Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/528

Rh 50G M I S H N A H predisposing for the contraction of impurities, Lev. xi. 34), in six chapters ; (9) Zabim (Lev. xv. 2-33), in five chapters; (10) TcbiU Yom (Num. xix. 19), in four chapters ; (11) Yculayim (purification of the hands), in four chapters ; (12) Okotsin (stalks, peel, &c., of fruit), in three chapters. 11. Editions. The editions of the Mishnah, whether as a book by itself or as contained in the Babylonian Talmud, are too numerous to be mentioned here. The cditio princeps of the Mishnah, as a separate book, appeared (with Maimonides s com mentary) at Naples in 1492 (see MAIMONIDES), and that as contained in the Babylonian Talmud at Venice in 1520-23, both in folio. As part of the Palestinian Talmud the Mishnah came out also at Venice, in 1523-24, folio. This Talmud, however, being defective, its Mishnah naturally is incomplete too (see p. 505) ; and it is, moreover, &quot; corrected &quot; by the scribe of 1288-89 (see Schiller-Szinessy, Occasional Notices, &c. , i. pp. 8, 11). The syndics of the University Press of Cambridge have therefore laid the learned public under considerable obligations by publishing for the first time the complete original Mishnah on which the Palestinian Talmud rests, from the unique MS. preserved in the University Librar). 1 12. Translations. There exist translations of the Mishnah in Latin, German, and English. (1) There is a Latin translation by the brothers Abendana (R. Ya akob and R. Yitshak). The former was Haham (Hakham, i.e., chief rabbi) of the Sepharadim in England, and the latter was teacher of Hebrew and Rabbinic at Cambridge and Oxford successively. Both brothers, correspond ents in 1660 of Buxtorf, were fine Hebrew and Latin scholars (see Schiller-Szinessy, &quot;The Abendanas,&quot; in Jewish World of December 5, 1879). This translation is preserved in the Cambridge Univer sity Library MS. Mm. 1. 4-8. 2 (2) The Abendanas version was before Surenhusius when he compiled, from old and new mate rials, his Latin translation, which appeared (with the text of the Mishnah and the translation also of the commentaries of Mai- monides and &quot; Bertinoro &quot;) at Amsterdam in 1698-1703, folio. The great indebtedness of Surenhusius to the Abendanas is a fact either unknown to or ignored by the bibliographers. 3 (3) A German translation by Rabe came out in German letters at Onolzbach in 1760-63, 4to. (4) The version last-named was in the possession of the anonymous author of the translation, printed in Rabbinic letters, in the Vienna edition of the Mishnah with the commentary Kaph Nahath, 1817-35, 8vo. This author (or editor) silently &quot; used &quot; the work of his predecessor. (5) Both these translations were surpassed in German diction, as well as in correctness of rendering, by that which came out in Hebrew square letters at Berlin in 1832-34, 4to, and which, no doubt, belongs to J. M. Jost the historian. (6) The English translation which came out at London in 1843, 8vo, by De Sola and Raphael, extends only over eighteen treatises. 13. Commentaries. The commentaries on the Mishnah are almost as numerous as the editions, and cannot therefore be speci ally enumerated here. The principal and the oldest, however, are the following. (1) The two Talmuds themselves, of which, at present, 4 the Babylonian is the only (and that but compara tively) perfect one, or at all events the more extensive of the two. It ought, however, to be stated, first, that the Palestinian Talmud has Gcma.ro, on the whole order Zeraim, whilst the Babylonian has it on the first &quot; treatise &quot; only of that order (Bcrakhoth}, and, secondly, that the Gcmarath Shekalim in the Babylonian Talmud is only borrowed from the Palestinian Talmud. (2) The commentaries on Zeraim, Tohoroth, &c., by Rabbenu Hai Gaon, who was the last, most learned, and in every way noblest of the Geonira. 5 He nourished in the 10th and llth centuries. Part of the commentaries (viz., that on Tohoroth} has appeared in the collection 1 See Mr W. H. Lowe s able edition of this grand work (The Mishnah on which the Palestinian Talmud rests, Cambridge, 1883, 8vo). 2 According toPicciotto (Sketches of Anglo- Jewish History, London, 1875, 8vo, p. 55), R. Yitshak Abendana translated the Mishnah and its commentaries (Maimonides and &quot;Bertinoro&quot;?) also into Spanish. 3 Surenhusius was also aided in his grand work by the books and notes of Guisius (in Berakhoth, Peah, Demai, Kil ayim, Shebiith, Terumoth, and Mdaseroth, i.-iii. 3), Schmid(in Shabbath and Erubin}, Houting (Rosh Hasshanah}, Lund (Tdanith), Otho (Shekalim}, Wagenseil (Sotah}, Coeceius (Makkoth}, Fagius (Aboth), Arnoldi (Tamid], L Empereur (MiddotJi), and Ulmann (Zebahim and Kare- thoth). But without the Abendanas Surenhusius could never have commenced, much less executed, the great task lie had before him. 4 For the probability that the missing parts of the Palestinian Talmud will one day come to light somewhere in the East, see Schiller- Szinessy in the Academy, February 23, 1878 ; He-Ctialuz, xi. ; and Steinschneider, Handschriften-Verzeichnisse der kiiniglichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, ii., &c. (1878, 4to), p. 65, where a passage of Palestinian Gemara of Okotsin is actually quoted. 