Editing Tiberias (section)

== Etymology ==
The city of Tiberias was named after the [[Roman emperor|Roman Emperor]] [[Tiberius]].<ref name=":1" />

A [[Midrash]] regarding the city's name appears in the [[Talmud|Babylonian Talmud]], ''[[Megillah (Talmud)|Tractate Megillah]]'' ''6A'':

''"Rabbi Yirmiya said: [...] And why is it called Tiberias? Because it sits at the navel (tabur) of the Land of Israel".''

[[Rashi]], in his commentary, provides two interpretations of the Midrash. The first explains the word ''"navel" (tabur)'' as referring to the lowest point in the Land of Israel. The second interpretation suggests that Tiberias is situated at the geographical center of the Land of Israel. [[Ishtori Haparchi]] later substantiated this claim through measurements of the entire land, demonstrating its accuracy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shneor |first=David |last2= |first2= |date=2012 |title=Geographical Descriptions of Eretz Israel in "Kaftor VaFerah" Compared to Geographical Explanations of Medieval Exegetes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23409916 |journal=Cathedra: For the History of Eretz Israel and Its Yishuv |language=he |issue=143 |pages=104-105 |issn=0334-4657}}</ref>