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100-405: Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic : פִּרְקֵי דְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר , romanized:  pirqe də-rabbi ʾeliʿezer , 'Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer'; abbreviated פדר״א , 'PRE') is an aggadic-midrashic work of Torah exegesis and retellings of biblical stories. Traditionally, the work is attributed to the tanna Eliezer ben Hurcanus and his school. Modern research suggests that

200-529: A New Persian personal name, with Jacob Nahum Epstein inferring from this hypothesis that he must have been born and raised in Abbasid Mesopotamia. The alternative view, advanced by Louis Ginzberg , is that he was a native of Palestine who emigrated and settled in Mesopotamia to pursue his studies. The latter theory fits well with the fact of his familiarity with Palestinian usages and texts. He

300-427: A Jewish law could only be vouchsafed if a living master ruled that it was known to be implemented in practice ( halakhah le-ma'aseh ). Written aide-mémoires from the oral tradition ( nushaot ), or from a megilat setarim (sequestered scroll), were devoid of cultural authority since they were not authorized, as were girsaot , by a master of the oral law linked to the chain of tradition. Pirqoi ben Baboi's construal of

400-570: A blessing is in the Talmud it may not be uttered, or modified even in a single letter. The Palestinian Jewish creation of piyyut came under intense fire as the geonic scholars strove to exercise their hegemony in terms of a correct halakhically defined liturgy. This remonstrance by the circle of Yehudai was shrugged off by the community in Palestine with their traditional dismissal: " minhag (custom) nullifies halakha" מנהג מבטל הלכה ). Like Yehudai, he

500-409: A comprehensive examination of all the manuscripts of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and tracking the unique style of the work challenges the hypotheses of Zunz and Luria, and a thorough examination of the citations cited by Luria shows that most of them are not actual quotations from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer . Zunz's claim that the work ends in the middle of a sermon is based on a corrupted edition, printed from

600-446: A daughter. When Joseph came to Egypt, he took her as his wife, as it says, 'And he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife' (Genesis 41:45). The work also frequently identifies family relationships between characters mentioned in separate biblical contexts. For example, according to the work, the Witch of Endor consulted by Saul was the mother of Abner , son of Ner;

700-457: A hundred manuscripts of the work, some complete and some partial. Photographs of many of these manuscripts are available there. In addition, a few Geniza fragments of PRE have survived. The many manuscripts were first examined by Lewis M. Barth, and the numerous variations between different manuscripts led him to speculate that we may have similar but not identical works gathered under the same name. According to Eliezer Treitl's philological research,

800-579: A manuscript was published in 1916 by Gerald Friedlander . This edition which included some variant readings, commentary, and extensive references to sources and parallels from apocryphal literature. Marc-Alain Ouaknin and Eric Smilévitch translated PRE into French in 1983. Miguel Perez Fernandez translated it into Spanish in 1984. In 2004, a German translation of PRE was published in Berlin by Dagmar Börner-Klein. The first commentary written for Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

900-433: A manuscript with a large segment at the end missing. The segment is found in full all other complete manuscripts along with additional sermons. Regarding Zunz's claim about the missing "central themes," Treitl points out that two benedictions are also missing in the middle – the benediction of forgiveness and the benediction of redemption – making it more likely that the author himself did not complete his work. Further evidence

1000-547: A polemical attack on what he regarded as the ignorant customs prevailing among Palestinian Jews ( minhagei eretz yisrael ) at that time, beliefs and practices which had, he argued, spread to major centres of Talmudic learning in North Africa, such as Kairouan, from which they radiated out in turn further west to al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula). This epistle, a virulent broadside against Palestinian Jewish practice, which

1100-721: A sharp line of demarcation between the Tanakh scriptural corpus, and extra-biblical oral teachings, ascribing greater importance to this Oral Torah than to the written Torah. According to one source, the Pesikta Rabbati , God turned town Moses' request at Sinai that the Oral Torah be written down: he did so to avoid a repetition of what would happen with the Old Testament, i.e. be translated into Greek and allow gentiles other than Jews to proclaim themselves "children of Israel". For much of

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1200-463: A single author, the text exhibits various literary styles, leading scholars to debate its genre classification. Due to its extensive rewriting of biblical stories with midrashic expansions, abridgements, and changes in order, Joseph Heinemann and others consider it akin to the genre of " rewritten Bible " (a genre that includes some apocryphal books like " Jubilees " and the later "Book of Jasher"). Rina Drori disagrees with Heinemann, considering PRE as

1300-539: A specialist language of study and legal argumentation, like Law French , rather than a vernacular mother tongue, and continued in use for these purposes long after Judeo-Arabic had become the languages of daily life. It has developed a battery of technical logical terms, such as tiyuvta (conclusive refutation) and tiqu (undecidable moot point), which are still used in Jewish legal writings, including those in other languages, and have influenced modern Hebrew . Like

