Hutzpit the Interpreter (Hebrew: חוּצְפִּית הַמְּתוּרְגְּמָן, Ḥūṣpīṯ hamMəṯūrgəmān) 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

  1. ^ Brachot 27b
  2. ^ Tosefta Kelim Batra 2:1
  3. ^ Midrash Eleh Ezkerah (translated by David Sedley; Artscroll Yom Kippur Machzor p. 934
  4. ^ Kiddushin 39b

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Smaller Midrashim". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. It has the following bibliography:

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