Isaac ben Judah of Mainz () was a

Talmudist The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

of the eleventh century; teacher of Solomon ben Isaac (

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

). He was a native of

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

("''Ha-Pardes''," 35a), but settled early in life in Germany, where he studied under Eleazar ha-Gadol. Isaac occupied successively the positions of head of the rabbinical schools of

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

and

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

; it was in the latter place that he became the teacher of Rashi. Isaac was one of the greatest Talmudic authorities of his time, and his name is frequently mentioned in rabbinical literature. He was the author of commentaries on the Talmud, some of which are cited by Rashi ( Ber. 39a, 57a; R. H. 28a); and his

responsa ''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 i ...

are scattered in the "''Pardes ha-Gadol''", the "''Liḳḳuṭe Pardes''", the , the , the "''Mordekai''", and the responsa of

Meir of Rothenburg Meir of Rothenburg ( 1215 – 2 May 1293) was a German Rabbi and poet, as well as a major contributing author of the ''tosafot'' on Rashi's commentary on the Talmud. He is also known as Meir ben Baruch (), and by the Hebrew language acr ...

. In a French

Maḥzor The ''machzor'' (, plural ''machzorim'', and , respectively) is the prayer book which is used by Jews on the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many Jews also make use of specialized ''machzorim'' on the three pilgrimage festivals ...

manuscript quoted by

Leopold Zunz Leopold Zunz (—''Yom Tov Tzuntz'', —''Lipmann Zunz''; 10 August 1794 – 17 March 1886) was the founder of academic Judaic Studies ('' Wissenschaft des Judentums''), the critical investigation of Jewish literature, hymnology and ritual. Nah ...

("''Zur Geschichte und Literatur''" p. 622), Isaac is mentioned as having been at one time head of the rabbinical school of Paris; this, however, is highly improbable.
''Jewish Encyclopedia'' bibliography: * Weiss, ''Dor'', iv. 319; *

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, ''Or ha-Ḥayyim'', p. 502; * Gross, ''Gallia Judaica'', pp
295507

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac ben Judah 12th-century French rabbis People from the duchy of Lorraine Talmudists Place of death unknown Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown