Isaiah Di Trani
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Isaiah di Trani ben Mali (the Elder) (c. 1180 – c. 1250) (), better known as the RID, was a prominent Italian
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 ...
ist.


Biography

Isaiah originated in Trani, an ancient settlement of Jewish scholarship, and lived probably in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
. He carried on a correspondence with Simhah of Speyer and with Simḥah's two pupils, Isaac ben Moses of Vienna and Abigdor Cohen of Vienna. Isaiah himself probably lived for some time in the
Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...
. He left a learned son, David, and a daughter, with whose son, Isaiah ben Elijah di Trani, he has often been confounded.


Works

Isaiah was a very prolific writer. He wrote: ''Nimmukim'' or ''Nimmukei Homesh,'' 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 ...
, consisting mainly of glosses on
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 ...
which show him to have been, as Güdemann says, an acute critic rather than a dispassionate
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 ...
. The work has been printed as an appendix to Azulai's ''Penei Dawid'' (Leghorn, 1792); extracts from it have been published in Stern's edition of the Pentateuch (Vienna, 1851) under the title ''Peturei Tzitzim'' and Zedekiah ben Abraham, author of ''Shibbolei haLeket'' and a pupil of Isaiah, composed glosses on it in 1297. As regards other Bible commentaries ascribed to him, see Isaiah di Trani the Younger. Isaiah also wrote an introduction (''petiḥah'') to a '' seliḥah'' beginning with איכה שפתי, which has been metrically translated into German by Zunz. Isaiah's chief importance, however, rests upon the fact that he was the most prominent representative of Talmudic scholarship in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. He wrote commentaries on almost the whole Talmud, in the form of ''
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 ...
,'' ''ḥiddushim'' (''novellae''), or ''pesakim'' (decisions). Of his ''tosafot'' the following have been printed: those to '' Kiddushin,'' in the Sabbionetta (1553) edition of that treatise; on '' Ta'anit'' and ''Kiddushin,'' in Eleazar ben Aryeh Löw's ''Einei haEdah'' (Prague, 1809); on '' Baba Batra,'' '' Baba Kamma,'' '' Baba Metzia,'' '' Avodah Zarah,'' '' Hagigah,'' ''
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
,'' ''
Niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...
,'' ''
Eruvin An eruv is a religious-legal enclosure which permits carrying in certain areas on Shabbat. Eruv may also refer to: * '' Eruvin (Talmud)'', a tractate in ''Moed'' * Eruv tavshilin ("mixing of cooked dishes"), which permits cooking on a Friday H ...
,'' ''
Rosh haShanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...
,'' '' Yoma,'' '' Sukkah,'' '' Megillah,'' '' Mo'ed Katan,'' '' Pesahim,'' '' Bezah,'' '' Nedarim,'' and '' Nazir,'' in the two collections ''Tosafot R. Yeshayahu'' (Lemberg, 1861, 1869). Some extracts are also contained in
Bezalel Ashkenazi Bezalel ben Abraham Ashkenazi () ( 1520 – 1592) was a rabbi and talmudist who lived in Ottoman Israel during the 16th century. He is best known as the author of the ''Shitah Mekubetzet'', a commentary on the Talmud. Among his disciples were ...
's ''Shittah Mekubbetzet.'' Of his ''pesakim'' there have been printed those on ''Rosh haShanah,'' ''Hagigah,'' and ''Ta'anit,'' in ''Oholei Yitzhak'' (Leghorn, 1819); on '' Berakhot'' in N. Coronel's ''Beit Natan'' (Vienna, 1854); on ''sukkah,'' ''tefillin,'' ''tzitzit,'' and ''mezuzah,'' in ''Sam Chayyim'' (Leghorn, 1803); and some others exist in manuscript only. The author sometimes quotes the ''pesakim'' in his ''tosafot,'' from which it would seem that he composed the former earlier than the latter. As in many instances the ''pesakim'' appear to have been inserted in the ''tosafot'' by the copyists; they cannot always be distinguished. Of some of the tosafot Isaiah made two or more versions. Isaiah also wrote, under the title ''HaMachria','' halakhic discussions and decisions on ninety-two halakhic topics. The first edition of this work (Leghorn, 1779) contains also his ''tosafot'' (or ''chiddushim'') on ''Ta'anit.'' Isaiah mentions other works of his; e.g., a second commentary on the ''
Sifra Sifra () is the Midrash halakha 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 in two passages ''Sifr ...
,'' ''Kontres haZikronot,'' ''Sefer haLeket,'' and some ''
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 ...
,'' a volume of which Azulai claims to have seen in manuscript and which exist in the collection of manuscripts in
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. Isaiah possessed a remarkable clarity of expression, which enabled him to expound the most difficult topics with ease and lucidity. The same severe criticism that he passed upon such respected authorities as
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 ...
, Alfasi, Jacob Tam, Samuel ben Meir, Isaac ben Samuel (RI), and others he applied toward his own halakhic decisions whenever he changed his view. He was in favor of a more moderate interpretation of the
Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
, and he condemned the ritualistic rigor of the teachers of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. According to Güdemann, Isaiah, as a halakhic authority, had for Italy the same importance that
Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...
had for the Orient and Rabbeinu Tam for the Jews of France and Germany. He was held in very high esteem both by his contemporaries and by the teachers of the following centuries; even one so important as Isaac ben Moses of Vienna called him and Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona "the two kings of Israel"''Or Zarua,'' 1:755


References

Its bibliography: * Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i; * Abraham Berliner, ''Pletath Soferim'', pp. 8, 13 et seq.; * Moritz Güdemann, ''Gesch.'' ii.184 et seq., 320 et seq. (the best monograph on the subject); * Heinrich Grätz, ''Gesch.'' vii.160; * Moritz Steinschneider, ''Cat. Bodl.'' cols. 1389 et seq.; *Winter and Wünsche, ''Die Jüdische Litteratur,'' ii.483; * Zunz, ''Z.G.'' pp. 58 et seq., 101, 566; * Marco Mortara, ''Indice,'' p. 66; * Landshuth, ''Ammude ha-'Abodah,'' p. 134; * Fuenn, ''Keneset Yisrael,'' p. 678; *Schechter in ''J.Q.R.'', iv.95. {{DEFAULTSORT:Di Trani, Isaiah 1180s births 1250 deaths 13th-century Italian rabbis Exponents of Jewish law Authors of books on Jewish law