Stories of the life of one of the most prominent tannaim of the first and second centuries; disciple of R. Yochanan ben Zakkai  and colleague of Gamaliel II., whose sister he married and of Yoshua b. Chananiah . His earlier years are wrapped in myths; but from these latter it may be inferred that he was somewhat advanced in life when a desire for learning first seized him, and impelled him, contrary to the wishes of his father, to desert his regular occupation and to repair to Jerusalem to devote himself to the study of the Torah. Here he entered Yochanan's academy and for years studied diligently, notwithstanding the fact that he had to cope with great privations. It is said that sometimes many days elapsed during which he did not have a single meal.