Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer is an aggadic-midrashic work on Genesis, part of Exodus, and a few sentences of Numbers

Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....

, ascribed to R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (80-118 C.E.), a disciple of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai

Yochanan ben Zakai

Johanan ben Zakai , also known as Johanan B. Zakkai was one of the tannaim, an important Jewish sage in the era of the Second Temple, and a primary contributor to the core text of Rabbinical Judaism, the Mishnah. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Jewish figures of his time...

 and teacher of Rabbi Akiva

Rabbi Akiva

Akiva ben Joseph simply known as Rabbi Akiva , was a tanna of the latter part of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century . He was a great authority in the matter of Jewish tradition, and one of the most central and essential contributors to the Mishnah and Midrash Halakha...

. It comprises fifty four chapters. Some parts appear to be written as late as the 8th century CE, although there are older elements.

Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer comprises ethical guidelines, legends and folklore, as well as astronomical discussions related to the story of the Creation. Many ancient customs that are not found in other sources are described in this work.

Composition

The Pirke appears, according to 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...

, to be incomplete, and to be merely a fragment of a larger work. S. Sachs, on the other hand, thinks that it was compiled from two previous works by the same author, the relation of the two productions to each other being that of text and commentary, the text giving merely the story of the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

, which was interrupted by the commentary in the form of the Aggadah

Aggadah

Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...

, and the commentary being intended for reading during the ten days of penitence. Meir ha-Levi Horwitz thinks that the author developed those Bible stories which bore relation to the entire nation, dealing lightly with those that concerned only individuals.

Jost

Isaak Markus Jost

Isaak Marcus Jost was a Jewish historical writer.He studied at the universities of Göttingen and Berlin. In Berlin he began to teach, and in 1835 received the appointment of upper master in the Jewish commercial school at Frankfort-on-the-Main...

 was the first to point out that in the 30th chapter, in which at the end the author distinctly alludes to the three stages of the Muslim conquest, that of Arabia (משא בערב), of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 (איי הים), and of Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 (830 C.E.; כרך גדול רומי), the names of Fatima and Ayesha

Aisha

Aisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...

 occur beside that of Ishmael

Ishmael

Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...

, leading to the conclusion that the book originated in a time when Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 was predominant in Asia Minor

Asia Minor

Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...

. As in ch. xxxvi. two brothers reigning simultaneously are mentioned, after whose reign the Messiah

Jewish Messiah

Messiah, ; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe priests and kings, who were traditionally anointed with holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25...

 shall come, the work might be ascribed to the beginning of the 9th century, for about that time the two sons of Harun al-Rashid

Harun al-Rashid

Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....

, El-Amin

Al-Amin

Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin , Abbasid Caliph. He succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid in 809 and ruled until he was killed in 813.-Caliph:...

 and El-Mamun

Al-Ma'mun

Abū Jaʿfar Abdullāh al-Māʾmūn ibn Harūn was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833...

, were ruling over the Islamic realm. If a statement in ch. xxviii. did not point to an even earlier date, approximately the same date might be inferred from the enumeration of the four powerful kingdoms and the substitution of Ishmael for one of the four which are enumerated in 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 the Mekilta.

The author seems to have been a rabbi of the Land of Israel

Land of Israel

The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...

; this appears not only from the fact that some of the customs to which he refers (in ch. xiii. and xx.) are known only as customs of the Land of Israel, but also from the fact that nearly all the authorities he quotes are from the Land of Israel, the exceptions being Rav Mesharshia and Rav Shemaiah, who are from Babylonia

Babylonia

Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...

. The work is ascribed to R. Eliezer (80-118 C.E.), although he was a tanna

Tannaim

The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...

, while the book itself the Pirḳe Abot is quoted. Late Talmudic authorities belonging to the 3rd century C.E., like Shemaiah (ch. xxiii.), Ze'era (ch. xxi., xxix.), and Shila

Shila of Kefar Tamarta

Shila of Kefar Tamarta was a Jewish Talmudist, an amora of the 3rd century, from the Land of Israel. In the Jerusalem Talmud sources he is called only by his personal name, but in the Babylonian Talmud the name of his home in Judea is always added, in order to distinguish him from an older...

