Jacob ibn Habib
Encyclopedia
Jacob ben Solomon ibn Habib (Hebrew: יעקב בן שלמה אבן חביב) (c. 1460–1516) was a rabbi
and talmudist born at Zamora, Spain
. In his youth Ibn Ḥabib studied the Talmud under R. Samuel Valensi.
in the house of Don Judah ben Abraham Benveniste, who placed his rich library at his disposal. Ibn Ḥabib also availed himself of the library of Don Samuel Benveniste, which contained, among other great works, a large collection of novellæ on the Talmud by many distinguished commentators. By the aid of the works from these two libraries Ibn Ḥabib collected all the haggadic
passages from the Babylonian Talmud, and many from the Jerusalem Talmud
. The publication of this work began in 1516 in the printing establishment of Judah Gedaliah, the author himself carefully reading the proof-sheets; but he died at Salonica just as the first two orders (Zeraim
and Moed
) came from the press. His son, R. Levi, completed the labors of his father, but the work appeared before the public without the notes of the author to the last four orders ("sedarim"), and without the index, which the author originally intended to cover the entire work. The haggadot
of the Jerusalem Talmud are also lacking.
The Ein Yaakov is the only work Ibn Ḥabib left to the world. The object of the author was to familiarize the public with the ethical spirit of Talmudic literature; at the same time his notes were intended to refute the charges brought against the Talmud by the numerous Spanish converts. The book, which thus appealed to the mass of the unlearned, became very popular. It was often edited and annotated, and served as a text-book of religious instruction. There are over thirty editions known; the latest (Vilna
, 1883) contains twenty commentaries, among them one which consists of selections from more than one hundred homiletic works. Of the additions, the most important one is that of Leone di Modena
, under the title Ha-Boneh, which has appeared in all editions since 1684. The author's intention was chiefly to propagate a more rationalistic view of the Talmudic Haggadah
. In some editions the title of the whole work is Ein Yisrael.
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...
and talmudist born at Zamora, Spain
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
. In his youth Ibn Ḥabib studied the Talmud under R. Samuel Valensi.
Ein Yaakov
In 1492, when the Jews were expelled from Spain, he settled at Salonica, where he wrote his Ein YaakovEin Yaakov
Ein Yaakov is a compilation of all the Aggadic material in the Talmud together with commentaries. Its introduction contains an account of the history of Talmudic censorship and the term Gemara...
in the house of Don Judah ben Abraham Benveniste, who placed his rich library at his disposal. Ibn Ḥabib also availed himself of the library of Don Samuel Benveniste, which contained, among other great works, a large collection of novellæ on the Talmud by many distinguished commentators. By the aid of the works from these two libraries Ibn Ḥabib collected all the haggadic
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...
passages from the Babylonian Talmud, and many from the Jerusalem Talmud
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
. The publication of this work began in 1516 in the printing establishment of Judah Gedaliah, the author himself carefully reading the proof-sheets; but he died at Salonica just as the first two orders (Zeraim
Zeraim
Seder Zeraim is the first and shortest Seder of the Mishnah, the first major work of Jewish law. The section of mishnah was written by the rabbis to inform all Jews what must be done to fulfill their biblical obligations of prayer and commandments about food.Observers of Jewish law are bound with...
and Moed
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...
) came from the press. His son, R. Levi, completed the labors of his father, but the work appeared before the public without the notes of the author to the last four orders ("sedarim"), and without the index, which the author originally intended to cover the entire work. The haggadot
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...
of the Jerusalem Talmud are also lacking.
The Ein Yaakov is the only work Ibn Ḥabib left to the world. The object of the author was to familiarize the public with the ethical spirit of Talmudic literature; at the same time his notes were intended to refute the charges brought against the Talmud by the numerous Spanish converts. The book, which thus appealed to the mass of the unlearned, became very popular. It was often edited and annotated, and served as a text-book of religious instruction. There are over thirty editions known; the latest (Vilna
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, 1883) contains twenty commentaries, among them one which consists of selections from more than one hundred homiletic works. Of the additions, the most important one is that of Leone di Modena
Leon of Modena
Leon Modena or Yehudah Aryeh Mi-modena was a Jewish scholar born in Venice of a notable French family that had migrated to Italy after an expulsion of Jews from France.-Life:...
, under the title Ha-Boneh, which has appeared in all editions since 1684. The author's intention was chiefly to propagate a more rationalistic view of the Talmudic Haggadah
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...
. In some editions the title of the whole work is Ein Yisrael.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Besides the bibliographical works s.v., see the introduction of the author and the various commentators in the Wilna edition of 1883
- 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. 94; - Mielziner, Introduction to the Talmud, p. 76;
- Grätz, Gesch. x. 35;
- Rabbinovicz, Diḳduḳe Soferim, Introduction to Megillah.