Isaac ben Judah HaLevi () was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

exegete Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

and

tosafist The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () 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 authors of the Tosafot ...

; lived at

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

, probably, in the second half of the thirteenth century. He was the pupil of Haim of

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, commune in France * Falaise, Calvados, commune in France ** The Falaise pocket, site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, commune in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise ...

, whom Heinrich Gross identifies with Chaim Paltiel.

Works

Isaac compiled, under the title "''Pa'aneaḥ Raza''" (Hebrew: ), a commentary on the

Pentateuch The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () o ...

, in which literal interpretations ("''

peshaṭ ''Peshat'' (also ''P'shat'', ) is one of the two classic methods of Jewish biblical exegesis, the other being Derash. While ''Peshat'' is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal (direct) meaning of a text,Goldin, S. (2007). Unlock ...

''") are frequently intermingled with " Noṭariḳon" and " Gemaṭriot." The authorities quoted by Isaac are

Joseph Ḳara Joseph ben Simeon Kara ( 1065 – c. 1135) (), also known as Mahari Kara, was a French Bible exegete who was born and lived in Troyes. Biography His uncle and teacher was Menachem ben Helbo, whom Ḳara often cites in his commentaries, these quot ...

, Joseph Bekor Shor, Judah he-Ḥasid,

Eleazar of Worms Eleazar of Worms (אלעזר מוורמייזא - also מגרמייזא of Garmiza or Garmisa) (c. 1176–1238), or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, also sometimes known today as Eleazar Rokeach ("Eleazar the Perfumer" אלעזר רקח) from t ...

, Haim of Falaise, and many other tosafists. The "''Pa'aneaḥ Raza''" was first published at

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1607, from an incomplete manuscript, by Isaac Cohen, the son-in-law of Jacob Mölin. Complete copies of the work, with a postscript, and a poem containing the name of the compiler in

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

, are extant in manuscript in the

Bodleian The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

and other European libraries. Isaac wrote

Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are Middle Ages, 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 authors o ...

to the

Talmud 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 ...

, and is called "Ba'al Tosafot mi-Shanẓ" (="The Tosafist of Sens").
''Jewish Encyclopedia'' bibliography: *

Zunz Zunz (, ) is a Yiddish surname: * (1874–1939), Belgian pharmacologist * Sir Gerhard Jack Zunz (1923–2018), British civil engineer * Leopold Zunz (Yom Tov Lipmann Tzuntz) (1794–1886), German Reform rabbi and writer, the founder of academi ...

,
p. 92
*

Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (; 30 March 1816 – 24 January 1907) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist, and an important figure in Jewish studies and Jewish history. He is credited as having invented the term ''antisemitism.'' Education Mo ...

,
col. 1127
*

Neubauer Neubauer or Neubaur is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Neubauer (1831–1907), Rabbinical scholar *Alfred Neubauer, Mercedes Grand Prix racing manager * Chuck Neubauer, American journalist * Dagmar Neubauer, German athlet ...

, in '' Ha-Maggid'', 1870, Nos. 28, 29; * Renan-Neubauer, ''Les Rabbins Français'
p. 437
* Gross, ''Gallia Judaica''
p. 481

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac ben Judah HaLevi 13th-century French rabbis Bible commentators French Tosafists People from Sens Place of birth unknown Place of death unknown Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown