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105 — Abraham ben David Abraham ben EUezer

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

105

xiv s-Il>) an- tn be considered as

His Talmudic studies were pursued under Mordecai,

under lie l)aii. Here HAHal) is nol cniiteiit with merely eorreetin;; the statement of Mainion-

Chernobyl and a disciple of Israel Haal Shem He wrote homilies upon the Pentateuch, called "Bet Hayyim" (House of Life) which treat the Scripture text according to the fourfold method

Joniithan

(I

Sam

falUiii,'

I

ides. but lie declares that, in his opinion. Mainionides deserves the ban for the calumnious views he expresses conceruinsr these Biblical iiersoiiaires (Yad Akum, xi. 4). This suHices to explain the piiiieiple tliat actuated Abraham ben Davicl in his intense op-

Yad ]iosition to .Maimoniiles. and particularly to his ha Hazakah," which David liimself lUsi mates as a '"

However, his jtreat acliii'vemenl (Kilayiin, vi. i). criticisms are not merely bitter, but wonderfully They are seldom more than a few lines skilful. loni:, yet the defenders of Mainionides have written without success paire after page of laborious reasonAbraham's remarkiiiLT in support of their master. able command of the entire Talmudic literature, his extraordinary acuteness of intellect, and his jdienomenal critical (lowers are shown at their best in this criticism of " Yad ha Hazakah"; and, as he wrote it only a few years belore his death, and at an advanced ajie. it is all the more noteworthy. The cabalists look upon Abraham ben David as one of the fathers of their system, and this is true to the extent that he was inclined to mysticism, which led him to follow an ascetic mode of life and gained for him the title of "the iiious." Hi' fre(|ueiitly spoke of " the holy sjiirit (or Klijali) disclos(se<' his note ini: to him (lod's secrets in his studies ''

"Yad liaHazakah."

Het lia-lJehigreat mysteries known only to the It may be asinitated ("Y'esode ha torali." i. 10). serted with conlidence that HAKaD was not an enemy to secidar science, as many diem him. His works jirove that he was a close student of Hebrew lihilology; and the fact that he encouraired the translation of Hal.iya's " Hobot ha l.elmtiot " (com|iare Gross, l.r. 1^74, p. ](>.">) proves thai hi' was not hostile to philosophy. This philosophic work argues strongly against the anthroponiorpliisiic conception of the Deity; and the favor wilii which Abraham to

rah,

vi.

J-ulab, viii

Ti;

it

is sullicieiit

ground on

him of the charge of having held Moreover, his works luithropomorphistic views. show aci|uaiiitanee with philosophy; for instance, liich to aciiuit

remark on " Hilkot Tesiiubah." v.. end. is a literal i|iiotatioii from Honein b. Isaac's " Musre ha I'liiloso below phim." [ip. 11, Vi or Loewenthal, k which is extant only in All.iarizi's translation his

—

-i',).

Bini.IiMiR.vPiiv: fimss. In .V"iio(>«r/inYMS7'J-74 : Renan, Lnt Itahliiliit Franrili" (//Woiir Litlhiiiri' ili In Fidnii. vul. xxvll.i: Mli'lmel, Or hn-llaintiin. No. 711; The CaljiNwiii'S et StclnM'hneliler iiiiil Neuliauir "f the .Munlili anil D.vfunl lllini-

rlo, under yl/;ra/iam Inn iMiviil. I.

<;.

ABRAHAM BEN DAVm PROVENCAL Il:ili;in

T;iliiiudi^t of the siMeenlli eititiiry

lie-



was

member who came

of an illustrious laniily of Italian ralibis originally from I'loveiice in the south of Fniiice. .braliani olliciated as rabbi in Casjile .Monferratoand in Mantua, Italy Hesides being a learned Talniudist. he possessed a Ihorough knowledge of

a

I.alin

and philosophy

He taught Abndiam

Porla-

leone. and was a friend of Azariah dii Hossi. w ho refers to him as a storehouse of science. According to Michael (" ( »r ha Hayyim," p. HI) he was still living in DiitS He wrote a preface to Klijali di Yidas' cabalistic work. " Kesliit Hokinali." Yeniee. liW.i.