1400-462: A standard midrashic work. She emphasizes its attribution of numerous homilies to various sages and the frequent use of the midrashic term " Shene'emar " (as it is said). Rachel Adelman of Hebrew College in Boston suggests viewing the work as a "narrative midrash." As it exists today, the midrash has an incomplete structure. Whether it was written this way or whether chapters were lost over the generations

1500-462: A verse from Daniel 7:5 "and three ribs were between his teeth" as prophetic of the sway which the evil empires of Greece and Rome (Edom) would subsequently exercise, to the detriment of proper Torah traditions, over communities to the west of Babylonia, taking the line to be an allusion to the fate of Harran , Nisibis and Adiabene . The Jewish communities in Babylonia, he falsely asserts by ignoring

1600-430: A wife from the daughters of Moab, and her name was Ayesha. After three years, Abraham wanted to see his son Ishmael and swore to Sarah that he would not dismount from his camel where Ishmael lived. He arrived at midday and found Ishmael's wife. He asked her, "Where is Ishmael?" She said, "He and his mother have gone to bring fruits and dates from the wilderness." He said, "Give me a little bread and water, for I am weary from

1700-443: Is Active Frequentative . The verbal pattern itpa'al is Passive Frequentative . The verbal pattern aphel is Active Causative . The verbal pattern itaphal is Passive Causative . The language has received considerable scholarly attention, as shown in the bibliography below. However, the majority of those who are familiar with it, namely Orthodox Jewish students of Talmud, are given no systematic instruction in

1800-520: Is a matter of debate. Chaim Palagi wrote about its conclusion, "It seems that up to here they found, and there were more chapters but they were not seen, and may God in His mercy enlighten our eyes with the light of His Torah, the Torah of life" (Par Echad on Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer - Chapter 54). Leopold Zunz described the problem of the work's structure: first, the text (in the standard editions available to him at

1900-556: Is a matter of scholarly debate. Many researchers speculate that these chapters are a later addition and not original to the Midrash .This hypothesis is based on evidence from the Cairo Geniza , where a list of books includes a manuscript in which the midrash begins at Chapter 3. Additionally, in one manuscript, the title of the midrash appears only in Chapter 3. According to this hypothesis, there

2000-557: Is attributed to Rabbi Eliezer, it was written by later generations". Subsequently, research by Leopold Zunz claims that Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer is an pseudepigraphic work. The first two chapters of the work are dedicated to the story of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus's approach to Torah, serving as an introduction to the work and providing background about the author. These chapters are derived from Avot de-Rabbi Natan , Version B, Chapter 13, and their originality in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

2100-439: Is close to the traditions of poets Yannai and Eleazar Kalir . At times, the work offers traditions not found in rabbinic halakha sources. One such example is its use of homilies to criticize the new ruling power— Islam —through biblical allusions that criticize Ishmael . The fact that Ishmael was born before Abraham was circumcised serves as a tool for criticism, as seen in the homily on Leviticus 19:23 in Chapter 29: Only

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2200-403: Is contrary to the view of the sages, who vehemently opposed this interpretation. Albeck provides many examples of this connection in his additions to Zunz's work. The legend about the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael (Chapter 30) has a clear Islamic background, as evidenced by the names of the women Aisha (the name of Muhammad 's wife) and Fatima (the name of Muhammad's daughter), attributed by

2300-535: Is held in great esteem. So said Solomon before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were diligent workers, you gave them their full wage – you gave them from their own. But we are lazy workers, and when you heal us, give us our full wage, and surely everyone will praise you and bless you and say to you: Blessed are you, Lord, who heals the sick of His people Israel. According to Treitl,

2400-457: Is mentioned once in the Mishnah (Avot) and no other Talmudic source, yet the midrash attributes several homilies to him that earlier sources attribute to other sages. The work draws its traditions from Talmudic sources, such as the Mishnah and Palestinian aggadic midrashim, which RDL cites in his commentary, almost on every page. Although primarily Palestinian, the work also incorporates material from

2500-417: Is no internal evidence in the midrash itself to attribute it specifically to Eliezer, and the name Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer was given because he is the first sage mentioned at the beginning of Chapter 3, "Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus opened...", as it was customary to name works after the first sage mentioned in them. Eliezer Treitl disagrees with this view and believes that the chapters should not be excluded from

2600-638: Is said, "Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah 's tent" ( Genesis 24:67). And so Israel used to examine virginity with the finger. In this folktale, the author seeks to reinforce the local custom of verifying virginity with a finger. The custom of Elijah 's chair at the circumcision ceremony is first mentioned in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer at the end of Chapter 29: God said to Elijah,"You are always zealous; you were zealous at Shitim (The community settlement in southern Israel) over immorality... and now you are zealous here. By your life, Israel will not perform circumcision until you see it with your own eyes." Hence,

