Isaiah di Trani
Encyclopedia
Isaiah di Trani ben Mali (the Elder) (c. 1180 – c. 1250) (Hebrew: ישעיה בן מאלי הזקן דטראני), better known as the RID, was a prominent Italian Talmud
ist.
(David Conforte
, Ḳore ha-Dorot, p. 15a), an ancient settlement of Jewish scholarship, and lived probably in Venice
. He carried on a correspondence with Simhah of Speyer and with Simḥah's two pupils, Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
(Or Zarua, i.88, 218, 220) and Abigdor Cohen of the same city. Isaiah himself probably lived for some time in the Orient
. He left a learned son, David, and a daughter, with whose son, Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani
, he has often been confounded.
es on Rashi
which show him to have been, as Güdemann says, an acute critic rather than a dispassionate exegete. The work has been printed as an appendix to Azulai
's Pene Dawid (Leghorn, 1792); extracts from it have been published in Stern's edition of the Pentateuch (Vienna, 1851) under the title Peṭure Ẓiẓẓim (see also Berliner, Rashi, p. xii); and Zedekiah ben Abraham, author of Shibbole ha-Leḳeṭ and a pupil of Isaiah, composed glosses on it in 1297 (Leipzig MS. No. 15, p. 318). As regards other Bible commentaries ascribed to him, see Isaiah di Trani the Younger
. Isaiah also wrote an introduction (petiṭah) to a seliḥah
beginning with [missing Hebrew text] (Maḥzor Rome, ed. Luzzatto, p. 32, Introduction), which has been metrically translated into German by Zunz ("S.P." p. 299; see idem, Literaturgesch. p. 336).
Isaiah's chief importance, however, rests upon the fact that he was the most prominent representative of Talmudic scholarship in Italy
. He wrote commentaries on almost the whole Talmud, in the form of tosafot
, ḥiddushim (novellae), or pesaḳim (decisions). Of his tosafot the following have been printed: those to Kiddushin, in the Sabbionetta (1553) edition of that treatise (see Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. No. 1718); on Ta'anit
and Kiddushin, in Eleazar ben Aryeh Löw's Ene ha-'Edah (Prague, 1809); on Baba Batra, Baba Kamma, Baba Mezia, Avodah Zarah
, Hagigah
, Shabbat
, Niddah
, Eruvin, Rosh haShanah
, Yoma
, Sukkah
, Megillah
, Mo'ed Katan
, Pesahim
, Bezah, Nedarim, and Nazir
, in the two collections Tosafot R. Yeshayahu (Lemberg, 1861, 1869). Some extracts are also contained in Bezalel Ashkenazi
's Shiṭṭah Meḳubbeẓet.
Of his pesaḳim there have been printed those on Rosh ha-Shanah, Hagigah
, and Ta'anit, in Ohole Yiẓhaḳ (Leghorn, 1819); on Berakot
in N. Coronel's Bet Natan (Vienna, 1854); on sukkah, tefillin, ẓiẓit, and mezuzah, in Sam Ḥayyim (Leghorn, 1803); and some others exist in manuscript only (MS. Vienna, No. xli., MS. Paris, Nos. 364, 365, 976, 2; Neubauer
, Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS. Nos. 334-336; Steinschneider, Hebr. Bibl. iv. 54).
The author sometimes quotes the pesaḳim in his tosafot, from which it would seem that he composed the former earlier than the latter. As in many instances the pesaḳim appear to have been inserted in the tosafot by the copyists; they can not always be distinguished. Of some of the tosafot Isaiah made two or more versions.
Isaiah also wrote, under the title Ha-Makria', halakhic discussions and decisions on ninety-two halakhic topics. The first edition of this work (Leghorn, 1779) contains also his tosafot (or ḥiddushim) on Ta'anit. Isaiah mentions other works of his; e.g., a second commentary on the Sifra
, Ḳonṭres ha-Zikronot, Sefer ha-Leḳeṭ, and some responsa
, a volume of which Azulai claims to have seen in manuscript and which exist in the collection of MSS. in Cambridge University.