 (ch. xlii., xliv.), are also quoted, indicating that the work was edited or additions were made to it after the time of R. Eliezar.

The work is quoted by important Jewish scholars, and is referred to by various names, including:

• Pirke Rabbi Eliezer ha-Gadol (Maimonides
  Maimonides
  Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
  
  , Moreh, ii., xxvi.)
• Pirke Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (Seder Rav Amram
  Amram Gaon
  Amram Gaon was a famous Gaon or head of the Jewish Talmud Academy of Sura in the 9th century. He was the author of many Responsa, but his chief work was liturgical.He was the first to arrange a complete liturgy for the synagogue...
  
  , ed. Warsaw, 1865, p. 32a)
• Baraita de-Rabbi Eliezer (Aruk, s.v. קרקם; 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...
  
   on Gen. xvii. 3; gloss to Rashi on Meg. 22b; David Kimchi, Shorashim, s.v. עור)
• Haggadah de-Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (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...
  
  , in Tosefot Ket. 99a).

Customs Mentioned

The following customs and halachot of 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...

 are referred to in the Pirḳe de-Rabbi Eliezer:

• Recitation of Ps.
  Psalms
  The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
  
   xcii. during the Friday evening services (ch. xix.; comp. Shab. 118a).
• The blessing "Bore me'ore ha-esh" (Praised be the Creator of the fire) recited during the Habdalah (ch. xx.; comp. Pes. 59a).
• Contemplation of the finger-nails during this blessing (ch. xx.).
• After the Habdalah, pouring of the wine upon the table, extinguishing the candle in it, dipping the hands in it, and rubbing the eyes (ch. xx.).
• The prohibition against women doing fancy-work on the day of the New Moon
  Rosh Chodesh
  Rosh Chodesh or Rosh ḥodesh is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the appearance of the new moon. The new moon is marked by the day and hour that the new crescent is observed...
  
   (ch. xlv.).
• The blessing of "ṭal" (Tefillat Tal) on the first day of the Passover
  Passover
  Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
  
   (xxxii.).
• The sounding of the shofar
  Shofar
  A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
  
   after the morning services in all the synagogues on the New Moon of the month of Elul
  Elul
  Elul is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days...
  
   (ch. xlvi.).
• The regulation that during the recitation of the Kol Nidre
  Kol Nidre
  Kol Nidre is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement...
  
  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...
  
   two prominent members of the community shall stand beside the cantor (xliv.), and that on Thursday all worshipers must stand while reciting prayers (ch. xlvi.).
• The addition of Deut. xi. 20 to the daily reading of the Shema (ch. xxiii.).
• The banquet after the circumcision
  Circumcision
  Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
  
   (ch. xxix.; comp. Midr. Teh., ed. Buber, p. 234b).
• The chair of Elijah during the circumcision (ch. xxix.).
• The covering of the prepuce
  Foreskin
  In male human anatomy, the foreskin is a generally retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
  
   with earth (ch. xxix.).
• The performance of the marriage ceremony under a canopy (ch. xii.).
• The standing of the hazzan
  Hazzan
  A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
  
   beside the bridal couple (ch. xli.).
• The pronouncing of the blessing upon the bride by the hazzan (ch. xii.).
• The regulations providing that no woman may go out with uncovered head (ch. xiv.; comp. Ket. 72a); that the groom may not go out alone on the bridal night (ch. xvi.; comp. Berachot
  Berakhot (Talmud)
  Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
  
   54b); that mourners must be comforted in the chapel (ch. xvii.); that the dead may be buried only in "takrikin" (ch. xxxiii.; comp. M. Ḳ. 27a, b); that a person sneezing shall say, "I trust in Thy help, O Lord," while any one hearing him shall say, "Your health!" (ch. lii.)—sickness having been unknown before the time of the patriarch Jacob
  Jacob
  Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
  
  , whose soul escaped through his nose when he sneezed.