2700-442: Is suspected of transgressions and deceit, as it is said, "Canaan has dishonest scales in his hand; he loves to defraud" ( Hosea 12 :8). Beware lest he touches the conduit. Instead, bring the girl into the tent, and examine her virginity with your finger. If she is pure in her virginity, she is yours by divine decree. Isaac brought her into the tent, examined her virginity with his finger, showed it to Abraham, and then married her, as it

2800-418: Is that the midrash was written around the eighth century. Zunz dates the book from the beginning to the middle of the eighth century. The evidence Zunz brings for this dating is that the author frequently refers in sermons to Ishmael and the kingdom of the children of Ishmael, and condemns their rule. Ishmael's name is interpreted at the beginning of Chapter 32 as: "And why is his name called Ishmael? Because in

2900-415: Is the benediction, "On the righteous converts" and "...who gathers the dispersed of His people Israel," found already in Chapter 10, seems out of context. The benediction should have been placed much later than the last benediction in the work, which suggests that the author planned a longer work and had already prepared this chapter in advance. However, when he could not complete his original plan, he attached

3000-500: Is the eighth (in Chapter 54), with the last two descents missing. From the middle of the work, some chapters end with benedictions from the Amidah . The first benediction, "Shield of Abraham," appears at the end of Chapter 27, the second in the middle of Chapter 31, and so on. But the last benediction is "Healer of the Sick," with the other benedictions missing. From this, Zunz hesitantly suggested

3100-511: Is very unusual and is not found in any Talmudic literature. According to this text, the prohibition of the "foreskin" of the tree means that the fruits of the tree must be cut off in the first three years; this does not align with rabbinic law but matches the tradition found in Philo of Alexandria and the Karaite sage Yefet ben Ali . In addition to the regular discourses, which form the main structure of

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3200-535: The parashah of Noach . However, he intersperses an entire chapter on the story of Jonah in the fish's belly (Chapter 10); and two complete chapters (16-17) focus on acts of kindness to bridegrooms and mourners. Later, when recounting the history of Abraham , the author does not follow the biblical order but prefers to arrange Abraham's history according to the tradition of the "Ten Trials" Abraham underwent. The final chapters of Genesis (Judah and Tamar, Joseph's revelation to his brothers, etc.) are omitted entirely, yet

3300-557: The Land of Israel " to establish the calendar, stating that even shepherds and laypeople there are preferable to the righteous and prophets in the Diaspora , only the inhabitants of the Land of Israel have the right to establish the calendar. In addition, the text cites various customs of the Land of Israel. For example, the custom of defloration with a finger (mentioned in Chapter 16) is explicitly noted in

3400-614: The Yemenite Jews , and where available those of the Iraqi , Syrian and Egyptian Jews . The value of the Yemenite reading tradition has been challenged by Matthew Morgenstern . (The vocalized Aramaic texts with which Jews are familiar, from the Bible and the prayer book , are of limited usefulness for this purpose, as they are in different dialects.) Talmudic Aramaic bears all the marks of being

3500-512: The revelation at Mount Sinai in this lofty style (Chapter 41): I am the Lord your God who brought you out - The first voice went forth; the heavens and the earth shook; the seas and rivers fled; the mountains and hills trembled; and all the trees bowed; the dead in Sheol came to life and stood on their feet. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer is one of the most widespread midrashic works. PRE is frequently quoted in

3600-561: The Babylonian Talmud in certain sections. One of its unique features of this work is its extensively uses non-Talmudic literature. The work includes aggadic traditions descending from Second Temple period apocryphal literature. For example, in Chapter 22, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer identifies the "sons of God" mentioned in Genesis 6:1 with the angels who fell from heaven, as commonly found in apocryphal literature (1 Enoch ). This interpretation

3700-701: The Babylonian school's hostility to Palestinian traditions might be embedded in a broader cultural battle, in which the Abbasids found themselves in rivalry with the Syro-Palestinian communities, in Umayyad territories to their west, around the Mediterranean. Pirqoi ben Baboi was particularly concerned with prayer orthodoxy. He quotes his teacher Yehudai Gaon for an halakhic ban on non-Talmudic blessings, stating that unless

3800-467: The Book of Differences, as discussed by Mordecai Margalioth in 'Differences between Easterners and Residents of the Land of Israel'. In contrast to other earlier midrashic and classical rabbinic works, which considered collective creations, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer is considered the work of a single author. The work includes fifty-four chapters (or fifty-two chapters according to a slightly different division of

