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43-568: Kayyara's chief work is believed by some to be the Halakhot Gedolot , whereas Moses ben Jacob of Coucy wrote that it was in fact composed by Yehudai ben Nahman . Based on anachronistic discrepancies, Moses ben Jacob's opinion that it was Yehudai ben Nahman who composed the Halachoth Gedoloth was thought to be an error. David Gans may have been the first to suggest that Moses ben Jacob, in referring to "Rav Yehudai" as

86-511: A different recension was developed. The original or Babylonian redaction exists in printed form in the editions of Venice (1548), Amsterdam (1762), Vienna (1810), etc., and finally in that of Warsaw (1874, with an index of passages and notes by S. A. Traub). This redaction was used by the Babylonian geonim and by the German and northern French scholars; for the citations of the latter from

129-409: A passage in the Halakhot Gedolot (ed. Hildesheimer, p. 175), which mentions a usage as being common among the "Bene Afrika"; for it is known that "Afrika" frequently connotes Kairwan. From northern Africa or Spain this recension was carried into Italy : it was used by the scholars of these three countries; and all of them regarded Simeon Kayyara as its author. In the 12th century the recension

172-487: A person notable in connection with Judaism is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Geonim Geonim ( Hebrew : גאונים ; Hebrew: [ɡe(ʔ)oˈnim] ; also transliterated Gaonim , singular Gaon ) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita , in the Abbasid Caliphate . They were generally accepted as the spiritual leaders of

215-559: A prominent and decisive role in the transmission and teaching of Torah and Jewish law . They taught Talmud and decided on issues on which no ruling had been rendered during the period of the Talmud. The period of the Geonim began in 589 CE ( Hebrew date : 4349), after the period of the Sevora'im , and ended in 1038 (Hebrew date: 4798). The first gaon of Sura, according to Sherira Gaon ,

258-517: A question from Tunisia. Some of the responsa that have survived are in their original form, while others are extant only as quotations in later works. Many have been found in the Cairo Genizah . Examples of responsa collections are: Individual Geonim often composed treatises and commentaries. Three handbooks on Jewish law are: The most notable author among the Geonim was Saadia Gaon , who wrote Biblical commentaries and many other works: he

301-643: A similar nature, called the work "Halakhot Rishonot". It gives the entire halakhic and practical material of the Talmud in a codified form, and seems to represent the first attempt to treat it according to its contents rather than according to the arrangement of its treatises. The A. Hildesheimer edition of the Halakhot Gedolot gives no less than 83 passages in which the She'eltot has been cited (Reifmann gives 109 passages); and it has in addition more than 40 literal though unacknowledged quotations from this same source. At

344-460: Is best known for the philosophical work Emunoth ve-Deoth . Two months of the year were denoted as yarchei kallah , or "months of the bride" (referring to the Talmud ) – the Hebrew months of Adar and Elul . During this time, foreign students assembled in the academy for common study. During the first three weeks of the yarchei kallah the scholars seated in the first row reported on

387-459: Is much richer and more comprehensive, since it contains many passages from the Talmud , mnemonic introductory words ("simanim"), the order of the weekly lessons, and, most important of all, legal decisions of the Geonim , usually indicated by the term "shedar" (="he sent"), which are lacking in the earlier redaction. The first gaon of whom a teshuvah is mentioned in this recension is Yehudai Gaon ;

430-480: Is of course not implied here: that did not exist in Babylonia, only a solemn nomination taking place.) Gaon Ẓemaḥ refers in a responsum to "the ancient scholars of the first row, who take the place of the great sanhedrin". The seven masters, or "allufim" and the "ḥaberim", the three most prominent among the other members of the college, sat in the first of the seven rows. Nine sanhedrists were subordinated to each of

473-532: Is of the opinion that the Babylonian recension (see below) is the work of Yehudai Gaon and that Simeon Kayyara expanded it into what is now known as the Spanish recension. Both these views were formed before the discovery of the sole surviving manuscript of the Halakhot Pesukot , and the question may need to be reassessed. Some Jewish-Spanish authors, to distinguish it from later halakhic codices of

