Simeon Shezuri ( he, שמעון שזורי), or R. Simeon of Shezur, was a Jewish Tanna sage of the fourth generation.

Biography

His surname ''Shezuri'' is either a variant of the Hebrew word ''Shezirah'' (שזירה), and thus stands for his livelihood: spinning

fiber Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorpora ...

s, or for the village he resided at: ''Shezor'' (probably in the vicinity of

Sajur Sajur (; ) is a Druze citizens of Israel, Druze town (local council (Israel), local council) in the Galilee region of northern Israel, with an area of 3,000 dunams (3 km²). It achieved recognition as an independent local council in 1992. In ...

). He was a pupil of R.

Tarfon Rabbi Tarfon or Tarphon ( he, רבי טרפון, from the Greek Τρύφων ''Tryphon''), a Kohen, was a member of the third generation of the Mishnah sages, who lived in the period between the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE) and the f ...

, and in one of the disputes over demai, he cites the ruling R. Tarfon had given him when an event occurred to him. A tomb site attributed to Simeon Shezuri is located in

. The written

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

concerning this tomb site began in early 13th century, noted by Menachem ben Peretz of Hebron who visited the area in 1215.

Teachings

His work is frequently recorded in 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 ...

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography: * Heilprin, '' Seder ha-Dorot''
ii. 365

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, 1882; *

Frankel Frankel is the surname of: * Benjamin Frankel (1906–1973), British composer * Bethenny Frankel (born 1970), American chef and reality television personality * Charles Frankel (1917–1975), American philosopher, known for Charles Frankel Prize ...

''Hodegetica in Mischnam''
pp. 131-132; *Brüll, ''Einleitung in die Mischna'', i. 138. and

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 ...

. The amoraim were divided regarding the status of his halachic rulings. Some believed that "wherever R. Simeon Shezuri stated his view, the halakha is in accordance with it" According to some views this is the case only when his opinion is recorded in the Mishnah, and according to other views, even when his opinion is cited in the

baraita ''Baraita'' ( Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings ...

. Other amoraim, such as R. Jonathan, ruled that his views are in accordance with the halakha only in two instances: writing a divorce document for the dangerously ill, and

terumat hamaaser In the Hebrew Bible, the tithe of the tithes (Hebrew: ) is a mitzvah (biblical requirement) for the recipient Levite to give to the priest a tenth (10%) of the tithe of produce that the former received from the Israelites. It applies only to agr ...

on produce that belong to an " am ha'aretz" - a "'' Demai'' tithe". This was the approach accepted by the

Rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and '' poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...

. Nonetheless, R. Shabbatai ha-Kohen showed that there are additional cases where the Rishonim ruled according to Simeon Shezuri, yet not in all instances. Shabbatai ha-Kohen,

Yoreh De'ah Yoreh De'ah ( he, יורה דעה) is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, ...

References

{{Tannaim Mishnah rabbis