YISHMAʿEʾL BEN ELISHAʿ (c. 50–c. 135 CE), Palestinian tanna. Yishmaʿeʾl was ʿAqivaʾ ben Yosef's most famous contemporary; rabbinic tradition has constantly placed the sayings of these masters in opposition to each other.

Although some have argued that Yishmaʿeʾl was a member of the priestly class, nothing in the traditions attributed to him supports this claim except for a number of dubious passages (B.T., Ber. 7a, Ḥul. 49a–b; Tosefta Ḥal. 1.10; Avot de-Rabbi Natan 38 [cf. Mekhiltaʾ de-Rabbi Yishmaʿeʾl, Nez. 18]). One story recalls that as a child he was captured by the Romans and placed in prison, where he was discovered by Yehoshuʿa, who predicted great things for the child (B.T., Giṭ. 58a); however, not all manuscripts containing this story...