Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/359

311 —

Bf)th versions are given as a unit in tlie Amsteredition of 1708, as they proliably originally

dam

Version

belonged togetlier.

A

of plan, and, as Jellinek {"B. H."

shows more unity vi, 40) lias shown,

older. It is directly ba.sed upon, if not eocval with, iShab. 104'(. uecording to which the schoolchildren in the time of .Joshua b. Ijcvi (the beginning of the third century) were taught in such nmemonic forms which at the sjime time suggested moral lessons. Jellinek even thinks that the Midrash was composed with the view of aci(uainting the clilldren with the alphabet, while the Shabuot festival (IVntecost) furnishetl as themes Goil, Torah, On the other hand, version /? Israel, and Moses. (vhicliGn'll/."Monat.sschrift." viii, 70 it nirj., considered as being the origCritical Estimate of inal, and the Hebrew "ImiocIi," and Versions, the ".Shi'ur IConiidi " as seclions of it) shows no inner unity of plan, but is simply a compilation of haggadic passa.ges taken at random from these and other cabalisli(r and midrashic works without any other connection than tla^ external order of the letters of the- alphabet, l)ut Jellinek has shown the also based on Shab. 104((. time of its com|>osiii(in to becuMiparatixcly modern, as isevidenced by tbcAraliic fornicd' the letters and other indications of Arabic life. It has, however, become especially valuable as thc> depository of these very cabalistic works, which had come near falling into oblivion on account of the gross anthropomorphic viewsof the Godhead cxpressi'd therein, which gave olfenso to the more eidightencd mindsof a later age. It was on this accouit that the Alphabet of K. Akiba was made an objeit of si'vcre attack and ridieide by Solomon ben Jeroham, the Karait<'. in the first Imlf of the tenth century. Version was likewise known to Juilah lla<lassi, the Karaite, in "15. II." iii., the thirteenth century (see Jellinek, is

A

.wii.

Akiba ben Joseph Akiba ha-Kohen

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIxV

311

."»).

As

to Akiba's authorship, this is claimed by the writers of lioth versions, who begin their composiThe tions with the words, " 1{. Akiba hath said." jnstilication for this pseudonymous title was found in the fact that, according to theTalnuid (.Men. 2!i/<i, Moses was told on Sinai that the ornamental crown

of each letter of the Torah would be made the ob ject of lialakie interpretation by Akiba ben Joseph, and that according to Gen K. i., he and U. Eliezer as youths already knew how to derive higher meaning from the double form of the letters "]SVJO In fait, there exists a third version, called .Midrash Akiba 'al ha 'I'ag.gin we Ziyunim, a Midrash of I!. Akiba trealiiiiron the ornamentations of the letters of (he alphabet with a view to linding in fucli of them sonu' .symbolic expression of (iod, Creation, the Torah, Israel, and the .lewisli rites and ceremonies. This version is published in Jellinek's "B. II." V. 31-33. <lc I{.

Bl<N-lt. la WIiHit uml VtaiwlH''M,/tJW. Lit. III. Mpeclirienslii (irriimii iiretrlvcn : on Die viirlinis ihIIIImiib see Slelliwlinclilir, (Vlf. Ili«ll. i.il. .'ilH: S. WliMliT. Ilihiliitliiiii /'•nVi»<i/u/miiii. p. 71 ; ImjIht, I.illrninf Itiil'lii Ahil'ii ; or, Ihi- Jiirinh I'riinrr an it IVnn I'xnt ill tin- I*uttHr

Rini.irtoRAPnY

letters found in the Heof Scripture of a different size from the others. This small Midrash forms a kind of supplement to AKiiiAs Ai.I'IIAHET, which treats of tin; names and shapes of the letters, and it is not improbable that both of them are portions of a larger work of whieli other |)arts are lacking. The date of this Midrash can not be later than the beginning of the ninth century, seeing that a Karaite, Si>lomon ben Jeroham Saadia's opponent attacked the authenticity of the " All>liabet." The book itself does not give the slightest indication of its date; nor does its literary style. The following may serve as a sample of its method; "3 (Itt'tlii liii.s two strnUi's rniiiifctcd liy stalk. r*'presentln|f ters,

and also of the single

brew

te.xt

—

11

tlieejirlhly

aii'l

tht-

despite llUiTvcniiar

hi-avi-iilv jinik'iin-nt iilaci", Mx-t dliii. wlilrh. arnl spaci-, aiv v<-l tiut out*.

liiin-

" '^ (Luinedli), the tallest letter, lias lt.s head Iwnt downwanl, thus reprHSeiitlnp (iod, who Is exalted above all and utilt lo<jk»

down upon

"Why

us.

the • (Yod) In ''"'J' (Num. xlv. 17 written large? In order to tndleate that GtMl's merey Is so (freut thai It extends overall the Inhabitants o( the earth."

