Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/149

103 —

,

docs not cause the divine omniscience tn undergo limitation unless, misled by common usage, one possible " those things wliosc should designate as umlelermined state results not from their own essence, but only from our deficient knowledge of the essence. I!ut this kind of possibility, which, indeed, is no pos,siliility at all. must be eliminated from God as quite In its strict and irreconcilable with His omniscience.

any



"'

preci.se form, the notion of possibility is not at all antjigonistic to the omni.science of Go(l; for it is easily

conceivable that

God from

the beginning regulated

creation, so that for certain cases both alternatives should be "possible" events; that the Creator, in order to grant to human liberty the opportunity' to display its own energy, left the tinal issue of certain actions undecided even for His own knowledge (ib. p.

9G:

German

Human

trans

p. 123).

.

true, suffers a certain limitation through the variety of moral dispositions, partly due to natural causes, to be found in single individI5ut man is able to uals, as also in entire nations. overcome his natural disposition and appetites, and to lift himself to a higher plane of morality, by purifying and ennobling himself (rt. p. 97; German trans. free will,

it is

The Torah. and

p. 124).

the study of ethics which

i'onns a part of practical philosojihy and is designated, by an cxjircssion borniwed from I'lato ("Gorgias," 404), as the "doctrine of the healing of souls, "are the

guiding stars to this exalted plane; but no scientific presentation of practical philo.sophy approaches in this regard the lofty heights of the Scriptures, wherein are clearly expressed the most sublime moral

known

principles

to philo.sophers

pp. 98, 101

(ib.

German trans., pj). liti, 130). The ceremonial laws also serve the purpose of niond education, and are, therefore, in view of their ethical tendency, to be numbered among the moral laws; although when compared with the doctrines of faith and the ethical laws proper, they have only a subordinate importance, as the Holy Scriptures also attribute to the sacrifices a relatively minor importance in comparison with the moral laws {ib. p. loC;

Abraham ibn Daud Abraham ben David

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

103

German

ItCid;

J.

liuttritunn, Itif

AlfnOtiim

dis

IsTll.

G.

i

(



(

ommi

nlatur; llourished about

He

l.")00.

wrote ZTXw "113 (" Furnace f<ir ([old "). a commentary on the Targiimim In the Pentateuch. Some also attribute to him a treatise on the thirteen liermeneutleal rules of Hubbi Ishmael. published at Canterbury in 1597, by the converted Jew Philip Ferdinand. Bini.inuRArilY:

SttlnschnfldiT, Cal.

BwU.

Nos. 4215, 4210, Af.

T..

M.

ABRAHAM BEN DAVID OF POSftUlJlRES (RABaD

III. T 3Sn): FreiK h Talmudic commeni'rovcnee, France, about 112."); died Nov. 27. lUW. Son in law of Abraham ben IsjuK- .li Het-Din (RAHaD II). The teachers under whose' guidance he aciiuinil most of his Talmudic learning were .Moses ben .loseph (according lator burn In at Posi|uieres,

to .Michael,

"Or

ha llayyim."

Persecu-

dillicult to determine when to Posquieres: but about

tion.

he removed lUi.TBcnjamin of Tudela, at the outset of liis

travels, called upon him there. This traveler speaks of HABaD's wealth and benevolence. Isot only did he erect and keep in rejiair a largo school-building, but he cared for the material welfare of the poor students as well. It was his great wealth which brought him into peril of his life; for. in order to obtain .some of it. Elzear, the lonl of Posquieres, had him cast into prison, where, like Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, he might have perished, had not Count Roger 11. of Carcassonne, who was friendly to the .lews, intervened, and by virtue of his sovereignty banished the lord of Posquieres to Carcassonne. Thereupon Abraham ben David returned to Posquieres, where he remained until his death. Among the many learned Talmudista who were his disciples in Posquieres were Isaac ha Kohen of Xarbonne. the first commentator upon the Talmud Yeriishalmi; Abraham ben Xathan of

Lunel, author of " Ha-AIanhig " Meir ben Isaac of Carcassonne, author of the "Sefer lia-'Ezer" and Aslier ben Aleshullam of Lunel, author of several rabbinical works. RABaD's influence on Jonathan of Lunil also is evident, though the latter did not



on the whole Talmud and compiled several com-

(ii'itiinj^fii,

ABRAHAM BEN DAVID. Se.^ Yj/ii.ki, ABRAHAM BEN DAVID OF OSTROG Vol-

hynia)

the real center of RABaD's activity was Poswhich place he is often called. It is

Ahra-

Iii:Ufn'»i.' s<>iiltit'

J.

Ann Ml

But

quifires, after

tttn luwiit, AURHtmrsr,

trans., p. 131).

IifliUttin.-ntln translation by (i. (vni-IinirU, Maotiia. 1.">IU. Paris, I.'>T~, Cnicew, lH:i(i; NeuhuiuT, Miitifrrnl Jrw. ntnnt., i.; Hinunah Itttiimh, tmntilal»'«t by S. Well, Fmnkfnrt. IS.S2; Jtwepli (iupptMilieliner, IHc

Imin ihn Ihnul ans Tnhdn,

RABaD

Me.slnillam ben Jacob of Lunel. (abbreviation for I{;ibbi Abraliam ben David) remained in Lunel after completing his studies, and subsequently became one of the rabbinical authorities of that city. He went to Montpellier, where he remained i)ut a short time, and then removed to Nimcs, where he lived for a considerable period, Moses ben Judah ("Temim De'iui." p. 6i) refers to the rabbinical school of Xlines, then under Abraham's direction, as the chief seat of Talmudic learning in

p. 24. Ilie

latter

was

the chief teacher of K.MJal). but the manuscript note to which Michael refers ri'ads i|uite ililTerenlly in Uubers introduction to "Shibbale liu-L«-ljet ") "and

—

pendiums of rabbinical law. Most of his works are but those which have been preserved, such as the "Sefer Baale ha Xefesh "(The Book of the Conscientious), a treatise on the laws relating to women, ))ublishe<l in 1002. and his commentary on Toral Kolost;

lianim, published in lH(i2 at Vienna, are suflicient evidence of his untiring industry and remarkable intellect. Xeither his codifications of law nor his comnuiitariesare true examples of his strength. The title of "Baal Hasagot" (Critic), given him fre(iuently by the rabbis, shows that they realized the direction Indeed, critical annotain which his ability lay.

tions display his

powers

at their best,

and justify

his

being ranked with Alfasi, Rashi, and Maimonidlaibraled .Spanish scholars. monides of intending to supplant the study of the

Talmud " Yad ha

by means of

his compendium, the nevertheless a fact that if Alfasi ami Mainioiiidcs had not encountered smli keen opposition, rabbinical Judaism would have degeiieratid into an exclusive study of the legal code, itself

lla/'iikah."

it

is

which would have been

fatal

loanv

original Intel-