Sign Up

Signatures, those seemingly simple scrawls that mark our identity on documents, can reveal a surprising amount about our personalities. While some people opt for a straightforward, legible signature, others embrace the opportunity to express themselves through unique autographs.

The Gemara (Bava Basra 161b) cites a list of Amoraim that used pictures as signatures. Rav used to draw a fish as his signature mark, rather than signing his name. Rabbi Chanina used to draw a palm branch as his signature mark; Rav Chisda used to sign just the Hebrew letter samech. Rav Hoshaya used to sign just the letter ayin. Lastly, Rava bar Rav Huna used to sign his name by drawing a ship’s mast.

Explanations abound as to why each Amora chose his mark. The Rashbam suggests that Rav was accustomed to eating fish, so he chose a fish symbol. However, there are much deeper suggestions offered.

Rav Meir Shapiro established two yeshivas in Sanok, southeastern Poland. One yeshiva focused on Torah studies in the morning and trade classes in the evening. The other offered full-day Torah instruction. He spoke at the grand opening ceremony of one of those yeshivos on Lag B’Omer 1922. He began by noting that Rav chose a fish symbol as his signature. He asked those in attendance what the significance of a fish was. He answered by quoting the Gemara in Berachos (61b).

The Roman Empire once made a decree that the Jews could not study Torah. Papos ben Yehudah once discovered Rebbe Akiva teaching Torah in public. He said, “Akiva! Are you not scared of the government?”

Rebbe Akiva replied, “Let me illustrate our plight with a parable. Imagine a clever fox strolling along the bank of a shimmering river, where he observed schools of fish gliding through the water, darting to and fro. Intrigued, the fox asked the fish, ‘Why do you scurry about in such haste?’

“The fish responded with urgency, ‘We are fleeing from the nets that humans cast to ensnare us! We have no choice but to swim for our lives!’

“The fox suggested they come onto land and live together. The fish replied, ‘If we’re afraid here in the water where we live, imagine how much more afraid we’d be on land where we would die!’”

Rebbe Akiva explained that the Torah is our water! A Jew without Torah is like a fish on land!

Rebbe Meir Shapiro said, “That is why Rav chose a fish. The fish symbolizes that the secret of Jewish continuity is the Torah. Every time Rav signed a document, he simultaneously delivered this message: The Jewish nation cannot survive without Torah.

Rav Moshe Yaakov Halevi Kanner offered an alternative explanation based on a Medrash and an incident from Rav’s own life. In Sanhedrin (5b), Rav notes that he spent eighteen months living with a shepherd to understand the halachos of blemishes on animals. Rav reasoned that he could not understand the halachos properly without firsthand witnessing the deformities.

The Medrash (Breishis Rabba 97:3) compares Torah scholars to fish. Fish tend to swim to the surface when it rains. The reason is likely due to the increased oxygen levels at the surface. However, to the onlooker, it seems as if the fish are thirsty for the rainwater. The fish that is completely submerged in water swims to the surface for some new drops of water.

So, too it is with Torah scholars. Although they are well-versed in Torah, they thirst for every new Torah thought. Rav was an established Torah scholar, but he spent eighteen months (!) with a shepherd to understand one aspect of Torah better.

Rav symbolized this thirst for every new Torah thought with the fish.

The Maharshal’s interpretation takes an entirely different approach. After the Gemara cited Rav signing with a fish symbol, the Gemara noted that Rebbe Chanina signed with a date branch symbol. The Gemara states in Shabbos (118b) that Rav recommends that one should purchase large fish for Shabbos. Therefore, the Maharshal suggests that each Amora chose a symbol representing the food they would purchase to honor Shabbos. Rav bought large fish, while Rebbe Chanina opted for delicious dates. By signing their documents with these symbols, they kept the sanctity of Shabbos in mind throughout the week.

The Maharshal’s interpretation encourages the understanding that these symbols were intentional and deeply meaningful. By selecting symbols that represented the foods they planned to purchase for Shabbos, both Rav and Rebbe Chanina were consistently reminded of the upcoming sanctity of the day. This practice serves as a bridge between everyday activities and the sacred, suggesting that the mundane—like signing a document—can serve a higher purpose when tied to spiritual observance.