Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona
Encyclopedia
Zerachiah ben Isaac Ha-Levi Gerondi (Hebrew: זרחיה הלוי), called the ReZaH, RaZBI or Baal Ha-Maor (author of the book Ha-Maor) was born about 1125 in the town of Girona
, Spain
– hence the name Gerondi – and died after 1186 in Lunel
. He was a famous rabbi
, Torah
and Talmud
commentator and a poet
.
, and the son of Zerachiah Ha-Levi, his namesake. The elder Zerachiah was a son of Shem Tov Ha-Levi, one of the greatest Talmudic scholars in Provence, who claimed direct descent of the prophet Samuel, who according to Jewish tradition was a direct descendant of Yitzhar (hence the family name "Ha-Yitzhari"), son of Kehath
, son of Levi
, son of Jacob
.
In his youth, Zerachiah moved to Provence
and studied with the Talmudic scholars of Narbonne
(one of them was the famous Moshe ben Yosef). At the age of 19 he wrote a piyyut
in Aramaic and devoted himself to halakhic
problems. For many years thereafter he lived in Lunel (studying with Meshullam of Lunel
), but the conflicts, disputes and quarrels constantly splitting the community forced him to leave.
Zerachiah was not only a thorough Talmudist of great erudition, with an analytic and synthetic mind, but he was also deeply versed in Arabic literature, in philosophy,and in astronomy, and was, also, a gifted poet, combining elegance of style with elevation of sentiment. Judah Ben Saul Ibn Tibbon
said of Zerachiah: "he was unique in his generation and wiser than I", and praised him for his elaborate style of writing. Jehudah Ibn Tibbon sent his son Samuel ibn Tibbon to study with Zerachiah.
The book is divided into two parts: Ha-Maor Ha-Gadol (the great light) and Ha-Maor Ha-Katan (the small light). In the first part the issues connected to Talmud
ic tractates "Berachot
", "Mo'ed
" and "Chullin" are discussed, and in the second part - "Nashim
" and "Nezikin
". In this book the ReZaH consistently and critically objects to the Rif
's views, but at the same time holds him and his works in high esteem.
These writings belong to a special kind of Rabbinical literature - so-called "objections" raised by the scholars of Provence against attempts by the scholars from "Eretz Islam" to force the adoption of their halakhot and commentaries. From this point of view, Zerachiah stands together with Abraham ben David
of Posquieres, known because of his objections to Maimonides
, though even between them there was sufficient difference of opinion. Zerachiah, in many cases, prefers the variants of commentaries supplemented by Rashi
, and, to a great extent, he relies upon the methods of the scholars of France
in commentaries on Gemara
. From this point of view, the works of Zerachiah reflect a mingling of the school of halakha and the drash
a of the scholars of Spain and France not uncommon in Provence.
Zerachiah's independence also displeased the conservatives, however, and refutations of his criticisms were written by Nahmanides
under the title Milḥamot hashem, and by Abraham ben David
of Posquières, who alluded in his harsh fashion to Zerahiah as an immature youth who had had the audacity to criticize his master, and even accused him of having appropriated some of his (Abraham's) own interpretations without mentioning the author. A justification of Zerahiah's critique was written by Ezra Malki
under the title Shemen la-Ma'or, and since 1552 the Sefer ha-Ma'or has always been printed together with Alfasi.
and Niddah
, etc. At the same time endeavored to show that Alfasi had not observed the principles laid down in the Talmud for halakic interpretation.
This work, like its predecessor, was criticized by Naḥmanides, who justified Alfasi. Major differences in opinion also emerged between Zerachiah and the Ravad III who wrote objections to the Sefer Ha-Maor. Zerachiah replied in kind, writing objections to the Ravad's work Baalei Ha-Nefesh which were full of sarcasm and personal attacks. Both the Sefer Ha-Tsava and the criticism of Naḥmanides were inserted in the Sefer Temim De'im (§§ 225, 226, Venice, 1622), and were also published separately at Shklov in 1803.
Zerachya was the author of numerous liturgical poems, eighteen of which are found in the Sephardic Maḥzor. His poetry is included in various liturgical rites and was published in a critical edition by B. Bar-Tikva.
, who previously had been his irreconcilable critic. Even Ravad, who outlived his friend and rival by 13 years, softened his tone after Zerachiah's death and wrote about him with great respect, criticizing him only on the substance of issues under consideration.
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, 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...
– hence the name Gerondi – and died after 1186 in Lunel
Lunel
Lunel is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Lunel is located east of Montpellier and southwest of Nîmes .-History:The ancient Roman site of Ambrussum is located nearby. The troubadour Folquet de Lunel was from Lunel....
