View source for Rabbi Nehemiah

{{Short description|2nd century AD Jewish scholar and rabbi}}
{{Eras of the Halakha}}
'''[[Rabbi]] Nehemiah''' was a rabbi who lived [[Wiktionary:circa|circa]] 150 [[Anno Domini|AD]] (fourth generation of [[tannaim]]).

He was one of the great students of [[Rabbi Akiva]], and one of the rabbis who received [[semicha]] from R' [[Judah ben Baba]]

The Talmud equated R' Nechemiah with [[Rabbi Nehorai]]: "His name was not Rabbi Nehorai, but Rabbi Meir."<ref>Eruvin 13b; see also [[Rabbi Meir#Name</ref>

His son, R' Yehudah BeRabi Nechemiah, studied before [[Rabbi Tarfon]], but died at a young age after damaging R' Tarfon's honor, after R' Akiva predicted his death.<ref>Menachot 68b</ref>

==Teachings==

In the [[Talmud]], all anonymous sayings in the [[Tosefta]] are attributed to R' Nechemiah.<ref>Sanhedrin 86a</ref> However, [[Sherira Gaon]] said that this does not mean they were said by R' Nechemiah, but that the laws in question were transmitted by R' Nechemiah.<ref>Igeret Sherira Gaon, p. 102-103, R' Binyamin Menasheh Levin edition, Haifa, 1920-1921</ref>

In the Talmud, many times he disagrees with R' [[Judah bar Ilai]] on matters of halacha.

He is attributed as the author of the ''[[Mishnat ha-Middot]]'' (ca. AD 150), making it the earliest known [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] text on [[geometry]], although some historians assign the text to a later period by an unknown author.

The ''Mishnat ha-Middot'' argues against the common belief that the Bible defines the [[geometry|geometric]] ratio [[pi|{{pi}}]] (pi) as being exactly equal to 3, based on the description in [[1 Kings]] 7:23 (and [[2 Chronicles]] 4:2) of the [[Molten Sea|great bowl]] situated outside the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple of Jerusalem]] as having a diameter of 10 [[cubit]]s and a circumference of 30 cubits.  He maintained that the [[diameter]] of the bowl was measured from the ''outside'' brim, while the [[circumference]] was measured along the ''inner'' brim, which with a brim that is one [[hand (length)|handbreadth]] wide (as described in the subsequent verses 1 Kings 7:24 and 2 Chronicles 4:3) yields a ratio from the circular rim closer to the actual value of {{pi}}.<ref>[[Petr Beckmann]], ''[[A History of Pi]]'', St. Martin's (1971).</ref>

===Quotes===
* "Due to the sin of baseless hatred, great strife is found in a man's home, and his wife miscarries, and his sons and daughters die at a young age."<ref>Shabbat 32b</ref>

== See also ==
* [[History of numerical approximations of π]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Tannaim}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehemiah, Rabbi}}
[[Category:Mishnah rabbis]]
[[Category:2nd-century rabbis]]
[[Category:Mathematics writers]]
[[Category:Geometers]]
[[Category:2nd-century mathematicians]]


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