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558 Baruch, Baruch Baruch b. Jacob

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Characteristic of his legal attitude is his 68) that in communal questions the vote of the whole community must decide, even if the matter in question refer only to the rich class. 69, 89).

decision

(I.e.

Baruch's colleagues at Venice and elsewhere held that in those questions which affect only the wellto-do classes, these only should decide. The work which gives Baruch an honorable place among Jewish philosophic writers is his double commentary on Ecclesiastes. It consists of two para rabbinic-exegetic and a philosophicdiscussive commentary. The philosophic exposition of the book would hardly rank as a commentary, were it not that Baruch's method shows his keen critical insight. In order to have ground for his philosophical speculations, Baruch assumes the following genesis of the book Ecclesiastes is a dialogue of Solomon, in which the wise king has grouped Epicurean sentences and opinions side by side with the views of the pious, Ecclesiastes being the representative of the former, and Ben David of the latter. As Ibn Baruch has no knowledge of the modern historico-critical method, it is extremely interesting to note how nearly he approaches the newer so-called "gloss-hypothesis" in criticizing allel sections,



Ecclesiastes.

Although he

offers

lit-

His View

tie in explanation or exposition of the book, his many comments on haggadic clesiastes. passages of the Talmud and Midrash are not only ingenious, but also very Baruch's work may be regarded as the last apt. produced by Jewish medieval religious philosophy, having as such a considerable historic importance in addition to its intrinsic value. The following philosophical themes are, according to Baruch, treated in Ecclesiastes, he dilating upon them: the Creation, the reasons for creating man, the life of the senses and salvation, immortality of the soul, freedom of the will, Providence, spirit and matter, perfection of the human soul, Revelation as a means to perfec-

of Ec-

man, predestination, retribution, instinct and will, bliss, the good. Such are the chief points discussed at length by Baruch, his work containing 229 folio pages. Although he can not claim to be a philosopher of any originality, Baruch has a wide and comprehensive knowledge of philosophy. He is acquainted not only with the Jewish-Arabian school, but also with Christian scholasticism, especially with Thomas Aquinas, whose works he studied assiduously. tion, the responsibility of

Baruch's method deserves especial mention. Comparing him with Isaac Arama and Isaac Abravanel, who wrote similar works, he shows neither the dulThe ness of the one nor the prolixity of the other. many homiletic passages which he introduces serve to interpret and explain the train of thought, which he traces at first in general outlines and then in particular. The logical method of carrying out his assumption that Ecclesiastes is a dialogue is remarkable, each verse seeming to fit into the general system. section or root, as Baruch calls it, deserves especial notice for its ethical import, being a very clear exposition of his doctrine of true felicity.

The fourth

With him,

not a superficial and transient eternal; not a passive and passing sense of happiness, but a continuous activity of the soul, joy, but

is

felicity is

558

which victoriously

rises

above

material tribula-

all

tions.

Baruch is also known as a ritual having been printed; they

selihot little

poet, three of his are,

however, of

poetic value.

Bibliography: Baruch's Introduction

to his Commentary; LeimdiMer, Liming des Kolielctriltlisels dureh den Philosophen Baruch ibn Baruch, 1900; Jellinek, Thomas d' Aquino,

Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. p. 772 Zunz, Litcraturgesch. p. 422; Nepi-Ghirondi, Tolcdot Gedole Yixrael, pp. 11, 12





p. 52.

L. G.

k.

BARUCH OF BENEVENTO:

Cabalist in Naples during the first half of the sixteenth century. He was the teacher of Cardinal /Egidius of Viterbo

and of Johann Albrecht Widmanstadt in the Zoliar and other cabalistic works, and lectured upon these subjects in the house of Samuel Abravanel. In a note at the end of one of his manuscripts, Widmanstadt says: "Eodem tempore (MDXLI.) audivi Baruch Beneventanum optimum cabalistam, qui primus libros Zoharis per iEgidium Viterbiensem Cardiualem in Christianos vulgavit. " Graetz, Perles, and others (see also iEoiDirs op Viterbo) have taken this to mean that Baruch translated the Zohar, or but Steinschneider has corparts of it, into Latin rectly remarked that it means nothing more than that he made the Zohar known to Christian scholars.

Bibliography:

Gratz,

Gcsch. der Juden,

ix.

48,

95,

161;

Revue Etudes Juices, i. 299 idem, Beitrdge zur und Aramdischen Studien, Munich, 1884,

Perles, in



Gesch. der Hebr. pp. 154, 180 xxl. 81.

Steinschneider, in Hebrdische Btbliographie,



G.

BARUCH

B.

DAVID: A

Talmudic author;

lived at Gnesen (near Posen) in the beginning of the seventeenth century. He wrote: "Gedullat Mordecai " (The Greatness of Mordecai), containing annotations and painstaking corrections to the work of Hillel. Appended to it is his " Aggu(A Bundle of Hyssop), an epitome of the laws and regulations of the Talmudic treatises Baba Mezi'a and BabaBatra, showing their bearing on the "Hoshen Mishpat," of Joseph Caro civil code, (Hanau, 1615 or 1616). The " Aggudat Ezob " was only a part of a greater, but unpublished, work of

Mordecai ben dat

Ezob

"

the author. Bibliography



Michael,

Or ha-Hayyim, No.

BARUCH DE

623.

M. B.

L. 6.

DIGKNE

Rabbi of central Prance toward the end of the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth century surnamed " HaGadol " (the Great) in the responsa of Isaac b. Immanuel de Lattes. His first studies were made in Provence. An animated and bitter discussion took place (1305) between him and his master, Isaac Cohen of Manosque, in which the latter offended Baruch's dignity, and Baruch replied with violence. Isaac in revenge pronounced the sentence of excom:



munication against Baruch,

who

refused, however,

The anathema was condemned on many sides, and was considered unjustifiable because the sentence was founded on personal motives. A lively to submit.

controversy then arose between the various scholars of Provence. Solomon b. Adret declared against Baruch and for the excommunication. The scholars who favored Baruch were Jekutiel b. Salomon of Montpellier, Mei'r b. Isaiah of Lunel, Nehemiah b.