3900-514: The Geonic period, the Talmud was conserved primarily in oral transmission. In his letter, Pirqoi ben Baboi remonstrated with the Kairouan community arguing that it was not sufficient to cite written texts in laying down Jewish law. The position of Yehudai Gaon was that applied halakhic rulings could not be made simply by citing halakha from the Tanakh , Mishna , or Talmud. The prescriptive authority of

4000-577: The Jews of Palestine. It has been suspected, in this last regard, that the virulence of his censure stems from anxiety over the rise of the Karaites – some of whose positions had been inflected by Palestinian usage - who refused to accept the oral teachings encoded in Babylonian rabbinical texts. The Karaites, for example, considered fasting on the Sabbath laudable, just as Italian Jews since late antiquity allowed

4100-623: The Levant . Therefore, it was necessary to remove the Shema from the kedushah of the Amidah during Shacharit prayer, since under Muslim rule it was now possible to return to the normal prayer practices in place prior to Christian rule. Pirqoy nonetheless did not require that the Shema be removed from the Mussaf Kedushah, a widespread Jewish ritual in Babylonia and one that also preserved an innovation made at

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4200-517: The Sabbath to recite the Amidah and associated piyyutim, the hazzan or precentor adopted the subterfuge of smuggling the banned prayer in, intoning the first and last lines of the Shema in such away as to slip by the eavesdropping of government officials monitoring the session. Ben Baboy repeated his stance of Yehudai that the raison d'être for such a novel practice had vanished with the Muslim conquest of

4300-557: The Targum depends on our work and draws from it. Avigdor Shinan also holds this view, but Treitl shows that there are also opposite case where Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer depends on the Targum. The work also has ties to early Palestinian piyyut (liturgical poetry), evident in both shared traditions and linguistic similarities. For instance, the tradition mentioned in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 46) that one should stand on their feet on Yom Kippur because Israel are similar to angels on this day

4400-438: The altar. But after he was circumcised, the fruit he produced was good in deeds and his wine was chosen for the altar, as it says 'and wine for the drink offering' (Numbers 15:5). Thus, the author explains why Isaac was chosen to be bound on the altar and not Ishmael, since Ishmael is "the son of the foreskin" (as explicitly stated in Chapter 31), meaning he was born to Abraham while he was still uncircumcised. This interpretation

4500-515: The arguments made are echoed in broader diatribes and defenses of piyyut in much later times. The claim to a superior authority in religious matters was buttressed by the claim that the Babylonian academies, namely the Torah sages according to the Seder Olam Rabbah , departed, with Jeconiah , to Babylon 12 years prior to the Siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 , and only after their safety

4600-451: The author extensively incorporates the Book of Esther (Chapter 50). Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer differs from classical midrashic literature: it does not contain homilies on every verse (as found in works such as" Genesis Rabbah " and " Song of Songs Rabbah "), nor is it organized by the sequence of Torah or selected topics (like " Leviticus Rabbah " or " Pesikta de-Rav Kahana "). Although composed by

4700-527: The author to Ishmael's wives. This legend has Islamic parallels, and the prevailing opinion is that its source is Islamic. Aviva Shosman suggests the story's origin is Jewish. There are many parallels, sometimes to the point of literal similarity, between Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and the Aramaic Targum Jonathan to the Torah (a translation composed in the same period and region as Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer ), first noted by Zunz. David Luria believed that

4800-507: The books of Genesis and Exodus, sometimes in detail and sometimes briefly. The work does not cover all of Genesis and does not always follow the biblical order. Occasionally, the author arranges his homilies by thematic units and includes sections from the Nevi'im and the Ketuvim. For example, the first twenty chapters are dedicated to homilies on Genesis, and in the middle of chapter 22, he transitions to

4900-479: The canon for two reasons: These chapters appear in all the complete manuscripts of the work that exist; the language of the chapters slightly differs from their source in Avot DeRabbi Natan in a way that suits the unique language and stylistic nuances of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer . The first scholar to establish the dating of the midrash was Leopold Zunz. Following his work, the widely-accepted opinion in research

5000-575: The catalog of the National Library of Jerusalem. PRE was first printed in Constantinople in 1514, followed by Venice in 1544 with corrections of some errors from the first print. All subsequent editions are based on the Venice edition. Modern prints suffer from heavy censorship (even the new edition by Zikhron Aharon in 2005-2006 contains censored errors). Michael Higger published an edition of PRE in

5100-403: The chapter to the most suitable place. Treitl argues that a hint to the claim that the work remained incomplete from its inception can be found in the sermon that concludes the work: Rabbi Yossi says if a person hires a diligent worker and pays him and gives him his full wage, what good is held for this? But if a person hires a lazy worker and pays him and gives him his full wage – surely this one