. He was a famous rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, 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...
and 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....
commentator and a poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
Biography
Zerachiah was born into a Rabbinic family called Yitzhari of Girona. His father was Isaac Ha-Levi, a Talmudic scholar in ProvenceProvence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, and the son of Zerachiah Ha-Levi, his namesake. The elder Zerachiah was a son of Shem Tov Ha-Levi, one of the greatest Talmudic scholars in Provence, who claimed direct descent of the prophet Samuel, who according to Jewish tradition was a direct descendant of Yitzhar (hence the family name "Ha-Yitzhari"), son of Kehath
Kohath
According to the Torah, Kohath was one of the sons of Levi, and the patriarchal founder of the Kohathites, one of the four main divisions among the Levites in Biblical times; in some apocryphal texts such as the Testament of Levi, and the Book of Jubilees, Levi's wife, Kohath's mother, is named as...
, son of Levi
Levi
Levi/Levy was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi ; however Peake's commentary suggests this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, son of 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...
.
In his youth, Zerachiah moved to Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
and studied with the Talmudic scholars of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
(one of them was the famous Moshe ben Yosef). At the age of 19 he wrote a piyyut
Piyyut
A piyyut or piyut is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times...
in Aramaic and devoted himself to 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...
problems. For many years thereafter he lived in Lunel (studying with Meshullam of Lunel
Meshullam ben Jacob
Rabbeinu Meshullam son of Jacob also known as Rabbeinu Meshullam hagodol was a Franco-Jewish Talmudist of the twelfth century CE...
), but the conflicts, disputes and quarrels constantly splitting the community forced him to leave.
Zerachiah was not only a thorough Talmudist of great erudition, with an analytic and synthetic mind, but he was also deeply versed in Arabic literature, in philosophy,and in astronomy, and was, also, a gifted poet, combining elegance of style with elevation of sentiment. Judah Ben Saul Ibn Tibbon
Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon
Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon was a translator and physician.Born in Granada, he left Spain in 1150, probably on account persecution by the Almohades, and went to Lunel in southern France. Benjamin of Tudela mentions him as a physician there in 1160...
said of Zerachiah: "he was unique in his generation and wiser than I", and praised him for his elaborate style of writing. Jehudah Ibn Tibbon sent his son Samuel ibn Tibbon to study with Zerachiah.
Sefer Ha-Maor
Zerachiah knew Arabic well and quickly absorbed the disciplines studied in Provence, but from his writings one could easily feel the tension that existed between him and his surroundings. Fame of a scholar and expert on halakhic problems came to him thanks to his book Sefer Ha-Maor which was begun when he was 19 years old, and was completed in the 1180s.The book is divided into two parts: Ha-Maor Ha-Gadol (the great light) and Ha-Maor Ha-Katan (the small light). In the first part the issues connected to 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....
ic tractates "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...
", "Mo'ed
Moed
Moed is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people . Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates:# Shabbat: or Shabbath deals with the 39 prohibitions of "work" on the Shabbat...
" and "Chullin" are discussed, and in the second part - "Nashim
Nashim
Nashim is the third order of the Mishnah , containing the laws related to women and family life...
" and "Nezikin
Nezikin
For Jewish law on damages, see Damages Nezikin or Seder Nezikin is the fourth Order of the Mishna...
". In this book the ReZaH consistently and critically objects to the Rif
Isaac Alfasi
for other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...
's views, but at the same time holds him and his works in high esteem.
These writings belong to a special kind of Rabbinical literature - so-called "objections" raised by the scholars of Provence against attempts by the scholars from "Eretz Islam" to force the adoption of their halakhot and commentaries. From this point of view, Zerachiah stands together with Abraham ben David
Abraham ben David
Rabbeinu Abraham ben David was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, Sefer Halachot of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and Mishne Torah of Maimonides, and is regarded as a father of Kabbalah and one of the key and important links in the chain of Jewish mystics...
of Posquieres, known because of his objections to 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...
, though even between them there was sufficient difference of opinion. Zerachiah, in many cases, prefers the variants of commentaries supplemented by 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, to a great extent, he relies upon the methods of the scholars of 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 commentaries on Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
. From this point of view, the works of Zerachiah reflect a mingling of the school of halakha and the drash
Drash
Drash may refer to:* Midrash, a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text* Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter , a portable shelter* Alan Drash, pediatric endocrinologist* Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash, a computer game...
a of the scholars of Spain and France not uncommon in Provence.