The following chapters close with benedictions from the Shemoneh Esreh:

• ch. xxvii.: "Praised be Thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham"
• ch. xxxi.: "Praised be Thou, O Lord, who revivest the dead"
• ch. xxxv.: "Praised be Thou, O Lord, Holy God"
• ch. xl.: "Praised be Thou, O Lord, who dost pardon knowingly"
• ch. xliii.: "Praised be Thou, O Lord, who demandest penitence."

Chapters xvii., xxx., xxxi., xlvi., li., lii., liv. also remind one of the Amidah

Amidah

The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...

.

The Tekufot

The author dwells longest on the description of the second day of Creation, in which the "Ma'aseh Merkabah" (Ezek. i.) is described in various forms, and although this passage recalls Donolo and the Alphabet of R. Akiba, it is evidently much older, since it does not mention the "Hekalot." This description is connected with that of the creation of the seven planets and the twelve signs of the zodiac, the reference to the "maḥzors" and the "teḳufot," and the discussion of the intercalation

Intercalation

Intercalation is the insertion of a leap day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases. Lunisolar calendars may require intercalations of both days and months.- Solar calendars :...

. In the series of years (3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, 19 in the cycle of 19) in which the intercalation takes place the author substitutes the fifth year for the sixth. His cycle of the moon, furthermore, covers 21 years, at the end of which period the moon again occupies the same position in the week as at the beginning, but this can happen only once in 689,472 years, according to the common computation.

On the connection of the Pirḳe de-Rabbi Eliezer with the Baraita of Samuel

Baraita of Samuel

A Baraita of Samuel was known to Jewish scholars from Shabbethai Donolo in the 10th century to Simon Duran in the 15th century, and citations from it were made by them. It was considered as lost until around 1900, when it unexpectedly appeared in print.In its present form, the Baraita is composed...

, see S. Sachs in Monatsschrift i. 277. Manuscripts of the Pirḳe are found at Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

 (No. 541), in the Vatican

Vatican City

Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...

 (No. 303; dated 1509), and in the Halberstam

Halberstam

- Etymology and history :Many other surnames beginning with "Halber" may have originated from Halberstam when immigrants came to America seeking more American-sounding names.- People :...

 library. The following editions are known: Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

, 1518; Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, 1548; Sabbionetta, 1568; Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, 1712; Wilna, 1837; Lemberg, 1864. A commentary upon it, by David Luria, is included in the Wilna edition, and another, by Abraham Broydé, in the Lemberg edition.

Complete contents of the collection

The work is divided into 54 chapters, which may be divided into seven groups, as follows:

1. Ch. i., ii.: Introduction to the entire work, dealing with the youth of R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, his thirst for knowledge, and his settlement at Jerusalem.
2. Ch. iii.-xi. (corresponding to Gen. i.-ii.): The six days of the Creation.
   1. On the first day occurred the creation of four kinds of angels and of the 47 clouds.
   2. The second day: the creation of heaven, other angels, the fire in mankind (impulse), and the fire of Gehenna
      Gehenna
      Gehenna , Gehinnom and Yiddish Gehinnam, are terms derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom ; one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City.In the Hebrew Bible, the site was initially where apostate Israelites and...
      
      .
   3. The third day: the division of the waters, fruit-trees, herbs, and grass.
   4. The fourth day: creation of the lights; astronomy and the determination of the intercalation
      Intercalation
      Intercalation is the insertion of a leap day, week or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases. Lunisolar calendars may require intercalations of both days and months.- Solar calendars :...
      
      .
   5. The leap-year reckoning is imparted to Adam, Enoch
      Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
      Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
      
      , Noah
      Noah
      Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
      
      , Shem
      Shem
      Shem was one of the sons of Noah in the Hebrew Bible as well as in Islamic literature. He is most popularly regarded as the eldest son, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 10:21 refers to relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity in each...
      
