[1] He was of priestly descent[2] and rich,[3] and acquired great fame as a teacher of traditional law.
Eleazar ben Shammua was a student of Rabbi Akiva,[4] but was not ordained by him due to the Hadrianic persecution.
After Akiva's death, however, Judah ben Bava ordained Eleazar, together with Rabbi Meir, Jose ben Halafta, Judah bar Ilai, and Shimon bar Yochai, at a secluded spot between Usha and Shefa-Amr.
Wherever he settled, he presided over an academy to which many students were attracted,[9] including Joseph or Issi ha-Babli[10] and Judah ha-Nasi.
Abba Arikha styles him "the most excellent among the sages",[12] and Johanan bar Nappaha expresses unbounded admiration for his large-heartedness.
His disciples once requested that he tell them how he merited unusual longevity, when he replied, "I have never converted the Synagogue into a passageway [for the sake of convenience]; have never trodden over the heads of the holy people [i.e., come late to college and stepped between the rows of attentive students; compare Abdan], and have never pronounced the priestly blessing before offering the benediction preceding it.
"[17] When asked what merits will save man from the tribulations which are to precede the Messianic epoch, he replied, "Let him engage in the study of the Law and in deeds of benevolence.