Baraita on the Erection of the Tabernacle
Encyclopedia
Baraita on the Erection of the Tabernacle is a Baraita
cited several times by Hai Gaon
, by Nathan ben Jehiel
in the Aruk, as well as in Rashi
, Yalḳut
, and Maimonides
. Rashi calls it a "Mishnah
". It treats in fourteen sections (in the Munich MS., sections i. and ii. constitute one section) of the boards (see. i.), woolen carpets (ii.), and carpets made of goat-hair (iii.), the curtain (iv.), the courtyard (v.), the Ark of the Covenant
(vi.-vii.), the table (viii.), the candlestick (ix., x.), the altar of incense (xi.), the goblets (xii.), the Levitical services (xiii.), and the wandering in the wilderness (xiv.).
, Judah b. Laḳish, R. Eliezer, Abba Saul
, R. Meïr, Joshua b. Ḳorḥa, Isi (= Isai) b. Judah, R. Nathan, Simon b. Yoḥai, and a pupil of R. Ishmael not otherwise designated.
With the exception of Isi b. Judah and Judah b. Laḳish, no authority is here mentioned whose name does not occur in the Mishnah
; and these two are as old as Rebbi, the author of the Mishnah. From this fact, and from the fact that many teachings of the Baraita on the Erection of the Tabernacle are cited in the Talmud
with the formula "de-tania" or "tanu rabbanan" (see proofs in Flesch, p. 7), it may be assumed that this Baraita was available to the Amoraim in a fixed form. It is questionable, however, whether the redactor of the Mekilta and the redactor of the Sifre
drew upon this Baraita. Mekilta Beshallaḥ, introduction (30b, ed. I.H. Weiss), seems to have preserved the aggadah
on the seven clouds in the wilderness in an older form than that given by the present Baraita in section xiv. It is true that this very section may not pertain to the real Baraita; yet it is quite possible that Sifre, Num. 59, originated from section x. of the Baraita.
Lewy inclines to the supposition that the Baraita was originally a constituent of the Mekilta of R. Simon. But an argument against such a hypothesis is the fundamental difference in the two writings; the Baraita containing almost no Midrash, while the Mekilta is composed chiefly of halakic Midrash. The same reason may serve to refute Brüll's view (Jahrbücher, v. 134 et seq., and Central-Anzeiger für Jüdische Literatur, p. 32), according to which the Baraita is an addition to the Mekilta.
), which is indicated by the haggadic character of the two sections, and by the fact that the author of We-Hizhir, who copied the Baraita in full, omitted them—probably because he did not know of them. There is much in favor of the view of Grünhut and, before him, of Ḥayyim M. Horowitz, in Tosefta 'Attiḳata, i. 7, that both sections were constituents of the Baraita of the Forty-nine Rules
. It is especially noteworthy that the numbers "four" and "seven" are the ones on which the sections hinge.
Baraita
Baraita designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. "Baraita" thus refers to teachings "outside" of the six orders of the Mishnah...
cited several times by Hai Gaon
Hai Gaon
Hai ben Sherira , was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038...
, by Nathan ben Jehiel
Nathan ben Jehiel
Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome was a Jewish Italian lexicographer. He was born in Rome not later than 1035 to one of the most notable Roman families of Jewish scholars. Owing to an error propagated by Azulai, he has been regarded as a scion of the house of De Pomis...
in the Aruk, as well as in 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...
, Yalḳut
Yalkut
There are several rabbinical works that bear the title "Yalkut" :*Yalkut Yosef*Yalkut Shimoni*Yalkut Makiri*Yalkut Reuveni...
, and 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...
. Rashi calls it a "Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
". It treats in fourteen sections (in the Munich MS., sections i. and ii. constitute one section) of the boards (see. i.), woolen carpets (ii.), and carpets made of goat-hair (iii.), the curtain (iv.), the courtyard (v.), the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
(vi.-vii.), the table (viii.), the candlestick (ix., x.), the altar of incense (xi.), the goblets (xii.), the Levitical services (xiii.), and the wandering in the wilderness (xiv.).
Origins of the Baraita
The authorities mentioned in this Baraita are: Rebbi (Judah ha-Nasi I), R. Jose, R. Nehemiah, R. Judah, Jose b. JudahJose b. Judah
Jose b. Judah was a Jewish Tanna sage of the fifth generation, and the end of the 2d Century. Mainly known for his disputes with Judah I ....