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5200-525: The chapters, such as in the edition of Michael Higger and other manuscripts), in which the author expounds on the Torah portions from the days of creation to the history of Israel in the desert. The author also incorporates sermons and entire chapters on various portions from the books of the Nevi'im and the Ketuvim . Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer does not have a uniform and orderly structure. The first two chapters recount

5300-424: The conclusion of the work with this sermon is no accident, but rather the author is hinting to the reader that he was unable to complete the work; the work is ended, but not finished. Many homilies in the work are attributed to Eliezer and various sages, some of whom lived much later than Eliezer ben Hyrcanus . David Luria, who sought to defend the traditional view attributing the work to Eliezer, argued that most of

5400-412: The desert journey." She replied, "I have neither bread nor water." He said, "When Ishmael returns, tell him an old man from Canaan came to see you and said, 'Change the threshold of your house, for it is not good for you.'" When Ishmael returned, she told him these words, and a wise son is half wise, so Ishmael understood and sent her away. His mother took a wife for him from her father's house, and her name

5500-461: The eighth century or the beginning of the ninth century, indicating that the work was not written after the ninth century. Regarding where the midrash was composed, extensive references to the rule of Ishmael indicate that the work was most likely composed in the Muslim-ruled Bilad al-Sham or its surroundings. Furthermore, in chapter 8, the work emphasizes the exclusive right of the "sages of

5600-470: The end of that century. Furthermore, the text bears a distinct similarity to the Geonic literature, a remarkable resemblance to the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan , and messianic sayings that set the expected year of redemption as 729. Thus, the work was not written before the end of the seventh century. The opening passage of Chapter 3 appears in the letter of Pirqoi ben Baboi , who operated at the end of

5700-562: The evidence of the late Sasanian period, never suffered persecution. He became known for his iggeret , an epistle to the Jews of Kairouan in Tunisia, which according to Ginsberg is the earliest extant halakhic work surviving from the Geonic period . This epistle, the first known example of its kind for advocating the dissemination of the Babylonian Talmud, dated to around 800/810 came to light from its discovery among geniza records. It contains

5800-498: The form Pa'el (פַּעֵל) “like to do”, are all in the active voice. But the form Itpe'el (אִתְפְּעֵל), the form Itaph'al (אִתַפְעַל) and the form Itpa'al (אִתְפַּעַל) are essentially reflexive and usually function in a passive sense. The Aramaic verb has two participles : an active participle with suffix and a passive participle with suffix : |} The verbal pattern (binyan) pa‘el are frequentative verbs showing repeated or intense action. The verbal pattern pa'el

5900-490: The form of a quotation, the earliest extant reference to the Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer , and plays some role in arguments for dating that work. In ancient Greece, a distinction developed between súngramma (σύγγραμμα) and hupómnēma (ὑπόμνημα), namely an authorized copy of a book and the private notes made on it. With the rise of Hellenism , this discrimination influenced Palestinian rabbis when they in turn drew

6000-418: The future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will hear the cry of the people from what the children of Ishmael are destined to do in the land at the end of days." At the end of Chapter 30, the following apocalyptic vision appears, Rabbi Ishmael says, Fifteen things the children of Ishmael are destined to do in the land at the end of days, and these are they: They will measure the land with ropes, make cemeteries for

6100-705: The genre hostile to the inscription of hadith with the fall of the Umayyads. They had broken a powerful taboo. The scholars frequently vindicated the Abbasid Caliphate which followed, and the new dynasty had empowered rule by Islamic jurists ( fuqahā ) . Extrapolating from this, Talya Fishman wonders whether there is not some broad connection between this phenomenon in Islam and the remonstrations made by Yehudai Gaon and, later, Pirqoi ben Baboi. Jews outside of Eretz Israel called their Palestinian brethren Shami or "Damascenes", and

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6200-417: The grapevine is meant by 'tree'; if they do not cut off the foreskin of the tree, all its fruits are stunted and unsightly, and its wine is disqualified from the altar. But if they cut off the foreskin of the tree, all its fruits are good-looking, and its wine is chosen for the altar. So, too, with our father Abraham: before he was circumcised, the fruit he produced was not good in deeds and was disqualified from

6300-541: The hypothesis that the work did not survive. David Luria supported Zunz's hypothesis and, in the introduction to his commentary, provided over a dozen citations from PRE in the writings of medieval sages that are not found in the existing work – indicating that the work was once complete with additional chapters. According to Luria, the seven chapters of the Rabbi Eliezer that were added to Seder Eliyahu Rabbah originated from this work. The Tadal bases his suggestion on

6400-647: The inscription of the accompanying oral traditions. Scholars like Ibn Sa'd (784–845) vehemently argued that Muslims ought not to repeat what Islamic jurists conceived to be the theological error in Judaism, of writing down the Mathnā (i.e. the Mishna) . Such practices would only invest teachers with an authority comparable to the foundational text of the Qur'an itself. This hostility to the written, as opposed to oral, recording of what Muhammad