      , Abraham
      Abraham
      Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
      
      , Isaac
      Isaac
      Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
      
      , and Jacob
      Jacob
      Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
      
      .
   6. The fifth day: birds and fishes; enumeration of the kinds which may be eaten. Also, the story of Jonah, which is said to belong to the fifth day.
   7. The sixth day: God's conference with the Torah
      Torah
      Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
      
       in regard to the way in which man should be created. Since God is the first king of the world, all the great rulers are enumerated in order to refer to God as the first one.
3. Ch. xii.-xxiii. (= Gen. ii.-viii., xxiv., xxix., 1.): The time from Adam to Noah
   Noah
   Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
   
   .
   1. The placing of man in the Garden of Eden
      Garden of Eden
      The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
      
       and the creation of Eve
      Eve (Bible)
      Eve was, according to the creation of Abrahamic religions, the first woman created by God...
      
      .
   2. Description of the three evil qualities which shorten the life of man—envy, lust, and ambition.
   3. Identification of the serpent with Samael
      Samael
      Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil...
      
      .
   4. Announcement of the ten appearances of God upon earth ("eser yeridot").
   5. First appearance of God in the Garden of Eden, and the punishment of the first pair.
   6. The two ways, the good and the evil, are pointed out to Adam, who enters upon his penitence. (The story is interrupted here, to be continued in ch. xx.)
   7. Detailed discussion of the three pillars of the world—the Torah, the Abodah, and the Gemilut Hasadim (see Avot 1:2).
   8. God's kindness toward Adam, that of the Hananites toward Jacob
      Jacob
      Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
      
      , and the consideration to be shown to those in mourning.
   9. The literary quarrel between the Shammaites and the Hillelites as to whether heaven or earth was created first.
   10. The ten things which were created on Friday evening.
   11. Exegesis of Psalm viii., which Adam sang in the Garden of Eden.
   12. Discussion of the Habdalah blessing of the Sabbath evening and the completion of Adam's penitence.
   13. Cain and Abel; Cain's penitence.
   14. Birth of Seth; the sinful generation.
   15. Story of Noah.
4. Ch. xxiv.-xxv. (= Gen. ix., x., xi., xviii., xix.): The sinful generation.
   1. Nimrod
      Nimrod
      Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...
      
      .
   2. God's second appearance.
   3. The confusion of tongues and the Dispersion.
   4. Nimrod is killed by Esau
      Esau
      Esau , in the Hebrew Bible, is the oldest son of Isaac. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and by the minor prophets, Obadiah and Malachi. The New Testament later references him in the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews....
      
      , who takes his garments, which Jacob then puts on in order to secure the blessing.
5. Ch. xxvi.-xxxix. (= Gen. xl., l.): From Abraham to the death of Jacob.
   1. The ten temptations of Abraham.
   2. Lot
      Lot (Bible)
      Lot is a man from the Book of Genesis chapters 11-14 and 19, in the Hebrew Bible. Notable episodes in his life include his travels with his uncle Abram ; his flight from the destruction of Sodom, in the course of which Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; and the seduction by his...
      
      's imprisonment and Abraham's pursuit of the kings.
   3. God's covenant with Abraham.
   4. The circumcision
      Circumcision
      Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
      
      , and the appearance of the angels.
   5. Identification of Hagar
      Hagar (Bible)
      Hagar , according to the Abrahamic faiths, was the second wife of Abraham, and the mother of his first son, Ishmael. Her story is recorded in the Book of Genesis, mentioned in Hadith, and alluded to in the Qur'an...
      
       with Keturah
      Keturah
      According to the Hebrew Bible, Keturah or Ketura was the woman whom Abraham, the patriarch of the Israelites, married after the death of his wife, Sarah. Keturah bore Abraham six sons, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah....
      
      , and the story of Ishmael
      Ishmael
      Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...
      