, Judah b. Laḳish, R. Eliezer, Abba Saul
Abba Saul
For the first Generation Tanna sage with a similar name, see Abba Saul ben Batnit.Abba Saul was a fourth generation Tanna . His elder contemporary was Akiva ben Joseph...
, R. Meïr, Joshua b. Ḳorḥa, Isi (= Isai) b. Judah, R. Nathan, Simon b. Yoḥai, and a pupil of R. Ishmael not otherwise designated.
With the exception of Isi b. Judah and Judah b. Laḳish, no authority is here mentioned whose name does not occur in the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
; and these two are as old as Rebbi, the author of the Mishnah. From this fact, and from the fact that many teachings of the Baraita on the Erection of the Tabernacle are cited 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....
with the formula "de-tania" or "tanu rabbanan" (see proofs in Flesch, p. 7), it may be assumed that this Baraita was available to the Amoraim in a fixed form. It is questionable, however, whether the redactor of the Mekilta and the redactor of the Sifre
Sifre
Sifre refers to either of two works of Midrash halakhah, or classical Jewish legal Biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Bamidbar and Devarim .- The Talmudic-Era Sifre :The title "Sifre debe Rab" is used by R. Hananeel on Sheb. 37b, Alfasi on Pes...
drew upon this Baraita. Mekilta Beshallaḥ, introduction (30b, ed. I.H. Weiss), seems to have preserved 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...
on the seven clouds in the wilderness in an older form than that given by the present Baraita in section xiv. It is true that this very section may not pertain to the real Baraita; yet it is quite possible that Sifre, Num. 59, originated from section x. of the Baraita.
Lewy inclines to the supposition that the Baraita was originally a constituent of the Mekilta of R. Simon. But an argument against such a hypothesis is the fundamental difference in the two writings; the Baraita containing almost no Midrash, while the Mekilta is composed chiefly of halakic Midrash. The same reason may serve to refute Brüll's view (Jahrbücher, v. 134 et seq., and Central-Anzeiger für Jüdische Literatur, p. 32), according to which the Baraita is an addition to the Mekilta.
Elements of the Baraita
The text of the Baraita is in general free from interpolations (the words of Isi ben Akkabyah in section x. do not occur in the Munich MS.; they found their way later into the Baraita from Men. 29a). Nevertheless, the last two sections seem to be later additions from another Baraita (they occur already in RashiRashi
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...
), which is indicated by the haggadic character of the two sections, and by the fact that the author of We-Hizhir, who copied the Baraita in full, omitted them—probably because he did not know of them. There is much in favor of the view of Grünhut and, before him, of Ḥayyim M. Horowitz, in Tosefta 'Attiḳata, i. 7, that both sections were constituents of the Baraita of the Forty-nine Rules
Baraita of the Forty-nine Rules
The Baraita of the Forty-nine Rules is a work of rabbinical literature which is no longer in existence except in references by later authorities. Rashi, the Tosafists, Abraham ibn Ezra, Yalḳut, and Asher ben Jehiel mention a work, "Baraita of the Forty-nine Rules," and make citations from it The...
. It is especially noteworthy that the numbers "four" and "seven" are the ones on which the sections hinge.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Abraham b. Elijah of Wilna, Rab Pe'olim, p. 39;
- S. Buber, Yeri'at Shelomoh, p. 15;
- H. Flesch, Die Baraitha von der Herstellung der Stiftshütte nach der Münchener Handschrift, . . . Uebersetzt und . . . Erläutert, 1899;
- Grünhut, Sefer ha-Liḳḳuṭim, pp. 11-13, 12b-16a;
- A. Jellinek, B. H. iii., xxix.-xxx.;
- Lewy, Ein Wort über die Mekilta des R. Simon, Program of the Breslau Seminary, 1889, p. 3;
- 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. 2d ed., p. 90. Editions: Venice, 1602; Hamburg, 1782; Offenbach, 1802; Wilna, 1802, by Abraham b. Elijah; - A. Jellinek, in B. H. iii. 144-154;
- Flesch, 1899, from the famous Talmud Manuscript of Munich.
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia article on Baraita on the Erection of the Tabernacle, by Marcus JastrowMarcus JastrowMarcus Jastrow was a renowned Talmudic scholar, most famously known for his authorship of the popular and comprehensive A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature....
and Louis GinzbergLouis GinzbergRabbi Louis Ginzberg was a Talmudist and leading figure in the Conservative Movement of Judaism of the twentieth century. He was born on November 28, 1873, in Kovno, Lithuania; he died on November 11, 1953, in New York City.-Biographical background:...
.