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516-495: The Halachot Pesukot of Yehudai ben Nahman . Other authors, in particular from France, Germany and Italy, ascribe this work to Yehudai ben Nahman. Some scholars have tried to reconcile these two views by saying that the core of the work was written by Yehudai Gaon and that Simeon Kayyara later expanded it. Halevy holds that this "core" is to be identified with the Halakhot Pesukot . Louis Ginzberg (in his Geonica )

559-440: The Halakhot Gedolot, although they deviate from it both in wording and in arrangement. Simeon Kayyara, however, used yet another recension of the Halakhot Pesukot , and at times cites both. There were of course other sources at his disposal which have not been preserved. Not only does the fact that both the She'eltot and the Halakhot Pesukot were used, but also certain passages in the Halakhot Gedolot of themselves, prove that

602-578: The Halakhot Gedolot, which work they ascribe to Yehudai Gaon , refer to this recension. In the 13th century this recension reached Italy, where it was used by Isaiah di Trani (see Ha-Makria , No. 31). The second or so-called Spanish redaction ( Mahadurat Aspamia ) exists in a manuscript in the Vatican library , and has been edited by A. Hildesheimer in the collection of the Mekitze Nirdamim (Berlin, 1888–92). The material of this recension

645-409: The Halakhot Pesukot , which he compiled from Simeon's Halakhot Gedolot. " This statement cannot be relied upon, as Simeon Kayyara in fact lived in the century following Yehudai Gaon; and Halevy is of the opinion that the names were inadvertently switched, though this reading creates as many problems as it solves. The Ramban in his preface to Sefer Ha-Mitzvot says in passing that Simeon, not Yehudai,

688-399: The Talmud treatise assigned for study during the preceding months; in the fourth week the other scholars and also some of the pupils were called upon. Discussions followed, and difficult passages were laid before the gaon, who also took a prominent part in the debates, and freely reproved any member of the college who was not up to the standard of scholarship. At the end of the yarchei kallah

731-536: The Talmud , and while the Saboraim definitively edited it, the Geonim's task was to interpret it; for them it became the subject of study and instruction, and they gave religio-legal decisions in agreement with its teachings. During the geonic period the Babylonian schools were the chief centers of Jewish learning; the Geonim, the heads of these schools, were recognized as the highest authorities in Jewish law . Despite

774-691: The "SeMaG" are by section (positive or negative commandments) and a number for each commandment within its section. Rabbi Moses' arrangement and presentation are heavily influenced by Maimonides ' discussion of the commandments in the Sefer Hamitzvot and by his codification of the Halakha in the Mishneh Torah . However, unlike Maimonides, Rabbi Moses presents lengthy discussions of the different interpretations and legal opinions. He also makes extensive use of other codes , and particularly of

817-400: The "small sanhedrin". In front of the presiding gaon and facing him were seated seventy members of the academy in seven rows of ten persons each, each person in the seat assigned to him, and the whole forming, with the gaon, the so-called "great sanhedrin". Gaon Amram calls them in a responsum the "ordained scholars who take the place of the great sanhedrin". (A regular ordination (" semichah ")

860-749: The Jewish community worldwide in the early medieval era, in contrast to the Resh Galuta ( exilarch ) who wielded secular authority over the Jews in Islamic lands. Geonim is the plural of גאון ‎ ( Ga'on ) [ɡaˈ(ʔ)on] , which means "pride" or "splendor" in Biblical Hebrew and since the 19th century "genius" as in modern Hebrew . As a title of a Babylonian college president it meant something like "His Excellency". The Geonim played

903-485: The Talmud, and who could on occasion visit the Jewish academies in Babylon. A literature of questions and answers developed, known as the responsa literature. The questions were usually limited to one or more specific cases, while the responsum to such a query gave a ruling, a concise reason for it, together with supporting citations from the Talmud, and often a refutation of any possible objection. More discursive were

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946-474: The author, was actually alluding to Yehudai Hakohen ben Ahunai, Gaon of the Sura Academy (served 4519 - 4524 of the Hebrew calendar ) As to the time of its composition, all the older authorities are silent. Abraham ibn Daud alone has an allusion to this problem, which has caused much perplexity. According to him, "Simeon Kayyara wrote his work in the year 741, and after him lived Yehudai Gaon, author of

