AIBU (IBU) B. NAGGARI:
By: S. Mendelsohn
A Palestinian amora of the fourth generation (fourth century), disciple of Hila, and contemporary of Judah b. (Simon b.) Pazzi. He reports Halakot in behalf of many of his predecessors (Yer. SheḲ. iv. 48c, Yer. Meg. i. 70a, Yer. Yeb. i. 2c), and also advances opinions of his own. Several of his homiletic observations are preserved. One of these makes the scriptural verse "When he shall be judged, let him be condemned" (Ps. cix. 7) the basis for the often-cited rabbinic doctrine that Satan is always ready to accuse at a man's critical moment (Yer. Shab. ii. 5b; YalḲ, Gen. § 31). Another, and the one most frequently quoted, is that which exonerates David from the imputation that he really "sat before the Lord" (compare II Sam. vii. 18), whereas sitting in the Temple was strictly prohibited. Aibu interprets the Hebrew term wayesheb ("he sat") as if it were wayasheb ("he settled," or "prepared himself"), and interprets it as signifying that David composed himself for praying before the Lord (Yer. Pes. v. end, 32d et al.; the reading Bun b. Nagdi, in Midr. Sam. xxvii., is obviously a copyist's error). That Aibu received instructions directly from Johanan, as seems to be intimated in the Babylonian Talmud (R. H. 21a), is doubtful, since he was known to have been a disciple of Hila (see Frankel, "Mebo," pp. 63a, 75b; Bacher, "Ag. Pal. Amor." iii. 559-560).