5 He was also a poet of no mean standing. See his Musar Ilaskel (or Hassekhel), ed. princ. Fano, 1505 (?), 4to. Kobcts Ma ase Ycde Gconim, &c. (Berlin, 1856, 8vo). (3) The com mentary on various treatises of the B. Talmud, and indirectly on the Mishnah, by Rabbenu Gershom Meor Haggolah (the &quot;Light of the Diaspora,&quot; 6 flourished in the 10th and llth centuries). Frag ments of this commentary are incorporated in the ordinary Talmud editions (e.g., Ncdarim, 226, &c.), but the greater part lies as yet in manuscript in various libraries. (4) The commentary of Rabbenu Hanancel, who lived at Kairawan (in Africa) in the 10th and llth centuries. His commentary on tlic Talmud, and thus indirectly on the Mishnah, is now being published in the Vilna edition of the Babylonian Talmud. 7 (5) The commentary of Rashi (ob. 1105) in all those parts of the B. Talmud on which that &quot;prince of commen tators wrote. He-re ought to be mentioned also the separate eclitio princeps of this commentary as far as the Mishnah is con cerned, which appeared at Leghorn in 1653-54, 8vo. (6) The supplements and additions to the commentary of Rashi by his son- in-law Rabbenu Yehudah b. Nathan (e.g., T. B., Makkoth, 19/&amp;gt;, c. ), and by his grandsons Rabbenu Sheniuel b. Meir (vubjo Rashbam ; see Pcsahim, 996, and Bobo Bathro, 29, &c. ) and Rabbenu Shema yah b. Simhah of Vitri, 8 who interpreted the Mas- sekheth Middoth before Rashi, his grandfather (see Schiller-Szinessy, Catalogue of the Hebrew MSS. preserved in the University Library of Cambridge, ii. p. 89). (7) The commentary on the whole Mishnah by MAIMONIDES (tf.r.). (8) The commentary by R. Abraham b. David of Posquieres (rulgo Rabad) on Eduyyoth (see editions of the B. Talmud), Kinnim (with two other commen taries by Rabbenu Zerahyah Hallevi and R. Asher b. Yehiel, Con stantinople, 17 51, folio), and on many other Mishniyyoth of the orders Zeraim and Tohoroth (in his &quot; strictures &quot; on Maimonides, Mishnch Torah, books Zeraim and Tohorah}. (9) The commentary of R. Shimshon of Sens (who, like the foregoing, was a contemporary and opponent of Maimonides) on the orders of Zeraim (with supple ments taken from the works of the somewhat older R. Yitshak b. Malkitsedek) and Tohoroth. * (10) The commentary by R. Meir of Rothenburg (the celebrated captive of Rudolph of Hapsburg); see under (13) below. (11) The commentary by R. Asher b. Yehiel (a disciple of the foregoing, who died at Toledo in 1327) on twenty- one treatises of the orders i. and vi. (12) The commentary on the whole Mishnah, by Rabbenu Obadyah di Bertinoro (flourished in the 15th and 16th centuries), the editions of which are very numerous. (13) The commentary on the whole Mishnah, by R. Yomtob Lip- mann Heller (nourished in 16th and 17th centuries). This famous teacher, rabbi in some of the greatest congregations of the Jews (Prague, Vladimir, ami Cracow), incorporated much of the com mentary of R. Meir of Rothenburg ; compare under (10). 14. Works Subsidiary and Auxiliary to the Mishnah. These Math- may be summed up under the word Mathnitho. Mathnitlio is nitho. ostensibly the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew Mishnah ; in reality, however, it signifies and comprises, not merely every thing which is understood under that name, but also Boraitho (in full, Mathnitho Boraitho}, i.e., four other works of the oral law, and many literary notices of Mishnic and pre-Mishnic times besides, which are scattered throughout the Talmuds and other early Rabbinic works. The first of these is Toscphto. As its name indicates, ToscpJito Tosepli is &quot;Addition,&quot; i.e., to the canonical Mishnah. All Mishnah teachers from time immemorial, notably R. Akibah and R. Yehudah Hannasi, left out, when they taught Mishnah, a large mass of kindred and explanatory matter, which they only occasionally and supplementarily mentioned, i.e., when absolutely wanted. The chief collection of this additional matter, not incor porated in the system of the canonical Mishnah, is called ToscpUelh in Hebrew and Tosephto (or Tosiphta as some less correctly write it) in Aramaic. The Aramaic singular and the Hebrew plural occur already in the Talmuds and Midrashim. 10 Toscphto shares with the Mishnah, which it enlarges and explains, the number of orders and treatises, but not that of chapters, of which it has only 452. The oldest collection of Tosephtic matter, even as the oldest collection of Mishnic matter, is due to R. Akibah. But, whilst 6 In the synod called together by Rabbenu Gershom, among several &quot; ordinances&quot; was also one that no Jew is allowed to marry more than one wife. 7 His commentary on Pesahim appeared at Paris in 1868, and that on Makkoth at Leipsic in 1876, both in 8vo. 8 These writers (together with Rabbenu Meir another son-in-law and Rabbenu Ya akob another grandson of Rashi) are the first of the so- called Tosaphists, whose activity continued down to the early part of the 14th century. 9 Whether the commentary on Tamid printed under his name, together with that of R. Asher b. Yehiel on the same treatise (Prague, 1725, 4to), is really his is still matter of dispute. 10 See T. Y., Shabbath, viii. 1, &c. ; T. B., Synhedrin, 86a and else where ; Midrash Rabbah on Ecclesiastes v. 8, &c. There can be little doubt that in some places the word KJIDDin ought to be transliterated Tosephotho (i.e., as plural).