Eleazar ben Azariah

Eleazar ben Azariah (flourished late 1st and early 2nd centuries ad) was a Jewish rabbinic scholar, one of the Palestinian tannaim (those who compiled the Jewish Oral Law), whose practical maxims constitute some of the best-known sayings of the Talmud. Eleazar was a wealthy, learned, and highly esteemed resident of Jabneh who traced his descent through Ezra, the legendary spiritual leader of Palestine. He served for a short time as head of the local Sanhedrin...