      .
   6. The sacrifice of Isaac
      Isaac
      Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
      
      .
   7. Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau.
   8. Proofs given by Elijah, Elisha
      Elisha
      Elisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
      
      , and Shallum ben Tikvah that the dead are resurrected through the liberality of the living.
   9. Those that will be found worthy to be resurrected.
   10. From the sale of the birthright to the time when Jacob left Beer-sheba.
   11. From Jacob at the well to his flight from Laban
       Laban (Bible)
       Laban is the son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and the father of Leah and Rachel and Bilhah and Zilpah as described in the Book of Genesis. As such he is brother-in-law to Isaac and both father-in-law and uncle to Jacob...
       
       's house.
   12. Repetition of the three preceding chapters.
   13. Story of Dinah
       Dinah
       According to the Hebrew Bible, Dinah was the daughter of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the Israelites and Leah, his first wife. The episode of her abduction and violation by a Canaanite prince, and the subsequent vengeance of her brothers Simeon and Levi, commonly referred to as "The Rape of...
       
        and of the sale of Joseph
       Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
       Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
       
       .
   14. God's fourth appearance—in the vision of Jacob while on his way to Egypt
       Egypt
       Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
       
       .
   15. Joseph and Potiphar
       Potiphar
       Potiphar or Potifar is a person in the Book of Genesis's account of Joseph. Potiphar is said to be the captain of the palace guard and is referred to without name in the Quran. Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, is taken to Egypt where he is sold to Potiphar as a household slave...
       
       .
   16. Joseph in prison; interpretation of the dream; the sale of the grain.
   17. Jacob's blessing and death.
6. Ch. xl.-xlvi. (= Ex. ii.-iv., xiv.-xx., xxxii.-xxxiv.): From the appearance of Moses
   Moses
   Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
   
    to the time when God revealed Himself to him in the cleft of the rock.
   1. Fifth appearance of God—to Moses, from the burning bush.
   2. The miracles performed by Moses before Pharaoh
      Pharaoh
      Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
      
      .
   3. God's sixth appearance—on Sinai.
   4. Pharaoh's persecution.
   5. The value of penitence; Pharaoh is not destroyed, but becomes King of Nineveh
      Nineveh
      Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and capital of the Neo Assyrian Empire. Its ruins are across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, in the Ninawa Governorate of Iraq....
      
      .
   6. Amalek
      Amalek
      The Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestor Amalek....
      
      's pursuit in the desert; Saul
      Saul
      -People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
      
       and Amalek; Amalek and Sennacherib
      Sennacherib
      Sennacherib |Sîn]] has replaced brothers for me"; Aramaic: ) was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria .-Rise to power:...
      
      .
   7. The golden calf; Moses' descent from the mountain; his prayer because of Israel's sin.
   8. Moses on Sinai; his descent, and the destruction of the golden calf.
   9. Seventh appearance of God—to Moses.
7. Ch. xlvii.-liv. (= Ex. xv.; Num. ii., v., xi.-xiii., xxv., xxvi.; in these chapters the sequence thus far observed is broken): The sin committed at Baal-peor.
   1. The courage of Phinehas
      Phinehas
      -Biblical figures:*Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the High Priest*Phinehas, son of the High Priest Eli. He was a priest at Shiloh, and died when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant-Other :*Pinchas, the 41st weekly Torah portion....
      
      .
   2. The priestly office conferred upon him for life as a recompense.
   3. Computation of the time Israel spent in servitude down to the exodus from Egypt.
   4. Continuation of the story of Amalek
      Amalek
      The Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestor Amalek....
      
      .
   5. The passing over to Nebuchadnezzar
      Nebuchadnezzar
      Nebuchadnezzar was the name of several kings of Babylonia.* Nebuchadnezzar I, who ruled the Babylonian Empire in the 12th century BC* Nebuchadnezzar II , the Babylonian ruler mentioned in the biblical Book of Daniel...
      
       and Haman
      Haman (Bible)
      Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...
      
      .
   6. Story of Esther
      Esther
      Esther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
      
      .
   7. Holiness of the months and of Israel.
   8. Enumeration of the seven miracles:
      1. Abraham in the furnace
      2. Jacob's birth
      3. Abraham's attainment of manhood (comp. Sanh. 107b)
      4. Jacob sneezes and does not die
      5. the sun and moon remain immovable at the command of Joshua
         Joshua
         Joshua , is a minor figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel and in few passages as Moses's assistant. He turns to be the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua...
         
