Isaac ben Samuel
Encyclopedia
Isaac ben Samuel the Elder, also known as the Ri ha-Zaken, was a French tosafist and Biblical commentator. He flourished at Ramerupt
and Dampierre
, France
in the twelfth century.
, author of the Maḥzor Vitry; on his mother's side he was a nephew of Rabbeinu Tam
, of Rashbam
, and of Isaac ben Meir (RiBaM), a great-grandson of Rashi
, and a relative of R. Eleazar of Worms
. He was surnamed "ha-Zaḳen" (the elder) to distinguish him from another tosafist of the same name, Isaac ben Abraham
, surnamed "ha-Baḥur" (the younger). He is often quoted as R. Isaac of Dampierre (Maimuniyyot, Ma'akalot Asurot, No. 5; Shibbole ha-Leḳeṭ ii., No. 40), but it seems that he lived first at Ramerupt
, where his maternal grandfather resided (Sefer ha-Nayyar, p. 162; Maimuniyyot, l.c.). It was also at Ramerupt that he studied under his uncle R. Tam (Luria, Responsa, No. 29); after the latter had gone to Troyes
, Isaac b. Samuel directed his school.
Isaac settled at Dampierre later, and founded there a flourishing and well-attended school (Or Zarua, i. 126). It is said that he had sixty pupils, each of whom, besides being generally well grounded in Talmud
, knew an entire treatise by heart, so that the whole Talmud was stored in the memories of his pupils (Menahem, Ẓedah la-Derek, Introduction). As he lived under Philip Augustus, at whose hands the Jews
suffered much, Isaac prohibited the buying of confiscated Jewish property, and ordered that any so bought be restored to its original owner. A particular interest attaches to one of his responsa, in which he relies on the oral testimony of his aunt, the wife of R. Isaac b. Meïr, and on that of the wife of R. Eleazar of Worms, a great-granddaughter of Rashi (Sefer ha-Nayyar, p. 167a).
He died, according to Heinrich Graetz
(Gesch. vi. 210), about 1200; according to Henri Gross (Gallia Judaica, p. 161, and "R. E. J." vii. 76), between 1185 and 1195; and as he is known to have reached an advanced age, Gross supposes that he was not born later than 1115. On the other hand, Michael (Or ha-Ḥayyim, p. 512) says that as Isaac b. Samuel was spoken of as "the sainted master" (Sefer ha-Terumah, §§ 131, 161; Tos., Zeb. 12b, 59b), a term generally given to martyr
s, he may have been killed at the same time as his son Elhanan (1184).
of Worms, and in the Or Zaṙua of Isaac ben Moses.
Isaac is mentioned as a Biblical commentator by Judah ben Eliezer (Minḥat Yehudah, p. 8b), who quotes also a work of Isaac's entitled Yalḳuṭe Midrash (ib. p. 22a); by Isaac ha-Levi; by Hezekiah ben Manoah
in his Ḥazzeḳuni; and in two other commentaries (see Kerem Ḥemed, vii. 68). Isaac b. Samuel is supposed to be the author also of several liturgical poems, of a piyyuṭ to the Hafṭarah (Landshuth, Ammude ha-'Abodah, p. 108), and of a piyyuṭ for Purim (Maḥzor Vitry, No. 255; comp. Luzzatto in Berliner's Magazin, v. 27, Hebr. part). The authorship of these piyyuṭim may, however, belong to the liturgical writer Isaac ben Samuel of Narbonne.
Ramerupt
Ramerupt is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-Personalities:*Rashbam, medieval rabbi and scriptural commentator*Rabbeinu Tam, medieval rabbi...
and Dampierre
Dampierre, Aube
Dampierre is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the twelfth century.
Biography
On his father's side Isaac was a grandson of R. Simhah ben Samuel of VitrySimhah ben Samuel of Vitry
Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry, , was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries, pupil of Rashi, and the compiler of the Vitry Machzor.- The Vitry Machzor:...
, author of the Maḥzor Vitry; on his mother's side he was a nephew of Rabbeinu Tam
Rabbeinu Tam
Rabbeinu Tam , born Jacob ben Meir, was one of the most renowned French Tosafists and a foremost halachic authority of his generation...
, of Rashbam
Rashbam
Samuel ben Meir after his death known as "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for: RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi."-Biography:...
, and of Isaac ben Meir (RiBaM), a great-grandson of Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo 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...
, and a relative of R. Eleazar of Worms
Elazar Rokeach
Eleazar Rokeach , also known as Eleazar of Worms or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, was a leading Talmudist and mystic, and the last major member of the Chassidei Ashkenaz, a group of German Jewish pietists.- Biography :...
. He was surnamed "ha-Zaḳen" (the elder) to distinguish him from another tosafist of the same name, Isaac ben Abraham
Isaac ben Abraham
Isaac ben Abraham can refer to:*Isaac, patriarch in the Bible and son of Abraham*Isaac Gorni, late 13th-century Hebrew troubadour from Gascony*Isaac of Troki, 16th-century Karaite Jewish theologian...