Isaiah possessed a remarkable clarity of expression, which enabled him to expound the most difficult topics with ease and lucidity. The same severe criticism that he passed upon such respected authorities as Rashi
, Alfasi, Jacob Tam, Samuel ben Meir, Isaac ben Samuel
(RI), and others he applied toward his own halakhic decisions whenever he changed his view. He was in favor of a more moderate interpretation of the Law
, and he condemned the ritualistic rigor of the teachers of France
and Germany
. According to Güdemann, Isaiah as a halakhic authority had for Italy the same importance that Maimonides
had for the Orient and Jacob Tam for the Jews of France and Germany. He was held in very high esteem both by his contemporaries and by the teachers of the following centuries; even one so important as Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
called him and Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona
"the two kings of Israel" (Or Zarua', i.755).
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....
ist.
Biography
Isaiah originated in TraniTrani
Trani is a seaport of Apulia, southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, in the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani , and 40 km by railway West-Northwest of Bari.- History :...
(David Conforte
David Conforte
David Conforte was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title Ḳore ha-Dorot.-Biography:...
, Ḳore ha-Dorot, p. 15a), an ancient settlement of Jewish scholarship, and lived probably in 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...
. He carried on a correspondence with Simhah of Speyer and with Simḥah's two pupils, Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, also called Isaac Or Zarua or the Riaz, was one of the greatest rabbis of the Middle Ages. He was probably born in Bohemia and lived between 1200 and 1270. He attained his fame in Vienna and his major work, the halachic guide known as the Or Zarua, was very popular...
(Or Zarua, i.88, 218, 220) and Abigdor Cohen of the same city. Isaiah himself probably lived for some time in the Orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
. He left a learned son, David, and a daughter, with whose son, Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani
Isaiah di Trani the Younger
Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani was an Italian Talmudist and commentator who lived in the 13th century and 14th century. He was the grandson, on his mother's side, of Isaiah di Trani the Elder. He is usually quoted as ריא"ז , or Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani (the Younger) (Hebrew: ישעיה בן אליהו...
, he has often been confounded.
Works
Isaiah was a very prolific writer. He wrote: Nimmuḳim or Nimmuḳe Ḥomesh, a commentary on the Pentateuch, consisting mainly of glossGloss
A gloss is a brief notation of the meaning of a word or wording in a text. It may be in the language of the text, or in the reader's language if that is different....
es on 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...
which show him to have been, as Güdemann says, an acute critic rather than a dispassionate exegete. The work has been printed as an appendix to Azulai
Chaim Joseph David Azulai
Chaim 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...
's Pene Dawid (Leghorn, 1792); extracts from it have been published in Stern's edition of the Pentateuch (Vienna, 1851) under the title Peṭure Ẓiẓẓim (see also Berliner, Rashi, p. xii); and Zedekiah ben Abraham, author of Shibbole ha-Leḳeṭ and a pupil of Isaiah, composed glosses on it in 1297 (Leipzig MS. No. 15, p. 318). As regards other Bible commentaries ascribed to him, see Isaiah di Trani the Younger
Isaiah di Trani the Younger
Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani was an Italian Talmudist and commentator who lived in the 13th century and 14th century. He was the grandson, on his mother's side, of Isaiah di Trani the Elder. He is usually quoted as ריא"ז , or Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani (the Younger) (Hebrew: ישעיה בן אליהו...
. Isaiah also wrote an introduction (petiṭah) to a seliḥah
Selichot
Selichot or slichot are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on Fast Days...
beginning with [missing Hebrew text] (Maḥzor Rome, ed. Luzzatto, p. 32, Introduction), which has been metrically translated into German by Zunz ("S.P." p. 299; see idem, Literaturgesch. p. 336).
Isaiah's chief importance, however, rests upon the fact that he was the most prominent representative of Talmudic scholarship in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He wrote commentaries on almost the whole Talmud, in the form of tosafot
Tosafot
The Tosafot or Tosafos are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes...
