Samson ben Abraham of Sens (שמשון בן אברהם משאנץ; c. 1150 – c. 1230),was one of the leading French

Tosafists Tosafists were rabbis of France and Germany, who lived from the 12th to the mid-15th centuries, in the period of Rishonim. The Tosafists composed critical and explanatory glosses (questions, notes, interpretations, rulings and sources) on the Ta ...

in the second half of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th centuries. He was the most outstanding student and the spiritual heir of Rabbi Isaac ben Samuel ha-Zaken (the ''Ri''). He is referred also known as "the Rash" ( הר"ש; an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of his name) or "the Prince of Sens", and within

Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The auth ...

as "''Rashba''".

Biography

He was probably born in

Falaise, Calvados Falaise () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Geography Falaise lies on the river Ante, a tributary of the river Dives, about southeast of Caen. History The area around Falaise has bee ...

, where his grandfather, the tosafist Samson ben Joseph, called "the Elder", lived. He studied under

Rabbeinu Tam Jacob ben Meir (1100 – 9 June 1171 (4 Tammuz)), best known as Rabbeinu Tam ( he, רבינו תם), was one of the most renowned Ashkenazi Jewish rabbis and leading French Tosafists, a leading ''halakhic'' authority in his generation, and a gr ...

at Troyes and David ben Kalonymus of Münzenberg, and for ten years, together with his older brother R. Yitzhak (known as the "Ritzba"), attended the

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

of Rabbi Isaac ben Samuel ha-Zaken (the ''Ri'') of Dampierre, after whose death he took charge of the yeshiva of Sens. The

Rosh Rosh ( he, ראש, , link=no, "head" or "leader") may refer to: *Rosh (biblical figure), a minor Biblical figure, mentioned in the Book of Genesis and possibly a nation listed in Ezekiel *"The Rosh", Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel (1250–1328) a prominent ...

said of him that only Rabbeinu Tam and Rabbi Isaac ben Samuel exercised greater influence upon Talmudical studies in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

during the 13th century. The Rash sided with the opponents of the

Rambam Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah s ...

in their disputes. He kept up a lively correspondence with Rabbi Meïr Abulafia, and like him, condemned Rambams' rationalistic views on bodily resurrection and Talmudic ''

haggadah The Haggadah ( he, הַגָּדָה, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the mitzvah to each J ...

''. He also sided with Rabbi Abulafia in his objection to some of Rambam's

halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

views, and reproached Rambam for not having indicated the Talmudic sources in his ''

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...

.'' However, he did express his great admiration for the Rambam saying, "I have heard that the gates of wisdom have been revealed to him". Later on he quarreled with Rabbi Abulafia because Abulafia was offended by some of his remarks. Due to persecution of the Jews by

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

, the Rash joined 300 English and French rabbis in emigrating to Palestine about 1211. For some years he lived in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, hence he is designated "the Jerusalemite" or "Rabbi Samson of the Land of Israel". He died in Acre around 1230 and he was buried at the foot of Mount Carmel. Just before his death, he was the founder of the Talmudic School of Acre. This allowed

Yehiel of Paris Yechiel ben Joseph of Paris or Jehiel of Paris, called Sire Vives in French ( Judeo-French: ) and Vivus Meldensis ("Vives of Meaux") in Latin, was a major Talmudic scholar and Tosafist from northern France, father-in-law of Isaac ben Joseph of Cor ...

, among others, to settle in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

after the trial of the Talmud in 1240 and a new expulsion of the Jews of France.

Works

He authored many ''tosafot'', abridged by

Eliezer of Touques Eliezer (ben Solomon) of Touques was a French tosafist, who lived at Touques in the second half of the thirteenth century. He abridged the tosafot of Samson of Sens, Samuel of Évreux, and many others, and added thereto marginal notes of his own, ...

. They are fundamentally important, the principal sources for the interpretation of the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

. In addition to the many ''tosafot'' he composed, he also authored a commentary on two of the

Mishnaic The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

orders, ''

Zeraim Seder Zeraim ( he, סדר זרעים, Seder Zra'im, lit. "Order of Seeds") is the first of the six orders, or major divisions, of the Mishnah, Tosefta, and the Talmud, and, apart from the first tractate which concerns the rules for prayers and bles ...

'' and ''

Tohorot ''Tohorot'' (Hebrew: טָהֳרוֹת, literally "Purities") is the sixth and last order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud). This order deals with the clean/unclean distinction and family purity. This is the longest of the orders in t ...

.'' He frequently refers therein to the ''

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...

,'' to which he devoted more attention than any of his predecessors or contemporaries, and to the older compilations ''

Tosefta The Tosefta ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: תוספתא "supplement, addition") is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah. Overview In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah ( ...

