Midrash Abkir
Encyclopedia
Midrash Abkir is one of the smaller midrashim
, the extant remains of which consist of more than 50 excerpts contained in the Yalḳuṭ
and a number of citations in other works. It dealt, according to all accessible evidence, only with the first two books of the Pentateuch.
) and Azael, according to the account in the Midrash Abkir, descended to earth to hallow the name of God in a degenerate world, but could not withstand the daughters of man. Shemḥasai was entrapped by the beauty of Istahar, who, through the marvelous might of the Divine Name, which she had elicited from him, ascended to heaven. As a reward for her virtue she was placed among the Pleiades
, while the angel did penance before the Flood, and in punishment of his seduction of the daughters of men was suspended head downward between heaven and earth.
Azael, however, still wanders unreformed among mortals, and through dress and adornment seeks to mislead women (Adolf Jellinek
, B. H. iv., pp. ix., et seq.). The version of this story in Yalḳ. 44 (on Gen. vi. 2) concludes; "Therefore do the Israelites offer as a sacrifice on the Day of Atonement
a ram [sic] to the Eternal One that He may forgive the sins of Israel, and a ram [sic] to Azazel
that he may bear the sins of Israel, and this is the Azazel that is referred to in the Torah." This passage of the midrash explains the words of Yoma
67b: "According to the school of R. Ishmael, Azazel is he who atones for the deed of Usa and Azael."
It is to be noted that in the editio princeps of the Yalḳuṭ
(Salonica, 1526-27) the source of the legend of the fallen angels (in § 44) as well as of the legend concerning the temptation of R. Mattithiah b. Ḥeresh by Satan
(in § 161), who was successfully resisted by the pious hero, is simply the ordinary midrash, not the Midrash Abkir. The latter legend is found also in the Midrash of the Ten Commandments (Jellinek, l.c. i. 79) and in Tanḥuma
(ed. S. Buber, Ḥuḳḳat, Addenda, § 1).
In several other excerpts from the Yalḳuṭ, which, according to later editions, are derived from the Midrash Abkir, the source is indicated in the first edition merely by the word "Midrash," as in § 241, which discusses the legend of Usa, the patron of Egypt; here "Midrash" apparently means "Midrash Wayosha" (Jellinek, l.c. i. 39 et seq.). Yalḳ. 235 (on Ex. xiv. 24) relates that the Egyptian magicians Jannes and Jambres obtained wings by their art and soared to heaven, but were dashed down into the sea by the angel Michael. It cannot be determined, however, whether this passage belongs to the fragment excerpted from the Midrash Abkir in Yalḳ. 234.
, the Kad ha-Ḳemaḥ of Baḥya ben Asher
, a manuscript commentary by a grandson of R. Samuel of Speier, and the Yalḳuṭ Re'ubeni. The entire midrash was likewise known to Azariah dei Rossi
(comp. Me'or 'Enayim ed. Wilna, p. 455) and to Abraham ibn Akra
. The extracts in the Yalḳuṭ, which had been listed almost completely by Zunz
, were collected by S. Buber in Ha-Shaḥar, xi. (reprinted separately, Vienna, 1883) and by Simon Chones in Rab Pe'alim, pp. 133 et seq. The legend of the two angels was also reprinted by Jellinek
, l.c. iv. 127 etseq. Jannes and Jambres are mentioned also in Men. 85a and Shemot Rabbah, 9.
Smaller midrashim
A number of midrashim exist which are smaller in size, and generally later in date, than those dealt with in the articles Midrash Haggadah and Midrash Halakah....
, the extant remains of which consist of more than 50 excerpts contained in the Yalḳuṭ
Yalkut
There are several rabbinical works that bear the title "Yalkut" :*Yalkut Yosef*Yalkut Shimoni*Yalkut Makiri*Yalkut Reuveni...
and a number of citations in other works. It dealt, according to all accessible evidence, only with the first two books of the Pentateuch.
