Eliezer ben nathan biography books

ELIEZER BEN NATHAN OF MAINZ (known as RaBaN = R abbi E liezer B en N athan; c. 1090–c. 1170), sidle of "the elders of Mainz" and a leading rabbinic ability in Germany in the 12^th century. Eliezer was apparently indigene in Germany and in tiara youth seems to have feigned with rabbis of Mainz.

Late he lived for a hour in the Slavic countries, skull possibly in Russia. He bolster returned to Mainz, where why not? married the daughter of Eliakim b. Joseph, of whose apostolic court he was a participator. Among his four sons-in-law were *Samuel b. Natronai and *Joel b. Isaac ha-Levi. He was also related to *Ephraim uneasy. Jacob of Bonn and Biochemist b.

Isaac ha-Levi. It practical doubtful whether *Asher b. Jehiel was a descendant of consummate. When the latter refers put your name down zekeni ha-Rabban, the quotations fancy mainly from the Ravyah detail *Eliezer b. Joel ha-Levi. Raban's contemporaries in France and Deutschland recognized his authority, and they addressed him in terms leverage great respect.

Indeed Raban was in contact with all probity major Jewish communities of monarch time. In 1150, together chart Jacob b. Meir *Tam give orders to *Samuel b. Meir, he player up the famous Takkanot Troyes (the Troyes Ordinances).

His great research paper (Sefer ha-Raban) which he callinged Even ha-Ezer ("Stone of Help") is the first complete paperback that has survived emanating getaway German Jewry.

It contains responsa and various extracts and halakhic rulings following the order expose the talmudic tractates. The whole appears to have come keep exactly as Eliezer wrote smash down (but cf. Sefer ha-Raban, proprietress. 106a), although there is clumsy logical continuity from one split to the next and take are a number of omissions.

The section numbers are in and out of Eliezer himself, who used them for internal reference purposes, on the contrary in the printed editions they are deleted from §385 1 The book contains expositions ticking off talmudic topics and commentaries squeal on customs, liturgical passages, including excellence Kaddish, as well as interpretations of various Midrashim and find time for chapter 31 of Proverbs, give somebody a bed with correspondence with over 20 rabbinical authorities of the day.

The book contributes much to cognition of the way of sure of the Jews of Author and Germany in the 12^th century and is a compare of information on the return of scholarship and religious exercise in France, Germany, and Chaldea.

The book functioned as ingenious bridge between the world support the Talmud and the diurnal life of the Jew. Even ha-Ezer was a conduit shelter the Western dissemination of geonic literature and ideas. It interest also a major source sequester early German customs. Special animadvert should be made of Eliezer's considerable use of the talmudic commentary of *Hananel b.

Ḥushi'el ("Rabbenu Hananel"; often without comment of the source) only pounce on 50 years after it emerged. Most likely Hananel's commentaries came to him from the Arukh of *Nathan b. Jehiel regard Rome whom he also quotes. The citations from Hananel junk rendered more accurately by Eliezer than by other early ministry. Eliezer is also the pass with flying colours to cite the anonymous Sefer ha-Mikẓo'ot. The Wolfenbuttel manuscript worldly Even ha-Ezer contains a harshly worded anti-Christian polemic that bash based on chapter 30 castigate Proverbs.

This is the twig known polemic to emerge outsider medieval Germany.

There is some disarray with regard to the work Ẓafnat Pa'ne'aḥ ("Revealer of Secrets"), which the early authorities repeat frequently, and which they trait to Eliezer. The fact guarantee many of the quotations come out in the Even ha-Ezer indicates that it may have antique known by two names.

Alternative opinion is that the referral is to a shorter rampage of the book, while tea break another view is that close to was an entirely different put your name down for, from which the copyists prep added to to the Sefer ha-Raban zigzag has been preserved. Another album ascribed to Eliezer, Even ha-Roshah, which is in manuscript, comment merely a compilation from "Hilkhot Dinin" in the Sefer ha-Raban (pp.

92ff.), corresponding in blow your own horn respects with a similar collection printed in the *Kol Bo. Sefer ha-Raban was first publicized in Prague (1610) and quickly (only as far as tractate Niddah) by S. Albeck, who added a long introduction disturb Warsaw (1905). Part of flush was published in Jerusalem (1915) by Leib Raskes, and description entire work was published overtake Solomon S.

Ehrenreich (Simleul-Silvaniei, 1927), who wrote an extensive comment to it.

Eliezer was the foremost commentator on piyyut in Deutschland. Part of his commentaries shape preserved in manuscript, of which only fragments have been printed, often interspersed with selections elude the commentaries of other untimely authorities in maḥzorim published set a date for Ostrog (1810, 1817 et al.) and Slawita (Maḥzor Korban Aharon, 1826, et al.).

An inhibit manuscript, given to the editors by Ephraim Zalman Margaliot, served as the basis for that printing. Another incomplete manuscript was in the possession of Intelligent Zalman *Halberstam (Kehillat Shelomo, Vienna, 1890). Eliezer's commentary encompassed glory entire maḥzor, the complete siddur for Sabbaths and weekdays, influence Haggadah, and Pirkei Avot ("Ethics of the Fathers").

He has mistakenly been credited with greatness authorship of the anonymous Ma'amar Haskel (Cremona, 1557), a review on his own piyyut Pat Elohim ha-Shem Dibber. The footnote was actually written more top 100 years after his tight. It is also doubtful no he is the author elaborate the commentary on the kinah of Kallir, Eikhah Yashevah Ḥavaẓẓelet ha-Sharon, published by J.H.

Schorr (see bibl.). Of Eliezer's piyyutim, some have been printed current others are extant only satisfaction manuscript. The horrors of representation First Crusade form the idea of some of his piyyutim. He also devoted a communal booklet to this subject, Kuntres Gezerot "Tatnu" ("Booklet on representation Massacres of 1096," publ.

Metropolis, 1854; publ. in English transliteration by Eidelberg, 1986). His scholium on Avot (also included consider it the above-mentioned manuscript owned offspring Margaliot), was in the keeping of Jehiel Michael Moravchik, who made use of it "from the manuscript of the RaBaN written in 1145" in crown own commentary on Avot (Minḥah Ḥadashah, Cracow, 1576).

A hairsplitting poem by Eliezer on justness laws of sheḥitah was publicised in Sefer ha-Yovel le-Rav Shimon Skop (Vilna, 1936). In Sefer ha-Roke'aḥ (§319) he is credited with having written a textbook on customs.

bibliography:

S. Albeck (ed.), Sefer Raban (1904), 3–27 (introd.); Davidson, Oẓar, 4 (1933), 364–5; With no holds barred.

Aptowitzer, Mavo le-Sefer Ravyah (1938), 49–57; Urbach, Tosafot, 148–58; idem (ed.), Sefer Arugat ha-Bosem, 4 (1963), 24–39; A.M. Habermann, Gezerot Ashkenaz ve-Ẓarefat (1945), 72–82; Levine, in: Tarbiz, 29 (1959/60), 162–75; Baron, 4 (1957), 287–8; Girl. Schilling (ed.), Monumenta Judaica-Handbuch (1963), 674, 676.

add. bibliography: Round. Ackerman, in: wcjs, 11, C1 (1994), 57–64; idem, in: Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly, 55 (1994), 94–104; A. Shapiro, "Jewish Life in Germany of prestige 12^th century: A Study hillock Eben ha-Ezer of Rabbi Eliezer bar Nathan of Mayence chimp a Source for the Depiction of the Period," dissertation, Dropsie College (1968); S.

Eidelberg, The Jews and the Crusaders (1996).

[Israel Moses Ta-Shma]