, surnamed "ha-Baḥur" (the younger). He is often quoted as R. Isaac of Dampierre (Maimuniyyot, Ma'akalot Asurot, No. 5; Shibbole ha-Leḳeṭ ii., No. 40), but it seems that he lived first at Ramerupt
Ramerupt
Ramerupt is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-Personalities:*Rashbam, medieval rabbi and scriptural commentator*Rabbeinu Tam, medieval rabbi...
, where his maternal grandfather resided (Sefer ha-Nayyar, p. 162; Maimuniyyot, l.c.). It was also at Ramerupt that he studied under his uncle R. Tam (Luria, Responsa, No. 29); after the latter had gone to Troyes
Troyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
, Isaac b. Samuel directed his school.
Isaac settled at Dampierre later, and founded there a flourishing and well-attended school (Or Zarua, i. 126). It is said that he had sixty pupils, each of whom, besides being generally well grounded in 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....
, knew an entire treatise by heart, so that the whole Talmud was stored in the memories of his pupils (Menahem, Ẓedah la-Derek, Introduction). As he lived under Philip Augustus, at whose hands the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
suffered much, Isaac prohibited the buying of confiscated Jewish property, and ordered that any so bought be restored to its original owner. A particular interest attaches to one of his responsa, in which he relies on the oral testimony of his aunt, the wife of R. Isaac b. Meïr, and on that of the wife of R. Eleazar of Worms, a great-granddaughter of Rashi (Sefer ha-Nayyar, p. 167a).
He died, according to Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
(Gesch. vi. 210), about 1200; according to Henri Gross (Gallia Judaica, p. 161, and "R. E. J." vii. 76), between 1185 and 1195; and as he is known to have reached an advanced age, Gross supposes that he was not born later than 1115. On the other hand, Michael (Or ha-Ḥayyim, p. 512) says that as Isaac b. Samuel was spoken of as "the sainted master" (Sefer ha-Terumah, §§ 131, 161; Tos., Zeb. 12b, 59b), a term generally given to martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s, he may have been killed at the same time as his son Elhanan (1184).
Tosafot
Isaac's tosafot completed the commentary of Rashi on the Talmud (Romm included in his edition of the Talmud Isaac ben Samuel's tosafot on Ḳiddushin). He also compiled and edited with great erudition all the preceding explanations to Rashi's commentary. His first collection was entitled Tosefot Yeshanim, which, however, was afterward revised and developed. He is quoted on almost every page of the Tosafot, and in various works, especially in the Sefer ha-Terumah of his pupil Baruch ben IsaacBaruch ben Isaac
Baruch ben Isaac was a Tosafist and codifier who was born at Worms, but lived at Regensburg; he is sometimes called after the one and sometimes after the other city....
of Worms, and in the Or Zaṙua of Isaac ben Moses.
Isaac is mentioned as a Biblical commentator by Judah ben Eliezer (Minḥat Yehudah, p. 8b), who quotes also a work of Isaac's entitled Yalḳuṭe Midrash (ib. p. 22a); by Isaac ha-Levi; by Hezekiah ben Manoah
Hezekiah ben Manoah
Hezekiah ben Manoah was a French rabbi and exegete.In memory of his father, who lost his right hand through his stead-fastness in the faith, Hezekiah wrote a commentary on the Pentateuch, under the title Ḥazzeḳuni. It was printed at Venice in 1524...
in his Ḥazzeḳuni; and in two other commentaries (see Kerem Ḥemed, vii. 68). Isaac b. Samuel is supposed to be the author also of several liturgical poems, of a piyyuṭ to the Hafṭarah (Landshuth, Ammude ha-'Abodah, p. 108), and of a piyyuṭ for Purim (Maḥzor Vitry, No. 255; comp. Luzzatto in Berliner's Magazin, v. 27, Hebr. part). The authorship of these piyyuṭim may, however, belong to the liturgical writer Isaac ben Samuel of Narbonne.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- AzulaiChaim Joseph David AzulaiChaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...
, Shem ha-Gedolim, i.; - Michael, Or haḤayyim, pp. 511–513;
- Isaac Hirsch WeissIsaac Hirsch WeissIsaac Hirsch Weiss, also Eisik Hirsch Weiss was an Austrian Talmudist and historian of literature born at Velké Meziříčí, Moravia....
, Dor, iv. 286, 342, 349; - Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., vi. 210, 211, 214;
- Henri Gross, Gallia Judaica, pp. 161–168, 638;
- idem, in R. E. J. vii. 76;
- Adolf NeubauerAdolf NeubauerAdolf Neubauer was sublibrarian at the Bodleian Library and reader in Rabbinic Hebrew at Oxford University....
, ib. xvii. 67; - Leopold ZunzLeopold ZunzLeopold Zunz was a German Reform rabbi and writer, the founder of what has been termed "Jewish Studies" or "Judaic Studies" , the critical investigation of Jewish literature, hymnology and ritual...
, Z. G. p. 33, passim.