Kefar ?attin, Hittaya
KEFAR ?ATTIN, Hittaya
KEFAR ?ATTIN, Hittaya (Heb. ?????? ?????????), village in Galilee, the seat of R. Jacob (?ag. 5b) and R. Azariah (pdrk 54). It had a synagogue (Gen. R. 65:16) and served as a refuge for R. Simeon b. Lakish, who escaped from the wrath of the patriarch Judah ii (tj, Sanh. 2:1, 19d). According to the Jerusalem Talmud (Meg. 1:1, 70a), it was identified with the Ziddim-Zer of Joshua 19:35. The name of the village ("Grain Village") indicates its fertile surroundings. It is identified with the Arab village of ?i???n or ?a???n al-Qad?m ("ancient ?attin"), which gave its name to the Horns of Hittin, where the Crusaders were defeated by Saladin in 1187. In this village, the Druze venerate the tomb of al-Nab? Shu ? ayb, who is identified with Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and hold an annual festival. Building remains and ancient tombs have been found there.
bibliography:
S. Klein (ed.), Sefer ha-Yishuv (1939), s.v.; G. Dalman, Sacred Sites and Ways (1935), index, s.v.?a??in.
[Michael Avi-Yonah]