6500-701: The journal "Chorev," including variants from several manuscripts. However, significant errors occurred in Chapters 35-36 due to incorrect page order in the manuscript used. An electronic edition based on a Yemenite manuscript, with corrections from other Yemenite manuscripts, is available in the Historical Dictionary Project of the Academy of the Hebrew Language. PRE was translated into Latin by Willem Henricus Vorstius in 1644. An English translation based on

6600-421: The land of Canaan, the serpent bit him. And who is the serpent? This refers to Shechem son of Hamor. Jacob's daughter sat in tents and did not go outside. What did Shechem son of Hamor do? He brought girls playing outside with tambourines, and Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land playing, and he kidnapped and slept with her, and she conceived and bore Asenath. The Israelites wanted to kill her, saying: Now

6700-528: The language, and are expected to "sink or swim" in the course of their Talmudic studies, with the help of some informal pointers showing similarities and differences with Hebrew. Pirqoi ben Baboi Pirqoi ben Baboi ( Hebrew : פירקוי בן באבוי ), also written Pirqoi ben Babui , was a scholar of the Talmud who lived sometime in the 8th–9th century in Mesopotamia , called "Babylonia" in Jewish scholarship of

6800-551: The life of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus. Chapter 3 contains homilies on the days of creation, followed by rewritten sections from the books of Genesis and Exodus . The last two chapters (53-54) form a unit dealing with slander, ending with homilies on the denunciation of the Israelites in the story of the bronze serpent and a final discourse that includes the parable of "The Diligent Workers and the Lazy Workers." The work rewrites and expands

6900-489: The light of His garment... From where was the earth created? From the snow beneath His throne of glory." Maimonides struggled philosophically to understand why the author posited that the world was created from a preexisting substance. The work's style is unique, incorporating both biblical phrasing and the classical piyyut style, as Luria repeatedly demonstrates. Here are some examples: Some other examples of unique language usages not found in other midrashic literature include

7000-431: The main manuscripts of the work—totaling over two dozen—are divided into three textual branches, with additional manuscripts whose connection to the different branches is unclear. Many of the manuscripts have little textual value as they were copied from various printed editions and other manuscripts. Since the invention of printing, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer has been published over fifty times as can be seen, for example, in

7100-403: The names appearing as amoraim are actually tannaim with similar names. In his introduction and in numerous places in the body of his commentary, Luria strives to prove and justify the traditional view that sees PRE as a fundamentally tannaitic work. He attributed the work to Eliezer's academy, which operated in the generations following him, and explained the later sages' names as later additions to

7200-536: The other Judeo-Aramaic languages , it was written in the Hebrew alphabet . May his great name shall be blessed (Kaddish Shalem, 8th century) ַ ני ‎ נַטְרַנִי ‎ he supervised me נֵיעָרְבִינְהוּ וְנִכְתְּבִינְהוּ There are six major verb stems or verbal patterns (binyanim) in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The form pe‘al (פְּעַל) “to do”, the form Aph'el (אַפְעֵל) “let do”, and

7300-594: The practice on particular occasions. In the latter instance, this may reflect the persistence of a residue of popular Palestinian traditions of piety notwithstanding strictures against the practice issued by authoritative rabbis. Ben Baboy frowned on any such deviation from what was established Babylonian practice. These perceived abuses extended to the scrolls of the Torah produced in Palestine, which, he stated, were written on vellum prepared by Gentiles in disregard for halakhic stipulations on their proper production. A fragment of Pirqoy ben Baboy's appears to contain, in

7400-527: The pre-existing geopolitical division as still marking a cultural rift between the tranquil life of Jews from Sasanian times onward and Jewish communities to the west under Byzantine authority, characterized by endemic persecutions. The ostensible difference was deployed to buttress Babylonian Jewry's claims to superiority over those in Palestine/Eretz Israel, whose legal customs were a result of persecution ( minhagei shmad ). Pirqoi ben Baboi would cite

7500-537: The relevant sugya in the Talmud is, however, arguably unique in inferring from the conditions set for making halakhah le-ma'aseh the idea that the only valid method for transmitting the Oral Torah must be itself oral. The problem with Palestinian rabbis, in his view, was that in eliciting passages inscribed from the Mishna and Talmud, some of them "hidden" ( genuzin ), each imposed their personal interpretation upon them. The Babylonian practice exemplified by Yehudai Gaon

7600-504: The resting place of sheep dung, measure in them and from them on the tops of mountains, increase lies, conceal the truth, distance law from Israel, increase sins in Israel, the worm will be as wool, the paper and pen will wither, the kingdom's rock will be rejected, they will rebuild ruined cities, clear roads, plant gardens and orchards, repair breaches in the walls of the Temple, build a structure in

