Rabbi Akiva’s son Yehoshu is not Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karkha TB Shavuot 6

On daf TB Shavuot 6 Rabbi Akiva’s son Yehoshu asked him a question. “For what reason did the Sages say that the different shades of leprous marks are two types that are four, and proceed to specify their names? Rabbi Akiva said to him: But if not that, what else could they say?” (Sefaria.org translation) First of all, I want to remind everybody that tzara’at isn’t leprosy i.e. Hansen’s disease. The body becomes discolored with the possible four different shades of white. Secondly, if you’re interested, the conversation between father and son continues in the Gemara. I am more interested in Rashi’s identification of Rabbi Yehoshu ben Rabbi Akiva’s identity.

He identifies Rabbi Yehoshu ben Rabbi Akiva to be the one in the same as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karkha because karha means the bald one and everybody knows that Rabbi Akiva was bald. Tosefot disagrees with this identification. They argue that nobody would substitute “the bald one” for one of the greatest rabbi in the tannatic period. Furthermore, we’ve learned in massekhet Baba Metzia that one is forbidden to call somebody by his derogatory nickname like the bald one.

Modern scholarship agrees with Tosefot. Rabbi Yehoshu ben Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karkha are not the same man. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karkha was a fourth-generation tana who lived a long life. Little is known about his relationship with his teachers and colleagues. He was a student of Rabbi Yokhanan ben Nuri. He was a colleague of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Yishmael. He also lived during the time of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.

He is more known for his aggada then halakha. Some of his more famous quotes are: “One who pretends not to see the opportunity to give tzadakka is as if he has worshiped idolatry” ( Tosefta Peah 4:20) “One who studies Torah but does not review it is like the person who sows seeds but does not harvest.” (Sanhedrin 99a at the bottom) Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karkha also enjoyed to engage in theological disputations with idolaters and heretics in order to defend Judaism. The following is one example.

“A certain heretic asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa, saying to him: ‘Do you not say that the Holy One blessed be He foresees the future?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ [The heretic continued:] ‘But is it not written: “He was saddened in his heart”?’ He said to him: ‘Has a male offspring ever been born to you in your lifetime?’ He said to him: ‘Yes.’ He said to him: ‘What did you do?’ He said to him: ‘I rejoiced and encouraged everyone else to rejoice.’ He said to him: ‘But did you not know that he would ultimately die?’ He said to him: ‘At a time of rejoicing there is rejoicing; at a time of mourning there is mourning.’ He said to him: ‘So was the situation before the Holy One blessed be He, as Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Seven days the Holy One blessed be He mourned His world before the Flood came to the world. What is the source? “He was saddened [vayitatzev] in his heart,” and atziva is nothing other than mourning, just as it says: “The king is grieving [ne’etzav] over his son”’ (II Samuel 19:3).” (Sefaria.org translation)