The

la

1

edition apjieared in Abrsdiam Portaleone's ha Giblioriin." p. 177. Mantua, 113. with annotations by the editor. It is also to be found in Harlolocci's" Bibliotheca Kabbiniea," iv. 27."i, edited from a manuscript heUmging to the duke of Parma. These two editions, together with that published in Jellinek's " B. II." v. 31-33, from a nianiiscriiit of the year 1308. contain only the portion eoiiceriiiiig the ornaments of the letters. It has been |uiblished com|dete, and with an iiitifaluction by Senior Sachs, from a manuscript belonging to Baron Glinzburg, in "Sefer Taghin," by J. L. Barges, Paris, 18fi(i. L. G. lirst

"Sliilte

AKIBA BEN JTTDAH LOEB

A



German

who

lived at Lihreii Sleiiisfelil. Wilrttemlierg. in the bcirinning of the eighteenth century. He wrote "Ila-t^hel 'Oiam " (Everlasting Tent), conlaiuiiig iiovelhv on the Talmudic treatise Ketubot Appended to it are (Frankfort-on-the-^Iain. 17141. rabbi,

four responsa as well as an essay from his unpublished works, on Seder Zenv'im. In addition to tlie.se he left two books on Seder Taharot, which are still extant in manuscript. Ilini.inoR.PHY: Stelnsehnelder. Cat. Bmll. col. 7'X); Benjacob,

(nar

lui-Sifariiii, p. 124.

D.

AKIBA HA-KOHEN, OF OFEN



An eminent

scholnr, wbn lii(l in llungarv iiiid Hoheiiiia in the .second half of the lifleenth century died al Prague 14!»i. His learning, wealth, and benevolence secured for him the title "Nasi " (Prince), and an inlluential

position at the court of

King Matthew

of

Hungary

This promotion exiited the envy of Ihe Hollies to such a degric that they slandereil him to the king, and he was compelhil to leave tin- idunHe settled at Prague and there establisln'il a Iry. large Taliiiudic college, al which he him,self lee-

about IfsO.

AKIBA [BEN JOSEPH]'S BOOK ON LETTER-ORNAMENTS p:nn Di- Arcrding to

Here, too, jeajous eiiemiis persecuted him, his life. In grateful memorial of three fortnnati' escapes, he ])reseiited three of the synagogues of Prague with costly curtains for the Akilia, who was a kolun la de.rk of the I.aw. scendant of .aron. the high ]iriest). had Iwelvi' .sons and thirteen daughters; Iwclveof the latter he gave He was proud of Ihe fact in marriage to kohens. that with his sons and sonsin-law, aggregating,

Akiba found a signitiornament or llourisli upon the letters of the Tonili to lum theri'fori' a .Midnish lias iM-eii ascribed, which treats of the little curves or

with hiiiiself. twenty live (which number is n'preseiiled by the Hebri'w wurd n3. "thus"), he coiiKl fnllil literally Ihe coniiiiaiidment of Ihe priestly lieii03. Heb versimil; " Tli)i shall eilielinii (Num. vi


 * ^'> Ztii. wtiiTi'

Sflumln Tii'n Thi'lisiiHil Yntri* .l(/'i. Itl inlnKliinir vf f^iliiitiliini, wi,v.'«;, iip. IWC.

of

lii in'ii

7(ll-Tlt',

t'.

S, I'ltm.

WilsIiIiii!!"!!.

(

the llaggadah (Men.

cance in everv

'i»i),

little

cnibelllshinents iipcMi

tin-

etreniilies of

Hebrew

h'l-

tiireil.

and even attempted

thou bless Ihe people."

His daughter JiHliebed.