Simeon ben Helbo Kara was a French

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 t ...

who lived in Mans in the 11th century; brother of

Menahem ben Helbo Rabbi Menahem ben Helbo Kara (Hebrew: רבי מנחם בן הלבו קרא; 1015–1085) was an 11th-century French tosafist, who is one of the earliest commentators on the Bible in northern France. He is known for his numerous Tosafot, and halak ...

and father of

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 ...

Isaac de Lattes Isaac ben Jacob de Lattes () was a rabbi who lived in Provence. In 1372 he completed his ''Kiryat Sefer'', including two parts, ''Shaarei Tzion'' and ''Toledot Yiẓḥaḳ.'' The first is a chronicle in which he gives valuable information concernin ...

, in his ''Ḳiryat Sefer,'' counts Ḳara among the prominent French rabbis, although no work of his has survived.

J.L. Rapoport Solomon Judah Loeb Rapoport (; June 1, 1786 – October 15, 1867) was a Galician and Czech rabbi and Jewish scholar. Rapoport was known by an acronym "Shir", שי"ר occasionally שיל"ר, formed by the initial letters of his Hebrew n ...

identified him with the compiler of the Yalḳuṭ Shim'oni, on account of the similarity of some

Midrashic ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

quotations in this work with citations in

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 ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

commentary.

Abraham Epstein Abraham Epstein (; born 19 December 1841) was a Russo-Austrian rabbinical scholar born in Staro Constantinov, Volhynia. Epstein diligently studied the works of Isaac Baer Levinsohn, Nachman Krochmal, and S. D. Luzzatto, and when he traveled i ...

has, however, shown that in the manuscripts the name "Ḳara" does not occur, and in place of "Simeon" the reading "Simson" at times is found. The surname ''Ḳara'' is usually taken to be a professional name, meaning 'reader' or 'interpreter of the Bible'.

Adolf Jellinek Adolf Jellinek ( ''Aharon Jelinek''; 26 June 1821 in Drslavice, Moravia – 28 December 1893 in Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar. After filling clerical posts in Leipzig (1845–1856), he became a preacher at the Leopoldstädter Temp ...

the Austrian rabbi and historian points out, however, that ''Ḳara'', as contrasted with ''

Derash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

'', means the 'representative of the ''

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 ...

''.

References

Sources

* *

''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 ...

, Leopold, ''Gottesdienstliche Vorträge'' p. 313 ** Zunz, ''Zur Geschichte und Literatur'' p. 61 *

. ''Kerem Ḥemed'', vii. 4 et seq. * Kirchheim, in ''Literaturblatt des Orients'' iv. 253 * A. Geiger, ''Niṭ'e Na'amanim'', German part, p. 8 ** Geiger, in ''Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft'' xxviii. 300 *

I.H. Weiss Isaac (Isaak) Hirsch Weiss, also Eisik Hirsch Weiss () (9 February 1815 – 1 June 1905), was an Jews of Austria, Austrian Talmudist and historian of literature born at Velké Meziříčí, Groß Meseritsch, Habsburg Moravia. After having recei ...

, in ''Bet Talmud'', ii. 35 * Brüll's ''Jahrbücher für Jüdische Geschichte und Litteratur'' viii. 113 *

, in ''Ha-Ḥoḳer'', i. 85 et seq. * Chaim Azulai, ''Shem ha-Gedolim,'' ed. Benjacob, i.36 *

David Conforte David Conforte (c. 1618 – c. 1685) () was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title ''Ḳore ha-Dorot.'' Biography Conforte came of a family of scholars. His early instructors were rabbi ...

, ''Dore ha-Dorot'' (see index in Cassel ed.) * Frumkin, ''Eben Shemuel,'' pp. 67 et seq., 125 et seq., Vilna, 1874 * Michael, Heimann Joseph, (1891) ''Or ha-Ḥayyim'', Frankfort-on-the-Main (in Hebrew), No. 612 *

Luncz Abraham Moses Luncz (December 9, 1854 – 1918) () was a Russian scholar and editor born at Kovno, Russia. At age 14 he came to Jerusalem. Luncz, who grew blind early in life, founded, in conjunction with Dr. Koisewski, an institution for the bl ...

, in ''Jerusalem,'' ii.23-27 * Responsa of

Yom-Tov Zahalon Yom Tov ben Moshe Tzahalon (), also known as the Maharitz, ( 1559 – 1638, Safed, Eyalet of Sidon) was a student of Moses di Trani and Moshe Alshich, and published a collection of responsa. Aged twenty-five, Tzahalon was requested by Rabbi S ...

, No. 160 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kara, Joseph Year of birth missing Year of death missing French Orthodox rabbis 11th-century French rabbis