Nittai of Arbela ניתאי הארבלי
av beit din of the second pair
Nittai of Arbela is the second of the second pair. The name points to Arbela, a town in the Galilee near what would become Tiberias; he is the first sage of the chain tied not to Jerusalem but to the Galilee.
His saying in Avot 1:7 is sharper than his partner's gentle words: «Keep away from a bad neighbour, do not consort with the wicked, and do not despair of retribution.» Commentators long ago noticed the contrast: Yehoshua ben Perachya urged judging people favourably, Nittai urged distance. Both spoke in the same years, when John Hyrcanus turned from the Pharisees, and the second half of the saying — do not despair — reads as a direct word to his own in a hard time.
His dates are unknown; his office and place in the chain come from Chagigah 2:2 and Avot 1:7.
On the timeline
Sources
Chazal: Mishnah, Talmud, midrash, Zohar
- Mishnah Avot 1:4–1:12 — the list of the five pairs and each man's saying
- Mishnah Chagigah 2:2 — who in each pair was nasi and who av beit din, and the dispute over laying hands on a festival
- Jerusalem Talmud, Chagigah 2:2 (76d) — the order of the pairs and the division of offices
Basis: Talmud and midrash.