989-468: The book [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Richard Gottheil ; Max Schloessinger (1901–1906). "ḲAYYARA, SIMEON" . In Singer, Isidore ; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Moses ben Jacob of Coucy Rabbi Moses ben Jacob of Coucy , also known as Moses Mikkotsi ( Hebrew : משה בן יעקב מקוצי ; Latin : Moses Kotsensis ),

1032-453: The commentaries of Rashi and the Tosafot , usually favouring these Ashkenazi traditions over Maimonides. He was also the author of Old Tosafot ( תוספות ישנים ‎) to Yoma and of some published in the collection "Sugyot HaShas" (Berlin, 1736). This biographical article about a French rabbi is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This biographical article about

1075-580: The confiscation and burning of all Talmud manuscripts in 1242. The Sefer Mitzvot Gadol ( Hebrew : ספר מצוות גדול ) (in English : The Great Book of Commandments ; abbreviated סמ"ג ‎ "SeMaG"), completed in 1247, deals with the 365 negative commandments and the 248 positive commandments, separately discussing each of them according to the Talmud and the decisions of the Rabbis. "SeMaG" also contains much non-legal, moralistic teaching. References to

1118-472: The difficulties which hampered the irregular communications of the period, Jews who lived even in most distant countries sent their inquiries concerning religion and law to these officials in Babylonia. In the latter centuries of the geonic period, from the middle of the tenth to the middle of the eleventh, their supremacy lessened, as the study of the Talmud received care in other lands. The inhabitants of these regions gradually began to submit their questions to

1161-469: The gaon designated the Talmudic treatise which the members of the assembly were obliged to study in the months intervening until the next gathering took place. The students who were not given seats were exempt from this task, being free to choose a subject for study according to their needs. During the yarchei kallah , the gaon laid before the assembly a number of the questions that had been sent in during

1204-450: The heads of the schools in their own countries. Eventually they virtually ceased sending their questions to Babylonian Geonim. The title gaon came to be applied to the heads of the two Babylonian academies of Sura and Pumbedita, although it did not displace the original title of Rosh Yeshivah Ge'on Ya'akov ( Hebrew , head of the academy, pride of Jacob). The Aramaic term used was Resh metivta. The title gaon properly designated

1247-514: The last, Tzemah ben Paltoi (d. 890). A. Epstein has concluded, accordingly, that this redaction was made, or rather finished, about the year 900, in some place where the Jews were in close literary correspondence with the Babylonian seminaries. This was either in Spain or in northern Africa—probably in Kairwan , the center of Talmudic studies at that time. Evidence in favor of Kairwan is supplied by

1290-579: The later geonim were often essays on Talmudic themes, and since a single letter often answered many questions, it frequently became book-length in size. Two important examples of such books are the Siddur of Amram Gaon , addressed to the Jews of Spain in response to a question about the laws of prayer, and the Epistle of Sherira Gaon , which sets out the history of the Mishnah and the Talmud in response to

1333-608: The latter's footsteps he traveled through Provence and Spain to strengthen religiosity among the Jews and teaching them the way to serve God. In 1240 he was one of the four rabbis who were required to defend the Talmud , in a public disputation in Paris , and it is likely that the need for a work like the Sefer Mitzvot Gadol was driven by the decrees against the Talmud which had been promulgated in France, and had led to

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1376-435: The office of head of the academy. The title became popular in use around the end of the 6th century. As the academies of Sura and Pumbedita were invested with judicial authority, the gaon officiated as supreme judge. The organization of the Babylonian academies recalled the ancient Sanhedrin . In many responsa of the Geonim, members of the schools are mentioned who belonged to the "great sanhedrin", and others who belonged to

1419-402: The respective Geonim without consulting the kallah assemblies convened in the spring. Chananel Ben Chushiel (Rabbeinu Chananel) (990–1053) and Nissim Gaon (990–1062) of Kairouan , though not holders of the office of Gaon, are often ranked among the Geonim. Others, perhaps more logically, consider them as constituting the first generation of Rishonim . Maimonides (1135–1204) sometimes uses