, ḥiddushim (novellae), or pesaḳim (decisions). Of his tosafot the following have been printed: those to Kiddushin, in the Sabbionetta (1553) edition of that treatise (see Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. No. 1718); on Ta'anit
Ta'anit
A ta'anit or taanis or taʿanith in Classical Hebrew is a fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water...
and Kiddushin, in Eleazar ben Aryeh Löw's Ene ha-'Edah (Prague, 1809); on Baba Batra, Baba Kamma, Baba Mezia, Avodah Zarah
Avodah Zarah
Avodah Zarah is the name of a tractate in the Talmud, located in Nezikin, the fourth Order of the Talmud dealing with damages...
, Hagigah
Hagigah
Tractate Hagigah deals with the Three Pilgrimage Festivals and the pilgrimage offering that men were supposed to bring in Jerusalem. At the middle of the second chapter, the Talmud discusses topics of ritual purity.The tractate contain three chapters, spanning 27 pages in the Vilna edition,...
, Shabbat
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....
, Niddah
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....
, Eruvin, Rosh haShanah
Rosh Hashanah (Talmud)
Rosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed...
, 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...
, Sukkah
Sukkah (Talmud)
Sukkah is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the sixth volume in the Order of Moed. Sukkah deals primarily with laws relating to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot...
, Megillah
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....
, Mo'ed Katan
Mo'ed Katan
Mo'ed Katan or Mo'edh Qatan is the eleventh tractate of Seder Moed of the Mishnah and the Talmud. It is concerned with the laws of the days between the first and last days of Passover and Sukkot . These days are also known as "Chol HaMoed" days...
, Pesahim
Pesahim
Pesahim is the third tractate of Seder Moed of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Passover as well as the Passover lamb offering...
, Bezah, Nedarim, and Nazir
Nazir (Talmud)
Nazir is a treatise of the Mishnah and the Tosefta and in both Talmuds, devoted chiefly to a discussion of the laws of the Nazirite laid down in Numbers 6:1-21. In the Tosefta its title is Nezirut...
, in the two collections Tosafot R. Yeshayahu (Lemberg, 1861, 1869). Some extracts are also contained in Bezalel Ashkenazi
Bezalel Ashkenazi
Bezalel ben Abraham Ashkenazi was a rabbi and talmudist who lived in Ottoman Palestine during the 16th century. He is best known as the author of Shittah Mekubetzet, a commentary on the Talmud. He is very straightforward in his writings and occasionally offers textual amendments to the Talmud...
's Shiṭṭah Meḳubbeẓet.
Of his pesaḳim there have been printed those on Rosh ha-Shanah, Hagigah
Hagigah
Tractate Hagigah deals with the Three Pilgrimage Festivals and the pilgrimage offering that men were supposed to bring in Jerusalem. At the middle of the second chapter, the Talmud discusses topics of ritual purity.The tractate contain three chapters, spanning 27 pages in the Vilna edition,...
, and Ta'anit, in Ohole Yiẓhaḳ (Leghorn, 1819); on Berakot
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...
in N. Coronel's Bet Natan (Vienna, 1854); on sukkah, tefillin, ẓiẓit, and mezuzah, in Sam Ḥayyim (Leghorn, 1803); and some others exist in manuscript only (MS. Vienna, No. xli., MS. Paris, Nos. 364, 365, 976, 2; Neubauer
Neubauer
Neubauer is a surname, and may refer to:* Adolf Neubauer, Rabbinical scholar* Alfred Neubauer, Mercedes Grand Prix racing manager* Dagmar Neubauer, German athlete* Harald Neubauer, German far right politician and journalist...
, Cat. Bodl. Hebr. MSS. Nos. 334-336; Steinschneider, Hebr. Bibl. iv. 54).
The author sometimes quotes the pesaḳim in his tosafot, from which it would seem that he composed the former earlier than the latter. As in many instances the pesaḳim appear to have been inserted in the tosafot by the copyists; they can not always be distinguished. Of some of the tosafot Isaiah made two or more versions.
