JOHANAN BEN GUDGADA

JOHANAN BEN GUDGADA (first–early second centuries C.E.), tanna. According to the Tosefta Johanan served in the Temple, where it was his duty to see to the closing of the Temple gates (Tosef. Shek. 2:14). It was his custom to eat food "in the ritual purity required for sacred food" throughout his life (Ḥag. 2:7). He testified with regard to a number of halakhot (Git. 5:5). His children were deaf-mutes (Tosef. Ter. 1:1), and according to the Talmud his daughter's sons, who were dumb but not deaf, studied in the academy of Judah ha-Nasi. Judah prayed for them and they were healed, and it was found that they had complete knowledge of the whole Torah (Ḥag. 3a). It is striking that one of his testimonies (Git. 5:5) concerned a deaf-mute given in marriage by her father, to the effect that she could be divorced by a bill of divorce. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hyman, Toledot, S.V. (Zvi Kaplan / Stephen G. Wald (2nd ed.)