7700-469: The sages ordained that an honorable seat be made for the angel of the covenant. Additional customs originating from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer and incorporated into halachic literature include: standing throughout Yom Kippur , looking at fingernails during Havdalah , mourners attending the synagogue on Shabbat , a groom not going to the market alone, and blowing the shofar in Elul . Below are some examples of

7800-698: The sages who taught the Samaritans the "laws of the God of the land" as Rabbi Dostai and Rabbi Yannai. Several legends from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer became particularly well-known through Rashi 's commentary on the Bible: Maimonides dedicated an entire chapter in The Guide for the Perplexed to discussing a legend from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer , which he considered the most puzzling statement in all Jewish literature: "From

7900-596: The sanctuary, and two brothers will stand over them as leaders in the end, and in their days the sprout of David (the Messiah) will stand. According to Zunz, the "structure in the sanctuary" refers to the Dome of the Rock , which was built on the Temple Mount at the end of the seventh century. The rejection of the "kingdom's rock" refers to the minting of Muslim coins, which also occurred at

8000-488: The statements of Eleazar of Worms and the author of Yalkut Shimoni , who quotes from these seven chapters, sometimes referring to them as "PRE" ( Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer ). This view of Zunz and Luria that chapters and parts of the original work were lost over the generations, is very common in research. Eliezer Treitl disagrees, arguing that the work as it exists today was completed by the author in this form, and that there were never additional chapters. According to Treitl,

8100-417: The term "and not only that" often used in the work to mean "another matter" or "some say," rather than its usual meaning of adding something new to what was previously mentioned. In midrashic literature, the word "nimim" is used for violin strings, but the author of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer calls them "navalim"; in Chapter 19, he notes that David's violin had ten "navalim," meaning strings. The work describes

8200-456: The text is pseudepigraphic from the Geonic period of the eighth century, written in or near the Land of Israel . Medieval scholarly texts also referred to Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer as Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer HaGadol and as Baraita DeRabbi Eliezer . Whereas medieval scholars attributed the work to the Tanna Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Abraham Zacuto wrote, "it is well known that although it

8300-406: The time) is being cut off in the middle of an issue. Additionally, he pointed out two central themes, or foundational elements, on which the author bases various chapters of the work, which are missing at their ends: At the beginning of Chapter 14, the author presents a tradition about God's descent to earth ten times, with these descents described subsequently, each in its place—but the last descent

8400-700: The time. He is chiefly remembered for a polemical letter he wrote, addressed to all places in North Africa and al-Andalus , but thought to be directed in particular to the Kairouan's Jewish community in Tunisia concerning the traditions of the Land of Israel . His writings have been called "one of the most intriguing Babylonian Jewish texts to have survived the vicissitudes of history". The precise dates of his floruit are unknown, except that context suggests he lived around 800 CE. His unusual name Pirqoi seems to be

8500-467: The traditions from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer that demonstrate its approach and unique style. The Bible does not recount the fate of Dinah , Jacob's daughter, after her rape. The work fills in this gap, explaining that Joseph did not marry an Egyptian woman but rather a relative— Asenath , Dinah's daughter. Chapter 38 begins: And went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him" (Amos 5:19) – When Jacob returned to his inheritance in

8600-458: The whole land will say there is a house of prostitution in Jacob's tents. What did Jacob do? He brought a golden plate with the holy name written on it, hung it around her neck, and sent her away. Everything is revealed before the Holy One, and the angel Michael descended and brought her to Egypt to Potiphar's house, as Asenath was destined for Joseph as a wife. Potiphar's wife was barren and raised her as

8700-628: The woman from Sarepta in Elijah's story was the mother of Jonah ; the Shulamite woman in Elisha 's story was the sister of Abishag , who served David ; and the man who revived after touching Elisha's bones was Shallum ben Tikvah, husband of the prophet Huldah and the father of Hanamel , Jeremiah's cousin. Another typical legend in the work tells of Abraham's visits to his son Ishmael after being forced to send him away at Sarah's command: Ishmael sent and took

8800-541: The work, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer also includes chapters on astronomy and the determination of the Hebrew calendar . PRE is the first Hebrew work to mention (In Chapter 8) the 19-year intercalation cycle . Halakha and customs are significant elements of the work. The author often attributes various customs to biblical times, concluding with phrases like "Thus, the sages ordained..." In Chapter 16, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer describes Isaac's actions and marriage to Rebecca : Ishmael says, Abraham said to his son Isaac, this servant

