third century. One of his halakic maxims has been preserved in the Jerusalem Talmud (Kil. 27a), and the Babylonian Talmud contains two haggadic sayings by him, both based on the interpretation of a Biblical word with varied vocalization, and both referring to I Sam. ii. 2 (Meg. 14a; Ber. 10a; see "Diḳduḳe Soferim" on both passages). In emphasizing the decorous mode of expression adopted in the Bible, Yudan declared that "even those passages which enumerate the characteristics of the unclean animals first give the marks of their cleanness" (comp. Lev. xi. 4-7); and this aphorism is frequently quoted in midrashic literature (Lev. R. xxvi. 1; Pesiḳ. iv. [ed. Buber, p. 31a]; Num. R. xix. 1).

Bibliography:

  * Bacher, Ag. Pal. Amor. iii. 604.



J. J. Z. L.