Zunz, Ilinnmi'liU "f -iMiin'i iln llinvl In wl.Wllna. isdl. p. 21; MU'buel. Or ha-ltdumni.

IliiiLiiKiRAi'iir:

"O:"" •iiZ

Ne.

ol-

(Beslit)

of interpretation

known

as

dTiS.

that

s:;.

D

ABRAHAM DOB BAER BEN DAVID OF

OVRUCU:

Kabbi

,.{

.litomir. Kiissia.

about

IS.1

peru>,h

is,

explanation "). roues ("allegorical "). dervsli ("homiletical ").»«/ ("mysticar'). The work also contains inquiries concerning points of rabbinical law and respousii. The closing years of his life were (" literal

Jiassed at Safcd, Palestine. BIIU.IOGRAPIIV



Zedner, Cat. Hthr. BixikuBrit. 3Ius.

p. 31.

S

ABRAHAM DOB BAER BEN SOLOMON



Habbi in )rslia in ibe laller halt of the eighleeiilh century He wrote Dm3X 1X3 ("Abraham s Well "). containinsr Glosses on the First Part of the Code Shulban 'Aruk. Yoreli Deah, Sliklov. 1783 D. (

ABRAHAM BEN

ELIEZER:

(probably a Contemporary of El,lJ. 11

Commentator

lived the tiftei-nth and sixteenth centuries, probablyat Constantinople. He wrote a supcrcommentary on Hashi's Bible Commentary. Only a small fragment of it, covering the weekly portion "Mas ey," has been published in Jacob Canizal's collectanea, a very rare collection of supcrcommentaiieson Pashi (SteinAbraham died in Schneider. "Cat Bodl."No. 5515). l.j'^.j, at a very old age 31izi!.lll);

in

BiDLiOGRAPiiv

Mlcliael,



Or ha-Hajniim,

Nos.

47. 281.

11),

ben David looked upon

w

rabbi

L G

ABRAHAM BEN ELIEZER HA-KOHEN



or pnaclier; llnuiNlicd in llir srvHe was the enteenth and eighteenth centuries great-grandson of Issacbar Baer. surnamed Baerman Ashkenazi. the commentator of the Pabbot. At Amsterdam, in 1073, he edited his grandfather's work. " March Kohen," to which he added an introduction. Subsei|Uently he was stricken with blindness. Forty years later, being then well advanced in years, he published his own work. "Ori we Y'islri" (Berlin. 1714) containing a selection of his sermons, treating of ri']ientaiice, pmyer. and charity. The title of his

Polish

il.iislniii.

.

" My Light and My Salvation." was suggested by the facts that he had regained his .sight, and that he had had a fortunate escape Irom a dangerous fire.

work.

Bibi.ioi;r.I'1IV



.MUbael.

Or

liii-Hiiiiiiim.

No.

30. I..

('.

ABRAHAM BEN ELIEZER HA-LEVI



tiourished in the second half of Talniudist Probably he was a pupil of the thirleinlh century. H. Meir of HothenbuVg (died Vi'S'.i). to whom he apHe ])lii'd for decisions in dillicult ritualistic cases. also maintained a learned correspondence with his relative. Aslier ben Jehiel (born TJ.")!!; died i;i'.J7), also a pupil of R Meir and did not interrupt it even

German



when Asher emigrated linil.loMlAI'llV



Mlilliiel.

to

Or

Spain

in VMYi.

li4(I. lived lor a long time in Jerusidcm. and died at an puiiil of .Moses Conliivero ailvanced age in ItilKt and Isjuic I.uria (died ir^'i). and a man of great piety and sincerity, .bi-aliam. by liisiarnestness won many His chief aim people toil scrupulously rilii;ious life

A

was to see the Sabbath observed as strictly as pos.siTo ble and to warn Israelites against itsdesecralion this end he urged them to begin itscelebnilion before " sunset, and ijierefrom derived his title " Beriikim His chief work is (The Siiyer of Henediclions) (Onliuances o{ the Sabbath), "TiljIvUiie ShabViat "