Yehoshua ben Perachya יהושע בן פרחיה
nasi of the second pair, under John Hyrcanus
Yehoshua ben Perachya received the tradition from the first pair and led the Sanhedrin in the days of John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE) — the very years in which the ruler broke with the Pharisees and turned to the Sadducees.
His saying in Avot 1:6 is three short rules from which a whole ethic of study grew: «Make yourself a teacher, acquire yourself a companion, and judge every person favourably.» The first means one cannot learn alone; the second, that a study partner is not a luxury but a condition; the third became a commandment in its own right in the language — «lidun lekaf zechut».
The Talmud preserves his flight to Alexandria during a persecution of the Pharisees and his return when it ended (Menachot 109b; Jerusalem Talmud, Chagigah 2:2). The sources differ on which ruler it was — Hyrcanus or already Alexander Jannaeus; the tradition itself records the disagreement.
His partner was Nittai of Arbela, the av beit din. His exact dates are unknown.
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
- Menachot 109b — the flight to Alexandria and the return
- Jerusalem Talmud, Chagigah 2:2 — the order of the pairs and their offices; the disagreement over which ruler
Basis: Talmud and midrash.