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22-547: Hayim initially studied in his father's library, and, at the age of 10, he left the beth midrash and began to study with his uncle, David Hai Ben Meir , who later founded the Shoshanim LeDavid yeshiva in Jerusalem . In 1851, he married Rachel, the niece of Abdallah Somekh , his prime mentor, with whom he had a daughter and two sons. When Hayim was only twenty-five years old, his father died. Despite his youth,

44-522: A period from Mishnaic to Geonic times, often showing evidence of having been worked and reworked from earlier materials, and frequently coming to us in multiple variants. A compact list of these works [based on ( Holtz 2008 )] is given below; a more thorough annotated list can be found under Midrash. The timeline below must be approximate because many of these works were composed over a long span of time, borrowing and collating material from earlier versions; their histories are therefore somewhat uncertain and

66-569: A yeshiva in the course of their existence. A virtual beth midrash is an online forum that provides articles for self-study and live, online classes, which sometimes makes use of "breakout groups" to provide for chavrusa -style learning typical of a traditional beth midrash study hall. For more information, see George Foot Moore 's Judaism, as well as the more recent works of Jacob Neusner . Also, Lee I. Levine 's The Rabbinic Class of Roman Palestine in Late Antiquity, as well as

88-460: Is a hall dedicated for Torah study , often translated as a "study hall". It is distinct from a synagogue ( beth knesseth ), although the two are often coextensive. In Yiddish the beth midrash may be referred to as a zal , i.e. "hall". Beis midrash can also refer to a yeshiva gedolah , the undergraduate-level program in Orthodox , for boys over 12th grade. The Arabic term " madrasah "

110-458: Is derived from the same Semitic root , and refers to any type of educational institution. The root דרש means "to seek [knowledge]" and is then generalized to mean "expound". Early rabbinic literature , including the Mishnah , makes mention of the beth midrash as an institution distinct from the beth din and Sanhedrin . It was meant as a place of Torah study and interpretation, as well as

132-577: The Jews of Baghdad accepted him to fill his father's place as the leading rabbinic scholar of Baghdad, though he never filled the official position of Hakham Bashi . The Sephardic Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem was founded on his advice by Joseph Shalom, of Calcutta , India —one of Hayim's patrons. Hayim clashed with the reformist Bavarian Jewish scholar Jacob Obermeyer , who lived in Baghdad from 1869 to 1880, and Hayyim excommunicated him . Part of

154-619: The beth midrash will have shtenders (standing desks resembling lecterns; the Yiddish word is derived from the German Ständer ). A characteristic beth midrash has many hundreds of books, including at least several copies of the entire Talmud , Torah , Tanach , siddurim (prayer books), Shulchan Aruch , Mishneh Torah , Arba'ah Turim , Mishnah Berurah , Aruch HaShulchan and other frequently consulted works. In modern times, batei midrash are typically found as

176-511: The responsa literature, or even the siddur (Jewish prayerbook), and more. Classic Torah and/or Talmud commentaries have been written by the following individuals: Classical Talmudic commentaries were written by Rashi. After Rashi the Tosafot were written, which was an omnibus commentary on the Talmud by the disciples and descendants of Rashi; this commentary was based on discussions done in

198-459: The 8th century. Midrash (pl. Midrashim ) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of reading details into, or out of, a biblical text. The term midrash also can refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings, in the form of legal, exegetical, homiletical, or narrative writing, often configured as a commentary on the Bible or Mishnah . There are a large number of "classical" Midrashic works spanning

220-702: The European-inspired secular literature that was becoming popular at the time. His Qânûn-un-Nisâ (قانون النساء) is a book filled with parables concerning self-improvement. The book, directed towards, but not limited to women, is rare since it was composed in Baghdad Jewish Arabic . It was last published in Israel in the 1940s. Resources Beth midrash A beth midrash ( Hebrew : בית מדרש , "House of Learning"; pl. : batei midrash ), also beis medrash or beit midrash ,

242-870: The Hebrew term Sifrut Chazal ( Hebrew : ספרות חז״ל ), which translates to “literature [of our] sages” and generally pertains only to the sages ( Chazal ) from the Talmudic period. This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the Talmud , Midrashim ( Hebrew : מדרשים ), and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. The terms mefareshim and parshanim (commentaries and commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts. The Midr'she halakha , Mishnah , and Tosefta (compiled from materials pre-dating