Name and scope
Midrash Abkir derived its name from the formula אבכיר = אמן בימינו כן יהי רצון with which all these homilies closed, according to the testimony of R. Eleazar of Worms in a manuscript commentary on the prayer-book, and according to a codex of A. De Rossi. It is possible that these religious discourses were arranged in the order of the sedarim of Genesis and Exodus, the beginnings of the sedarim being Gen. i. 1, ii. 4, iii. 22, vi. 9, xii. 1, xvii. 1, xviii. 1, xxii. 1, xxvii. 1, xliv. 18; Ex. iii. 1, xvi. 4, and xxv. 1, to which belong the excerpts in Yalḳ., Gen. 4, 17, 34, 50, 63, 81, 82, 96, 120, 150, and in Yalḳ., Ex. 169, 258, and 361. If it may be assumed that in these homilies of the Midrash Abkir the expositions are not confined to the first verses, the fact that certain passages are not connected with the beginning of any seder need cause no surprise. Furthermore, in the colloquial Persian language "Abkir" (آبکیر) is the composition of the words "ab" meaning "water", and "kir" meaning "penis", so literally reading "water-penis", referring to ejaculated semen.Angelology
The language of this midrash is pure Hebrew, while its contents and discussions recall the works of the later haggadic period. As in the Pirḳe Rabbi Eli'ezer, angels are frequently mentioned (comp. the excerpts in Yalḳ. 132, 234, 241, and 243). Shemḥasai (SamyazaSamyaza
Samyaza also Semihazah, Shemyazaz, Sêmîazâz, Semjâzâ, Samjâzâ, Shemyaza, and Shemhazai. is a fallen angel of apocryphal Jewish and Christian tradition that ranked in the heavenly hierarchy as one of the Grigori...
) and Azael, according to the account in the Midrash Abkir, descended to earth to hallow the name of God in a degenerate world, but could not withstand the daughters of man. Shemḥasai was entrapped by the beauty of Istahar, who, through the marvelous might of the Divine Name, which she had elicited from him, ascended to heaven. As a reward for her virtue she was placed among the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
, while the angel did penance before the Flood, and in punishment of his seduction of the daughters of men was suspended head downward between heaven and earth.
Azael, however, still wanders unreformed among mortals, and through dress and adornment seeks to mislead women (Adolf Jellinek
Adolf Jellinek
----Adolf Jellinek |Drslavice]], nearby Uherské Hradiště, Moravia - December 28, 1893, Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar...
, B. H. iv., pp. ix., et seq.). The version of this story in Yalḳ. 44 (on Gen. vi. 2) concludes; "Therefore do the Israelites offer as a sacrifice on the Day of Atonement
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
a ram [sic] to the Eternal One that He may forgive the sins of Israel, and a ram [sic] to Azazel
Azazel
Azazel or Azazael or Azâzêl is a term used three times in the Hebrew scriptures, and later in Hebrew mythology as the enigmatic name of a character....
that he may bear the sins of Israel, and this is the Azazel that is referred to in the Torah." This passage of the midrash explains the words of Yoma
Yoma
Yoma is the fifth tractate of Seder Moed of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, on which Jews atone for their sins from the previous year...
67b: "According to the school of R. Ishmael, Azazel is he who atones for the deed of Usa and Azael."
It is to be noted that in the editio princeps of the Yalḳuṭ
Yalkut
There are several rabbinical works that bear the title "Yalkut" :*Yalkut Yosef*Yalkut Shimoni*Yalkut Makiri*Yalkut Reuveni...
(Salonica, 1526-27) the source of the legend of the fallen angels (in § 44) as well as of the legend concerning the temptation of R. Mattithiah b. Ḥeresh by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
(in § 161), who was successfully resisted by the pious hero, is simply the ordinary midrash, not the Midrash Abkir. The latter legend is found also in the Midrash of the Ten Commandments (Jellinek, l.c. i. 79) and in Tanḥuma
Tanhuma
Midrash Tanhuma is the name given to three different collections of Pentateuch haggadot; two are extant, while the third is known only through citations. These midrashim, although bearing the name of R. Tanḥuma, must not be regarded as having been written or edited by him...
(ed. S. Buber, Ḥuḳḳat, Addenda, § 1).
In several other excerpts from the Yalḳuṭ, which, according to later editions, are derived from the Midrash Abkir, the source is indicated in the first edition merely by the word "Midrash," as in § 241, which discusses the legend of Usa, the patron of Egypt; here "Midrash" apparently means "Midrash Wayosha" (Jellinek, l.c. i. 39 et seq.). Yalḳ. 235 (on Ex. xiv. 24) relates that the Egyptian magicians Jannes and Jambres obtained wings by their art and soared to heaven, but were dashed down into the sea by the angel Michael. It cannot be determined, however, whether this passage belongs to the fragment excerpted from the Midrash Abkir in Yalḳ. 234.
