Jose of Yokereth

Rabbinical Eras
Chazal Zugot Tannaim Amoraim Savoraim Geonim Rishonim Acharonim

R. Jose of Yokereth (Hebrew: יוסי דמן יוקרת‎, read as Yossi deman Yoqart) was a Jewish Amora sage of the Land of Israel, of the third generation of the Amora era. He was the Rabbi of R. Jose ben Abin. His surname יוקרת (Yoqart or Yokereth) is of an unknown source, and most likely has been bastardized over the years, although many attribute it to the now and then Iqrit village, known in Hebrew as יוקרת (Yokereth or Yoqart).

In the Talmud there are two stories concerning his piousness that reached to such an extent that he was cruel to his own children over it. One story concerns his son, where it is said that once when his son was reciting, he instantaneously took out some figs from the nearby tree, for his laborers. When his father learned of it, he was furious, and said to him: "My son, you have troubled your Creator to cause the fig tree to bring forth its fruits before its time, may you too be taken hence before your time!". An additional story concerns R. Yokereth's beautiful daughter, where it is said that once R. Yokereth caught a man trying to glance at his daughter from a hiding place. Replying to the questioning of Yokereth, he said: "Master, if I am not worthy enough to marry her, may I not at least be worthy to catch a glimpse of her?"; then R. Yokereth exclaimed: "My daughter, you are a source of trouble to mankind; return to the dust so that men may not sin because of you". This zealotry led his own disciple R. Jose ben Abin to abandon his mentor, and go acquire education from Rav Ashi.

An additional miraculous story concerning R. Yokereth was recorded on the Talmud: About how he used to rent his jennet to people, and how at the end of each working day she would return by herself along with her salary laid on her back. One day, two sandals that did not belong to R. Yokereth were forgotten on her back, by people who rented her, and the jennet didn't move, since she was not able to steal the sandals.