Isaac ben Dorbolo was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, about 1150. He traveled much, and knew Poland, Russia, Bohemia, France, and Germany from his own observations. Some time after 1140 he visited

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 ...

Ramerupt Ramerupt () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Population Personalities * Meir ben Samuel (1060-1135), also known as The RaM, French rabbi and tosafist * Rashbam, medieval rabbi and scriptural commentator * Rabbe ...

. In

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany, a city ** Worms (electoral district) * Worms, Nebraska, U.S. *Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy Arts and entertai ...

, where he remained for some time, he reports having seen a ''

responsum ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars ...

'' from the rabbis of Palestine in answer to a question addressed to them in 960 (at the time of

Emperor Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the oldest son of Henr ...

) by the

Rhenish The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

rabbis concerning the reported appearance of the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

. Though this responsum is mentioned in different sources, its historical character has been questioned. Several additions to the

Maḥzor Vitry Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry ( he, שמחה בן שמואל מויטרי; died 1105) was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries, pupil of Rashi, and the compiler of ''Machzor Vitry''. He lived in Vitry-le-François. ''Machzor Vitry'' ' ...

are in the name of Isaac Dorbolo; he is not the compiler of the Maḥzor, as Charles Taylor supposes. They are indicated either by the author's full name or by a simple ת (= Tosefet). According to

Leopold Zunz Leopold Zunz ( he, יום טוב צונץ—''Yom Tov Tzuntz'', yi, ליפמן צונץ—''Lipmann Zunz''; 10 August 1794 – 17 March 1886) was the founder of academic Judaic Studies ('' Wissenschaft des Judentums''), the critical investigatio ...

, Isaac's father is identical with the correspondent of

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 compr ...

and the martyr of the First Crusade of the same name; but this is chronologically impossible. Rapoport wrongly connected Isaac with Rabbi

Isaac of Ourville Isaac of Ourville ( he, ''Yiṣḥaq me-Orvil'', ) was a medieval French rabbi, author of the as yet unpublished ''Menahel'', a book of ''halakha'' (Jewish ritual law). Isaac appears to have been a contemporary of Perez of Corbeil (died ); Is ...

, author of the lost ''Sefer ha-Menahel''; and

Solomon Marcus Schiller-Szinessy Solomon Marcus Schiller-Szinessy, sometimes Solomon Mayer Schiller-Szinessy (23 December 1820, Budapest, Hungary - 11 March 1890, Cambridge) was a Hungarian rabbi and academic. He became the first Jewish Reader in Talmudic and Rabbinic Literature a ...

, with

Isaac of Russia Isaac of Chernigov was a Jewish scholar in the Kievan Rus' of the twelfth century, frequently consulted by his contemporaries on questions of Biblical exegesis. He is probably identical with Isaac of Russia, found in the English records of 1181. His ...

. Isaac is also mentioned in the ''

Sefer Asufot Sefer ha-Asuppot (Hebrew: ספר האסופות; lit. "Book of the collections") is the name of a compilation of medieval German Jewish Halakha and Minhagim, the manuscript of which is privately held by David H. Feinberg of New York (fragments fro ...

'', in '' Shibbolei haLeket'', and in ''

Kol Bo ''Kol Bo'' (Hebrew: כל-בו, "all is in it") is a collection of Jewish ritual and civil laws. Its author has not yet been ascertained. The work in content resembles other codes, as, for instance, the ''Orḥot Ḥayyim'', though in its form it is ...

''."Monatsschrift," xli. 307.

References

Its bibliography: *Gross, in Berliner's Magazin, x. 75; *''Introduction to the Maḥzor Vitry'', ed. Hurwitz
p. 36
*Perles, in Grätz Jubelschrift, p. 31; *Berliner, ib., pp. 176, 177; *Epstein, in Monatsschrift, xli. 307; * Charles Taylor, Appendix to ''The Sayings of the Jewish Fathers'', pp. 12 et seq., Cambridge, 1900. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac Ben Dorbolo 12th-century French rabbis French Orthodox rabbis 12th-century explorers Jewish explorers