(Rabbah or "the Great"). Sage in the period of transition between the tannaim and amoraim at the end of the second century CE. Born in Babylonia, he emigrated to Erets Israel with his wife and four children (twin boys and twin girls). Though his wife was a reputedly difficult women, he pampered her, saying to his illustrious student Rav, who was also his nephew, "It is enough that they bear our children and save us from sin" (Yev. 63a). Also among his students were Oshaiah and Joshua Ben Levi. He lived in Tiberias, having studied with Judah Ha-Nasi, who appointed him a dayyan specializing in financial matters (Sanh. 5a). One of his daughters was intended for Judah ha-Nasi's son but died young. Ḥiyya himself earned a living in the silk and cotton trade and also headed a bet midrash (academy).
Ḥiyya was best known for his baraitot, which he compiled together with Oshaiah and which are found in the Tosefta and quoted throughout the Talmud. Next to Judah ha-Nasi he was considered the greatest sage of his time. Against excessive strictness he said: "Do not make the fence higher than the essential thing [the Torah] lest it fall and destroy the shoots" (Gen. R. 19:4). It is said that to assure that the Torah would not be forgotten in Israel, and that everything would be accomplished with the greatest degree of purity and holiness, he planted cotton with which to knit snares with his own hands, trapped turtles, gave their meat to orphans and used the skin as parchment to write out the Torah and Mishnah, and then went from village to village teaching the young (Ket 103b). Simeon Ben Lakish (Resh Lakish) said of him: "When the Torah was forgotten in Israel, Ezra came up from Babylonia and reestablished it; when it was forgotten again, Hillel came; and when it was forgotten once more, Ḥiyya came with his sons" (Suk 20a).