1462-563: The responsa of the later geonim after the first half of the 9th century, when questions began to be sent from more distant regions, where the inhabitants were less familiar with the Talmud, and were less able to visit the Babylonian academies, then the only seats of Talmudic learning. The later geonim did not restrict themselves to the Mishnah and Talmud, but used the decisions and responsa of their predecessors, whose sayings and traditions were generally regarded as authoritative. These responsa of

1505-466: The seven allufim, who probably supervised the instruction given during the entire year by their subordinates. The members of the academy who were not ordained sat behind the seven rows of sanhedrists. Early in the Geonic era, the majority of the questions asked them were sent from Babylonia and the neighboring lands. Jewish communities in these regions had religious leaders who were somewhat acquainted with

1548-412: The time of that edition it was more difficult to trace material borrowed from Yehudai Gaon 's Halakhot Pesukot , since the original form of that work had been lost. (It has since been found: see Yehudai Gaon .) A comparison with the redaction of Yehudai Gaon's composition which has been preserved as the Halakhot Pesukot or Hilkot Re'u , showed that most of the halakhot in that recension were found in

1591-475: The work was composed about the year 825, apparently at Sura , since many explanations and usages of the Halakhot Gedolot are elsewhere cited under the names of Geonim of that place. In the course of time the Halakhot Gedolot underwent many changes. In Spain and in North Africa the legal decisions of the Geonim were incorporated into the book, and its whole appearance was so changed that gradually

1634-475: The year from all parts of the Diaspora. The requisite answers were discussed, and were finally recorded by the secretary of the academy according to the directions of the gaon. At the end of the yarchei kallah the questions, together with the answers, were read to the assembly, and the answers were signed by the gaon. A large number of the geonic responsa originated in this way; but many of them were written by

1677-557: Was Mar Rab Mar , who assumed office in 689. The last gaon of Sura was Samuel ben Ḥofni , who died in 1034 CE; the last gaon of Pumbedita was Hezekiah Gaon , who was tortured to death by zealots of the Buyid dynasty in 1040; hence the activity of the Geonim covers a period of nearly 450 years. There were two major Geonic academies, one in Sura and the other in Pumbedita. The Sura Academy

1720-733: Was a French Tosafist and authority on Halakha (Jewish law). He is best known as the author of one of the earliest codifications of Halakha , the Sefer Mitzvot Gadol . Moses of Coucy lived in the first half of the thirteenth century. His name suggests he was born or raised in Coucy in Northern France. He was a descendant of a family of distinguished scholars. He was the brother-in-law of Tosafist Shimshon of Sens and Shimshon of Coucy (HaSar MiCoucy). He studied under Judah of Paris , and Yehudah HaChasid . Following in

1763-719: Was brought to northern France, and in the 13th to Germany, where it is sometimes cited by the scholars of both countries as "Halakhot Gedolot shel Aspamia". A more recent edition, based on the Venice edition of the Babylonian recension but showing variants from other versions, was published in Jerusalem in 1991 by Ezriel Hildesheimer (grandson of the Hildesheimer who edited the Berlin edition). References to "the Hildesheimer edition" must therefore be approached with caution. Text of

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1806-630: Was originally dominant, but its authority waned towards the end of the Geonic period and the Pumbedita Gaonate gained ascendancy ( Louis Ginzberg in Geonica ). The Geonim officiated, in the last place, as directors of the academies , continuing as such the educational activity of the Amoraim and Saboraim . For while the Amoraim, through their interpretation of the Mishnah , gave rise to

1849-529: Was the author of Halachot Gedolot. Many ancient authorities, like the Geonim Sherira ben Hanina and Hai ben Sherira , and others, support Kayyara's authorship; and according to Abraham Epstein , there can be no doubt that Simeon Kayyara wrote the Halakhot Gedolot. It would also seem from the statements of these authorities that Simeon Kayyara's chief sources were the She'iltot of Ahai of Shabha and

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