Hutzpit the Interpreter
Hutzpit the Interpreter (חוצפית המתורגמן) was a rabbi from the third generation of tannaim.
Biography
His title comes from his position as the interpreter of Rabban Gamaliel II: Gamaliel would speak softly, and Hutzpit would announce Gamaliel's words to the listeners.[1] At one point he lived in Tzippori and had contact with rabbis Eleazar ben Azariah, Jeshbab the Scribe, Halafta, and Johanan ben Nuri.[2]
He is described as one of the Ten Martyrs in the Midrash Eleh Ezkerah, where he is said to have been murdered and dismembered "one day short of his 130th birthday".[3] According to one story, Elisha ben Abuyah lost his faith after seeing Hutzpit's detached tongue lying in the dust after the murder.[4]
References
- Brachot 27b
- Tosefta Kelim, Bava Batra 2:1
- Midrash Eleh Ezkerah; Artscroll Yom Kippur Machzor p. 934
- Kiddushin 39b