(fl. 3rd cent)
Babylonian amora, also known as Abba Arikha. He was born at Kafri in southern Babylonia. He went to Palestine, where he studied under Hivya and joined the academy of Judah ha-Nasi. Later he returned to Babylonia; he declined the position of head of the Nehardea academy at Sura, which flourished for eight centuries. He and Samuel are the two sages whose teachings figure most prominently in the Talmud. According to tradition, he was the author of the Alenu prayer.
Dictionary of Jewish Biography. Dan Cohn-Sherbok.