,'' '' Mechilta,'' ''

Sifra Sifra ( Aramaic: סִפְרָא) is the Halakhic midrash to the Book of Leviticus. It is frequently quoted in the Talmud, and the study of it followed that of the Mishnah. Like Leviticus itself, the midrash is occasionally called "Torat Kohanim ...

,'' and ''

Sifre Sifre ( he, סִפְרֵי; ''siphrēy'', ''Sifre, Sifrei'', also, ''Sifre debe Rab'' or ''Sifre Rabbah'') refers to either of two works of '' Midrash halakha'', or classical Jewish legal biblical exegesis, based on the biblical books of Number ...

,'' and he tries to reconcile the discrepancies between them and the ''

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

.'' He refers to

Nathan ben Jehiel Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome (Hebrew: נתן בן יחיאל מרומי; ''Nathan ben Y'ḥiel Mi Romi'' according to Sephardic pronunciation) ( 1035 – 1106) was a Jewish Italian lexicographer. He authored the Arukh, a notable dictionary of Talmud ...

, to

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...

, to Rabbi

Isaac ben Melchizedek Isaac ben Melchizedek (; also known by the acronym Ribmaṣ ; c. 1090–1160), , was a rabbinic scholar from Siponto, Italy, and one of the first medieval scholars to have composed a commentary on the Mishnah, of which only his commentary on '' S ...

Siponto Siponto ( la, Sipontum, grc-gre, Σιπιούς) was an ancient port town and bishopric in Apulia, southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' ...

,e.g.

'' Kelim'' 1:1, ''

Ohalot ʾOhaloth (אוהלות, literally "Tents") is the second tractate of the Order of Tohorot in the Mishnah. It consists of eighteen chapters, which discuss the ritual impurity of corpses, and the peculiar quality they have to make all objects in the ...

'' 1:2, ''

Parah Parah ( he, פָּרָה) is the name of a treatise in the Mishnah and the Tosefta, included in the order Tohorot. The Pentateuchal law (Num. ) decrees that a red heifer, "wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke," shall be burned an ...

'' 2:1 and other authorities, but never mentions Rambam's commentary, which he probably did not know. According to Jacob ben Aksai, Rabbi Samson also wrote commentaries on '' Shekalim,'' ''

Eduyot Tractate Eduyot (Hebrew: עדויות, lit. "testimonies") is the seventh tractate in the order Nezikin of the Mishnah. When, after the destruction of the Temple, it became necessary, through the removal of R. Gamaliel II from the office of patriar ...

,'' ''

Middot An interpunct , also known as an interpoint, middle dot, middot and centered dot or centred dot, is a punctuation mark consisting of a vertically centered dot used for interword separation in ancient Latin script. (Word-separating spaces did n ...

,'' and '' Dinnim'', but none are extant. He also wrote a commentary on the ''Sifra''; for this, besides other older works, he utilized the commentary of

Abraham ben David Abraham ben David ( – 27 November 1198), also known by the abbreviation RABaD (for ''Rabbeinu'' Abraham ben David) Ravad or RABaD III, was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central ...

of Posquières (Rabad), which he quotes under the designation " Hachmei Lunel" or "

Hachmei Provence Hachmei Provence () refers to the rabbis of Provence, now known as Occitania, Occitania, France that was a great Torah center in the times of the Tosafists. The phrase literally means ''the wise ones of Provence''; hakham "wise one, sage" is a Seph ...

", without mentioning the author's name. Rabbi Meïr Abulafia speaks of Rabbi Samson's father, Abraham, as a pious, saintly, and noble man. Rabbi Samson's brother, Isaac of Dampierre (Riba), also known as Isaac the Younger to distinguish him from his teacher Isaac the Elder (Isaac ben Samuel), whom he succeeded as principal of the school of Dampierre, is also one of the prominent tosafists. He wrote some liturgical poems (''piyutim'') and a commentary on the Pentateuch. He died about 1210, and Rabbi Samson attended his funeral. Both brothers are frequently mentioned in works such as ''Or Zarua,'' ''The Mordechai,'' ''Orchot Chaim'', ''SeMaG'', ''Semak'' (authored by a student of the Rash), ''Kol Bo'', ''Sha'are Dura'', ''Haggahot Maimuniyyot'', ''Terumat HaDeshen'' and similar works, and by Asher ben Jehiel and Meir of Rothenburg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samson Ben Abraham Of Sens 12th-century French rabbis 13th-century French rabbis Commentaries on the Mishnah Rabbis in Jerusalem French Tosafists Jews in the Land of Israel Exponents of Jewish law Authors of books on Jewish law