Kahana Bar-tachlifa

Kahana Bar-Tachlifa a Jewish writer, was born at Pum-Nahara about 330, was in 397 rector at the college of Pumbaditha, in Babylon, and died in 413. Kahana is the author of an hagadic work, entitled Pesikta de Rab Kahana (פסיקתא דרב כהנא), comprising a cycle of lessons 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 was for a long time only known from citations found in the Jalkut and Aruch. In the year 1868, however, S. Buber published, at Lyck, an edition of the Pesikta according to a MS. which had been found at Zefath, and copied in Egypt, with critical annotations, emendations, etc., and an elaborate introduction. See Zunz, Gottesdienstliche Vortrdge der Juden, pages 185-226, 239-251; Furst, Bibl. Jud. 2:159 sq.; Geiger, Juidische Zeitschrift, 1869, pages 187-195; Theodor, Zur Composition der agadischen Homilien, in Frankel-Gtratz's Monatsschrift, 1879, pages 97- 113, 164-175, 271-278, 337-339, 455-457, Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, 4:495 sq. (B.P.)