He was of Levitical descent (Ma'as. Sh. v. 9), and served in the sanctuary as a member of the class of singers (Arakhin 11b).
The Talmud (Arakhin 15b) lists lashon hara as one of the causes of the Biblical malady of tzaraath.
The name of Ben Azzai is applied in the same sense by the great Babylonian amora Abaye (Soṭah 45a; Ḳid. 20a; Arakhin 30b) and Raba (Er. 29a).
Arakhin |