Records of Midrash Abkir
This midrash was at all events known to the author of the Shemot Rabbah, and was used or cited in the following works among others: the Leḳaḥ Ṭob of R. Tobias b. Eliezer, the Ha-Roḳeaḥ of Eleazar ben Judah of Worms, the Pa'aneaḥ Raza, the Ketab Tamim of Moses TakuMoses Taku
Moshe ben Chasdai Taku was a 13th century Tosafist from Bohemia. Despite his own seemingly mystical orientation, Rabbi Taku is controversially known to have been an opponent of both the esoteric theology of the Chassidei Ashkenaz Moshe ben Chasdai Taku (Hebrew: ר' משה בן חסדאי תאקו)(fl. 1250-1290...
, the Kad ha-Ḳemaḥ of Baḥya ben Asher
Bahya ben Asher
Bahye ben Asher ibn Halawa also known as Rabbeinu Behaye was a rabbi and scholar of Judaism. He was a commentator on the Hebrew Bible and is noted for introducing Kabbalah into study of the Torah.He is considered by Jewish scholars to be one of the most distinguished of the Biblical exegetes of...
, a manuscript commentary by a grandson of R. Samuel of Speier, and the Yalḳuṭ Re'ubeni. The entire midrash was likewise known to Azariah dei Rossi
Azariah dei Rossi
Azariah ben Moses dei Rossi was an Italian-Jewish physician and scholar. He was born at Mantua in 1513 or 1514; and died in 1578. He was descended from an old Jewish family which, according to a tradition, was brought by Titus from Jerusalem...
(comp. Me'or 'Enayim ed. Wilna, p. 455) and to Abraham ibn Akra
Abraham ibn Akra
Abraham ibn Akra or Abraham ben Solomon Akra was a Jewish-Italian scholar and editor of scientific works who lived at the end of the 16th century. He edited the work , a collection of several methodological essays and commentaries on various Talmudic treatises...
. The extracts in the Yalḳuṭ, which had been listed almost completely by Zunz
Zunz
Zunz, Zuntz is a Yiddish surname: , Belgian pharmacologist* Leopold Zunz , German Reform rabbi* Gerhard Jack Zunz , British civil engineer- Zuntz :* Nathan Zuntz , German physiologist...
, were collected by S. Buber in Ha-Shaḥar, xi. (reprinted separately, Vienna, 1883) and by Simon Chones in Rab Pe'alim, pp. 133 et seq. The legend of the two angels was also reprinted by Jellinek
Jellinek
Jellinek is a surname and may refer to:* Adolf Jellinek , an Austrian rabbi and scholar.** Max Hermann Jellinek , son of Adolf Jellinek* E...
, l.c. iv. 127 etseq. Jannes and Jambres are mentioned also in Men. 85a and Shemot Rabbah, 9.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- ZunzZunzZunz, Zuntz is a Yiddish surname: , Belgian pharmacologist* Leopold Zunz , German Reform rabbi* Gerhard Jack Zunz , British civil engineer- Zuntz :* Nathan Zuntz , German physiologist...
, G. V. p. 282; - Abraham Wilna, Rab Pc'alim, ed. Chones, pp. 22 et seq., 133 et seq., Wilna, 1894;
- S. Buber, Yeri'ot Shelomoh, pp. 9 et seq.;
- Adolf NeubauerAdolf NeubauerAdolf Neubauer was sublibrarian at the Bodleian Library and reader in Rabbinic Hebrew at Oxford University....
, in R. E. J. xiv. 109; - BrüllBrüllBrüll is a surname, and may refer to:*Ignaz Brüll, composer*Nehemiah Brüll, rabbi and scholarSee also* Brull...
's Jahrb. v., vi. 98 et seq. On the name of the midrash see especially Brüll, l.c. i. 146; - Simon Chones, l.c. p. 27; on the legend of the angels Shemaḥsai and Azael see Enoch, vi. et seq. in Emil Kautzsch, Apokryphen, ii. 238 et seq., 275;
- Targ. Yer. on Gen. vi. 4;
- Pirḳe R. El. xxii.;
- Midr. Peṭirat Mosheh, in Jellinek, B. H. i. 129;
- RecanatiRecanatiRecanati is a town and comune in the Province of Macerata, Marche region of Italy. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th century, was famous for its international fair...
on Gen. vi. 4; - Adolf JellinekAdolf Jellinek----Adolf Jellinek |Drslavice]], nearby Uherské Hradiště, Moravia - December 28, 1893, Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar...
, l.c. ii. 86, v., pp. xlii., 172; - A. Epstein, Bereshit Rabbati, p. 21;
- Brüll's Jahrb. i. 145 et seq.