8900-455: The work. However, Albeck strongly opposes this. Luria's view is not accepted in scholarly research. Since Leopold Zunz, these attributions are considered pseudepigraphical. For example, in Chapter 43, the midrash extensively discusses the deeds of Resh Lakish and his companions and his repentance, placing words of praise for Resh Lakish in the mouth of the tanna Ben Azzai , who lived three generations earlier. Another example: Levitas of Yavneh

9000-567: The writings of Geonim and Rishonim from all Jewish communities. PRE has been issued in numerous manuscripts and print editions, and several customs practiced today originate from this work. Rabbeinu Tam acknowledged the work's importance in relation to customs, considering it a fundamental ancient source upon which "many customs are based." "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" stands out among midrashic works due to its numerous manuscripts. The Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts in Jerusalem catalogs over

9100-426: Was Fatima. After three years, Abraham came again to see Ishmael and swore to Sarah as before. He arrived at midday and found Ishmael's wife. He asked her, "Where is Ishmael?" She replied, "He and his mother are grazing the camels in the wilderness." He said, "Give me a little bread and water, for I am weary from the desert journey." She brought it to him. Abraham prayed before the Holy One for his son, and Ishmael's house

9200-639: Was a disciple of Rav(a) Abba/Rabah, who had in turn sat at the feet of Yehudai ben Nahman , with some sources saying ben Baboy studied under both. He is associated with both the Sura and Pumbedita academies. After the Muslim conquest of Iraq , Babylonian rabbis retained strong memories of their communal life under the Sasanian Empire . Politically, the entire Middle East had now come under unified Islamic rule but, like some Syrian Christian writers such as John of Fenek , Pirqoi ben Baboi evoked in exaggerated terms

9300-461: Was by Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi , published in the Zikhron Aharon edition, Jerusalem 2005. Other notable commentaries include: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic language The language was closely related to other Eastern Aramaic dialects such as Mandaic . Its original pronunciation is uncertain, and has to be reconstructed with the help of these kindred dialects and of the reading tradition of

9400-442: Was filled with all good things. When Ishmael returned, she told him what had happened, and Ishmael knew that his father's mercy was still upon him, as it says, "As a father has compassion on his children" ( Psalms 103:13). The work also identifies names for anonymous biblical characters. For example, it names Abraham's mother as Athray (contrary to the Talmud, which names her Amatlai), Lot's wife as Irit, Lot's daughter as Peletit, and

9500-482: Was held in high reverence in Jewish communities, and the whole Palestinian rabbinical tradition, might have struck its readership as scandalous. Though widely distributed, did not appear to have much effect on the community it addressed, since Palestinian influences remained strong there centuries later, as one can see from the Iggeret of Sherira ben Hanina to Kairouan and in the work of his son, Hai ben Sherira . However

9600-570: Was opposed to the recitation of the Shema in the Kedushah . Historically this innovation arose when, Jacob Mann opined, Heraclius , breaking a promise he had made to the Jews, wrested sway over Palestine from the Sassanian Persians and their former Jewish allies , and proscribed recitation of the daily Tefillah and Shema. Since they were allowed only to congregate in their synagogues on the morning of

9700-514: Was remembered as having said, namely the ḥadīth , prevailed under the Umayyad Caliphate until Umar II (r. 717–720) ordered that an official compendium ( tadwīn ) of ḥadīth be made. Human memory was frail, and notes ( atraf ) had been made, but like nushaot , these were to remain secreted away. Gregor Schoeler . analyzing fulminations impugning the Umayyad dynasty 's legitimacy, correlated

9800-563: Was secured was permission granted to destroy Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple . The exile itself was, he argued, an "act of charity ( tzedakah )" by God. The Babylonian yeshivot conserved the strength ( gevurah ) of the Jewish contingent of troops ( gibborim ) who had formed part of the earlier evacuation, so that the Babylonian scholars, heirs to this exile of the strong, were themselves warriors ( gibborei ) of Torah. In terms of his rhetoric of persuasion, Pirqoy Baboy's mode of thought evinces three simple assumptions: His driving aspiration

9900-548: Was that Talmud legal teachings are validated only if they can be corroborated by living masters familiar with non-textual traditions, the chain of oral judgments, consensus and customary usage. The Greek distinction whose impact is at work in these controversies was transmitted in a similar form to Islamic culture, where, after the establishment of the Qur'an text, there arose fierce opposition, particularly in areas best known for having by heart these stories, such as Basra and Kufa , to

10000-569: Was to impose the halakhic hegemony of the Babylonian academies over all Jewish communities, and thereby undermine the diaspora 's attachment to the Land of Israel. Only the legal code as laid down in the Babylonian Talmud] was a reliable basis for practice of the Oral Law throughout the world. Any custom ( minhag ) which disagreed with the Babylonian rabbinical canon he considered a "custom of apostasy ", which he imagined Edom/Rome had imposed on

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