         
      6. King Hezekiah
         Hezekiah
         Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the 14th king of Judah. Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible....
         
          becomes ill, but recovers
      7. Daniel
         Daniel
         Daniel is the protagonist in the Book of Daniel of the Hebrew Bible. In the narrative, when Daniel was a young man, he was taken into Babylonian captivity where he was educated in Chaldean thought. However, he never converted to Neo-Babylonian ways...
         
          in the lion's den.
   9. Moses is slandered by Aaron
      Aaron
      In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
      
       and Miriam.
   10. Absalom
       Absalom
       According to the Bible, Absalom or Avshalom was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom...
       
        and his death.
   11. God's eighth appearance—in punishment of Miriam.

Contemporary and Original Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

• Sacks. Steven Daniel Midrash and Multiplicity: Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer and the Reinvention of Rabbinic Interpretive Culture (2009) (ISBN 978-3110209228) http://www.amazon.com/Midrash-Multiplicity-Rabbi-Rabbinic-Interpretive/dp/3110209225
• Adelman, Rachel. The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe De-Rabbi Eliezer and the Pseudepigrapha (2009) (ISBN: 978-90-04-17049-0)
• 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...
  
  , G. V. pp. 283 et seq.;
• Jost
  Isaak Markus Jost
  Isaak Marcus Jost was a Jewish historical writer.He studied at the universities of Göttingen and Berlin. In Berlin he began to teach, and in 1835 received the appointment of upper master in the Jewish commercial school at Frankfort-on-the-Main...
  
  , Gesch. des Judenthums und Seiner Sekten, p. 35, note 2, Leipsic, 1858;
• Senior Sachs
  Senior Sachs
  Senior Sachs was a Russo-French Hebrew scholar born at Kėdainiai, government of Kovno. When Senior was only one and one-half year old his father, Tzemach Sachs, became rabbi of Žagarė, also in the government of Kovno, and here he instructed his young son in Hebrew and Talmud.- Education :While...
  
  , in Kerem Ḥemed, viii. 34;
• Ueber das Gegenseitige Verhältniss, etc., in Monatsschrift, i. 277;
• Teḥiyah, Berlin, 1850, p. 14, note 5; p. 20, note 2;
• H. Kahana, in Ha-Maggid, viii. 6;
• S. Friedmann, in Rahmer's Jüd. Lit.-Blatt. viii. 30-31, 34, 37;
• Moritz Steinschneider
  Moritz Steinschneider
  Moritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...
  
  , in Ha-Yonah, i. 17, Berlin, 1851;
• Raphael Kirchheim
  Raphael Kirchheim
  Raphael Kirchheim was a German Jewish scholar.-Life:Kirchheim was of a pugnacious disposition and took a very active part in the general attack on the Amsterdam administration of the Ḥaluḳḳah in 1843-44, which was especially directed against Hirsch Lehren of Amsterdam, president of the board of...
  
  , in Introductio in Librum Talmudicum de Samaritanis, p. 25. Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1851;
• Meïr ha-Levi Horwitz, Mishnat Rabbi Eliezer, in Ha-Maggid, xxiii., Nos. 8-30;
• Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, i. 321-344, Warsaw, 1886;
• Israel Luria, in Kokebe Yiẓḥaḳ, xxv. 82;
• Israel Lévi, in R. E. J. xviii. 83;
• Michael Creizenach
  Michael Creizenach
  Michael Creizenach was a German Jewish educator and theologian.Creizenach is typical of the era of transition, following the epoch of Moses Mendelssohn...
  
  , in Jost's Annalen, ii. 140;
• Heinrich Grätz, in Monatsschrift, 1859, p. 112, note 5;
• Bacher, Ag. Tan. i. 122-123, Strasburg, 1903.

External links

• Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer Electronic Text Editing Project (digital images of original codices)
• Full text of Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer (full text of 1874 Warsaw edition in PDF files; site in Hebrew)