Isaiah also wrote, under the title Ha-Makria', halakhic discussions and decisions on ninety-two halakhic topics. The first edition of this work (Leghorn, 1779) contains also his tosafot (or ḥiddushim) on Ta'anit. Isaiah mentions other works of his; e.g., a second commentary on the Sifra
Sifra
Sifra is the Halakic midrash to Leviticus. It is frequently quoted in the Talmud, and the study of it followed that of the Mishnah, as appears from Tanḥuma, quoted in Or Zarua, i. 7b. Like Leviticus itself, the midrash is occasionally called "Torat Kohanim" , and in two passages also "Sifra debe...
, Ḳonṭres ha-Zikronot, Sefer ha-Leḳeṭ, and some responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
, a volume of which Azulai claims to have seen in manuscript and which exist in the collection of MSS. in Cambridge University.
Isaiah possessed a remarkable clarity of expression, which enabled him to expound the most difficult topics with ease and lucidity. The same severe criticism that he passed upon such respected authorities as 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...
, Alfasi, Jacob Tam, Samuel ben Meir, Isaac ben Samuel
Isaac ben Samuel
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.- Biography :On his father's side Isaac was a grandson of R...
(RI), and others he applied toward his own halakhic decisions whenever he changed his view. He was in favor of a more moderate interpretation of the Law
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 he condemned the ritualistic rigor of the teachers 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...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. According to Güdemann, Isaiah as a halakhic authority had for Italy the same importance that 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...
had for the Orient and Jacob Tam for the Jews of France and Germany. He was held in very high esteem both by his contemporaries and by the teachers of the following centuries; even one so important as Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, also called Isaac Or Zarua or the Riaz, was one of the greatest rabbis of the Middle Ages. He was probably born in Bohemia and lived between 1200 and 1270. He attained his fame in Vienna and his major work, the halachic guide known as the Or Zarua, was very popular...
called him and Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona
Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona
Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona was an Italian Jewish tosafist.He was a disciple of Rabbi Isaac the elder, of Dampierre, and grandfather of the philosopher and physician Hillel of Forli. He had sanctioned the second marriage of a young woman whose husband had probably, though not certainly, perished...
"the two kings of Israel" (Or Zarua', i.755).
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; - Abraham BerlinerAbraham BerlinerAbraham Berliner was a German theologian and historian, born in Obersitzko, province of Posen, Prussia. He received his first education under his father, who was teacher in Obersitzko...
, Pletath Soferim, pp. 8, 13 et seq.; - Moritz GüdemannMoritz Güdemann- Life :He was educated at Breslau , and took his rabbinical diploma at the Jewish Theological Seminary of that city. In the latter year he was called to the rabbinate of Magdeburg; in 1866 he went to Vienna as preacher, where he became rabbi in 1868, and chief rabbi in 1890.- Works :Güdemann...
, Gesch. ii.184 et seq., 320 et seq. (the best monograph on the subject); - Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. vii.160;
- 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. 1389 et seq.; - Winter and Wünsche, Die Jüdische Litteratur, ii.483;
- ZunzZunzZunz, Zuntz is a Yiddish surname: , Belgian pharmacologist* Leopold Zunz , German Reform rabbi* Gerhard Jack Zunz , British civil engineer- Zuntz :* Nathan Zuntz , German physiologist...
, Z.G. pp. 58 et seq., 101, 566; - Marco MortaraMarco MortaraMarco Mortara Marco Mortara Marco Mortara (born at Viadana, 7 May 1815; died at Mantua, 2 February 1894 was an Italian rabbi and scholar.Having graduated from the rabbinical college of Padua in 1836, he was called as rabbi to Mantua in 1842, and occupied this position until his death...
, Indice, p. 66; - Landshuth, Ammude ha-'Abodah, p. 134;
- Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 678;
- Schechter in J.Q.R., iv.95.