Zerachiah's independence also displeased the conservatives, however, and refutations of his criticisms were written by Nahmanides
Nahmanides
Nahmanides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Naḥman Girondi, Bonastruc ça Porta and by his acronym Ramban, , was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.-Name:"Nahmanides" is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Naḥman"...
under the title Milḥamot hashem, and by Abraham ben David
Abraham ben David
Rabbeinu Abraham ben David was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, Sefer Halachot of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and Mishne Torah of Maimonides, and is regarded as a father of Kabbalah and one of the key and important links in the chain of Jewish mystics...
of Posquières, who alluded in his harsh fashion to Zerahiah as an immature youth who had had the audacity to criticize his master, and even accused him of having appropriated some of his (Abraham's) own interpretations without mentioning the author. A justification of Zerahiah's critique was written by Ezra Malki
Ezra Malki
Ezra Malki was rabbi of Rhodes in the seventeenth century; he was brother-in-law of Hezekiah de Silva, the author of "Peri Ḥadash."Malki was the author of "Malki ba-Ḳodesh"...
under the title Shemen la-Ma'or, and since 1552 the Sefer ha-Ma'or has always been printed together with Alfasi.
Sefer Ha-Tsava
Additionally, Zerachiah wrote the book Sefer Ha-Tsava, which explained 13 principles of drasha used in Gemarah and composed various halakhoth related to shechitaShechita
Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws...
and Niddah
Niddah
Niddah is a Hebrew term describing a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh ....
, etc. At the same time endeavored to show that Alfasi had not observed the principles laid down in the Talmud for halakic interpretation.
This work, like its predecessor, was criticized by Naḥmanides, who justified Alfasi. Major differences in opinion also emerged between Zerachiah and the Ravad III who wrote objections to the Sefer Ha-Maor. Zerachiah replied in kind, writing objections to the Ravad's work Baalei Ha-Nefesh which were full of sarcasm and personal attacks. Both the Sefer Ha-Tsava and the criticism of Naḥmanides were inserted in the Sefer Temim De'im (§§ 225, 226, Venice, 1622), and were also published separately at Shklov in 1803.
Other Works
Zerachya was likewise the author of the following works: Hilkot Sheḥiṭah u-Bediḳah, mentioned in the Sefer ha-Ma'or at the end of the first chapter on the treatise Ḥullin; Hassagot 'al Ba'ale ha-Nefesh, a critique of RABaD's treatise on the laws relating to women, published in part with the Ba'ale ha-Nefesh (Venice, 1741; Berlin, 1762); Dibre Ribot, a controversy with RABaD on civil jurisprudence, mentioned in the Sefer ha-Ma'or on Baba Meẓi'a and cited in part by Bezaleel Ashkenazi in his Shiṭṭah Meḳubbeẓet on Baba Meẓi'a, p. 98a; Sela' ha-Maḥaloḳot, mentioned in the Sefer ha-Ma'or at the end of the first chapter of Shebu'ot; Pitḥe Niddah, quoted by the author's grandson in his Bedeḳ ha-Bayit (vii. 3); a dissertation on the Mishnah Kinnim, published at Constantinople in 1795; and responsa, mentioned in the "Sefer ha-Ma'or" at the end of the second chapter of Giṭṭin and quoted in the "Sefer ha-Terumot" (xlv. 1).Zerachya was the author of numerous liturgical poems, eighteen of which are found in the Sephardic Maḥzor. His poetry is included in various liturgical rites and was published in a critical edition by B. Bar-Tikva.
Legacy
Zerachia Halevi influenced greatly the following generations of rabbis and scholars, and some of them wrote responsa in his defense, among them NahmanidesNahmanides
Nahmanides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Naḥman Girondi, Bonastruc ça Porta and by his acronym Ramban, , was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.-Name:"Nahmanides" is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Naḥman"...
, who previously had been his irreconcilable critic. Even Ravad, who outlived his friend and rival by 13 years, softened his tone after Zerachiah's death and wrote about him with great respect, criticizing him only on the substance of issues under consideration.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- 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. 476; - idem, in Allg. Zeit. des Jud. iii. 679;
- Sachs, Religiöse Poesie, p. 257;
- Dukes, in Orient, Lit. ix. 760;
- Leser LandshuthLeser LandshuthLeser Landshuth was a German Jewish liturgiologist.He went to Berlin as a youth to study Jewish theology, and there he became acquainted with Leopold Zunz and Abraham Geiger, the latter of whom was then staying in that city in order to become naturalized in Prussia...
, 'Ammude ha-'Abodah, p. 63; - Reifmann, Toledot R. Zeraḥyah ha-Lewi, Prague, 1853;
- Eliakim CarmolyEliakim CarmolyEliakim Carmoly was a French-Jewish scholar. He was born at Soultz-Haut-Rhin, then in the French department of Haut-Rhin. His real name was Goschel David Behr ; the name Carmoly, borne by his family in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, was adopted by him when quite young...
, La France Israélite, p. 107; - Moritz SteinschneiderMoritz SteinschneiderMoritz 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...
, Cat. Bodl. cols. 2589-2593; - Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 570;
- Henri Gross, Gallia Judaica, pp. 255, 282;
- Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim, p. 367, No. 826