CAHANA B. TACHLIFA, the celebrated Hagadist, was born at Pum-Nahara about 33o A. D. He prosecuted his early studies under Raba, whom he always regarded as the highest authority in mat ters affecting the law, and when his revered teacher died (351), Cabana returned to his native place, where he continued to be a diligent student in a school of his own formation till the year 397, when he was created rector of the academy of Pum Badita. This distinguished office he held for six teen years, till his death in 413. The value of the services which this renowned teacher of the law rendered to Biblical studies chiefly consists in his having carefully compiled and edited a most import ant Hagadic work, called Pesicta of Rab Cahana (NV ID comprising a cycle of les sons, both from the Pentateuch and the Prophets, for all the festivals and principal Sabbaths of the year, and embodying the traditional explanation of these portions of Scripture. This Midrash, which consisted of twenty-nine sections (each one of which, when taken from the Pentateuch, was called or Npon, ppm, Nnpcn, and, when from the Pro phets, was denominated NITILMN'T comp.
Rashi on Jer. xl. 1), is now lost in its original form, but nearly two hundred fragments of it have been preserved in the Midrash yalkzet [see CARA SIM EON], where they are printed and indicated in the margin by the term Pesicta (Nnpon). An anonymous writer re-edited this work of Cabana about the year 846 A. D. , under the name 4nn, and intermixed with it portions from an other Hagadic work, called yelaindenn. This new edition was first published in Prague 1656 ; the best edition is that of Wolf Tssen, Breslau, which is more correct than the others, and is alsc accompanied by a critical commentary. For the importance of this work to Biblical criticism and exegesis, we must refer to the articles HAGADA and MIDRASH, and for more information about Cahana and his labours, to the very able and elaborate analysis of Zunz, Die Cottesdienstlic hen F'ortrOge des 7uden, Berlin 1832, pp. 185-226, 239-251 ; Kultur-und-Literatzer Gerchichte der yuden in Arlen, Leipzig 1849, pp. 71, 217-222, 254 ; Bib liotheca Yiedaica, ii. pp. 159-161.—C. D. G.