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264-678: The best known of his works are: The names Ben Ish Hai , Me-Kabtziel , Rav Pe'alim and Ben Yehoyada derive from 2 Samuel 23:20. He chose these names because he claimed to have been a reincarnation of Benayahu ben Yehoyada , described as Ben Ish Hayil "son of a valiant man"; the man in whose merit, it is said, both the first and second Temple in Jerusalem stood. Yosef Hayim was also noted for his stories and parables . Some are scattered through his halakhic works, but have since been collected and published separately; others were published as separate works in his lifetime, as an alternative to

286-421: The central study halls of yeshivas or independent kollels , both institutions of Torah study. The location and institution of study are often interchanged, so in popular parlance, yeshivot are sometimes referred to as batei midrash . A beth midrash may also be housed in a synagogue, or vice versa. In antiquity, this is a matter of debate (see below). Many batei midrash originally serve the community but attract

308-539: The contention was due to Obermeyer and Hayim's conflicting views on promotion of the Zohar . The Ben Ish Hai ( בן איש חי ) is a standard reference in some Sephardi homes (functioning as "a Sephardi Kitzur Shulchan Aruch ") and is widely studied in Sephardi yeshivot. Due to the popularity of this book, Hakham Yosef Hayim came to be known as Ben Ish Hai. The book is a collection of homilies he gave over two years discussing

330-651: The development of halakha (the practical application of the Jewish Law). The origin of the beth midrash , or house of study , can be traced to the early rabbinic period, following the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) in which the destruction of the Temple took place. The earliest known rabbinical school was established by Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai at Yavne . Other official schools were soon established under different rabbis. These men traced their ideological roots back to

352-550: The rabbis of Sura and Pumbeditha, in Babylon (650 - 1250) : The Rishonim are the rabbis of the early medieval period (1000 - 1550) The Acharonim are the rabbis from 1550 to the present day. Mefareshim is a Hebrew word meaning "commentators" (or roughly meaning " exegetes "), Perushim means "commentaries". In Judaism these words refer to commentaries on the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh , Mishnah , Talmud ,

374-460: The rabbis of the late Second Temple period , specifically the Houses of Hillel and Shammai , two schools of thought. By late antiquity, the beth midrash had developed along with the synagogue into a distinct though somewhat related institution. The main difference between the beth midrash and beth ha-keneseth (synagogue) is that the beth ha-keneseth is sanctified for prayer only and that even

396-565: The relevant articles in Dan Urman and Paul V. M. Flesher's edited volume, Ancient Synagogues: Historical Analysis and Archaeological Discovery. Rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature , in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history . The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writings . It aligns with

418-399: The study of Torah would violate its sanctity while in the beth midrash both Torah study and prayer are allowed. For this reason most synagogues designate their sanctuary as a beth midrash so that in addition to prayer the study of the Torah would also be permitted. There are generally either benches or chairs for sitting, along with tables on which books are placed. In Lithuanian yeshivas

440-1036: The subject of scholarly debate. In the table, "n.e." designates that the work in question is not extant except in secondary references. Tannaitic period (till 200 CE) Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon Mekilta le-Sefer Devarim (n.e.) Sifra Sifre Sifre Zutta Alphabet of Akiba ben Joseph (?) Seder Olam Rabbah 400–650 CE Genesis Rabbah Midrash Tanhuma Lamentations Rabbah Leviticus Rabbah 650–900 CE Midrash Proverbs Ecclesiastes Rabbah Deuteronomy Rabbah Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Pesikta Rabbati Avot of Rabbi Natan Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer Seder Olam Zutta Tanna Devei Eliyahu 900–1000 CE Midrash Psalms Exodus Rabbah Ruth Zuta Lamentations Zuta 1000–1200 Midrash Aggadah of Moses ha-Darshan Midrash Tadshe Later Yalkut Shimoni Midrash ha-Gadol Ein Yaakov Numbers Rabbah The Geonim are

462-462: The weekly parsha or Torah portion. Each chapter begins with a mystical discussion, usually explaining how a Kabbalistic interpretation of a certain verse relates to particular halakha , and then continuing to expound on that halakha with definitive rulings . Hakham Yosef Hayim authored over thirty other works, and there are many published Iraqi rite siddurim (prayer books) based on his rulings, which are widely used by Sephardi Jews . Amongst

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484-501: The year 200 CE) are the earliest extant works of rabbinic literature, expounding and developing Judaism's Oral Law , as well as ethical teachings. Following these came the two Talmuds: The earliest extant material witness to rabbinic literature of any kind is the Tel Rehov inscription dating to the 6th–7th centuries, also the longest Jewish inscription from late antiquity. Meanwhile, the earliest extant Talmudic manuscripts are from

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