Benjamin ben Abraham Anaw
Encyclopedia
Benjamin ben Abraham Anaw was a liturgical poet, Talmudist and commentator of the thirteenth century, and older brother of Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw
.
Perhaps the most gifted and learned of his Roman contemporaries (although chiefly a poet), Anaw possessed a thorough mastery of halakhic
literature and diligently studied philology, mathematics, and astronomy, and wielded a keen, satirical pen. His poetical activity began in 1239, when the apostate Nicholas Donin
assailed the Talmud
and appealed to Pope Gregory IX
to order its destruction and the persecution of its students. Donin's agitation filled the Roman Jews with terror, and they seem to have appointed a day for fasting and prayer. At that time—and possibly for that fast-day—Anaw composed a penitential hymn " To whom shall I flee for help"—an acrostic of twelve stanzas.
Donin's endeavors met meanwhile with great success. In June, 1239, several wagon-loads of Talmudic manuscripts were burned in Paris and Rome: at the latter place the Jewish cemetery was destroyed. These events stirred the poet to a bitter elegy , "My heart is convulsed", in which he deeply laments the fate of Israel and passionately appeals to God to avenge the desecration of the dead.
Anaw wrote numerous poems for the liturgy, which are embodied in part in the Roman Machzor, partly still extant in manuscript. He is the author of the following works:
Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw
Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw was an author of Jewish ritualistic works and younger brother of Benjamin ben Abraham Anaw...
.
Perhaps the most gifted and learned of his Roman contemporaries (although chiefly a poet), Anaw possessed a thorough mastery of halakhic
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
literature and diligently studied philology, mathematics, and astronomy, and wielded a keen, satirical pen. His poetical activity began in 1239, when the apostate Nicholas Donin
Nicholas Donin
Nicholas Donin of La Rochelle, a Jewish convert to Christianity in early thirteenth-century Paris, is known for his role in the 1240 Disputation of Paris, which resulted in a decree to publicly burn all available manuscripts of the Talmud....
assailed the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and appealed to Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
to order its destruction and the persecution of its students. Donin's agitation filled the Roman Jews with terror, and they seem to have appointed a day for fasting and prayer. At that time—and possibly for that fast-day—Anaw composed a penitential hymn " To whom shall I flee for help"—an acrostic of twelve stanzas.
Donin's endeavors met meanwhile with great success. In June, 1239, several wagon-loads of Talmudic manuscripts were burned in Paris and Rome: at the latter place the Jewish cemetery was destroyed. These events stirred the poet to a bitter elegy , "My heart is convulsed", in which he deeply laments the fate of Israel and passionately appeals to God to avenge the desecration of the dead.
Anaw wrote numerous poems for the liturgy, which are embodied in part in the Roman Machzor, partly still extant in manuscript. He is the author of the following works:
- (1) "The Burden of the Valley of Vision", a satirical poem directed against the arrogance of the wealthy and the nobility (Riva di Trento, 1560; reprinted, Lemberg, 1859, by M. Wolf, in his Hebrew chrestomathy (Israel's Praises).
- (2) "Alphabetical Commentary", on the Aramaic pieces of the Shavuot liturgy. In this treatise he exhibits a knowledge of Italian, Latin, Greek, and Arabic.
- (3) "Sefer Yedidut" (Book of Friendship), a ritualistic work, which has disappeared. It is mentioned by Anaw in the preface to his abridgment of Eliezer ben SamuelEliezer ben SamuelEliezer ben Samuel of Metz was a Tosafist and the author of the halachic work Sefer Yereim . An abridgment of this work was produced by Benjamin ben Abraham Anaw.-References:...
"Sefer Yereim." - (4) "Sha'are 'Etz Chayyim" (The Gates Conducting to the Tree of Life), a work on practical ethics, in the form of moral sayings. The poem contains sixty-three strophes, arranged according to the letters of the alphabet. Each chapter deals with one virtue or one vice. Among the subjects treated are love, hospitality, faithfulness, cheating, thankfulness, shame, pride, charity. It was printed in Prague, 1598 (Zunz, "Z. G." p. 280), and reprinted in "Kobetz 'al Yad" (ed. Mekitze Nirdamim, 1884, i. 71 et seq.)
- (5) Glosses to RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
's commentary on the Bible and to Solomon ben Shabbethai's commentary on the "Sheëltot." - (6) "Rules for Making a Calendar," in which he utilizes his mathematical and astronomical knowledge. This manuscript served several later writers on the same subject. Anaw was in correspondence with Abigdor Cohen, to whom he addressed numerous halakic questions. He himself gave many halakic decisions, which are referred to in his brother's work, "Shibbole ha-Lekhet."