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Zechariah ha-Rofé

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Zechariah ha-Rofé,or "Zechariah the physician" (Hebrewacronym:Harazah=הרז "ה), also known asYiḥye al-Ṭabib,was aYemenite Jewishscholar of the 15th-century, renowned for his authorship of the work,Midrash ha-Ḥefetz,a commentary and collection of homilies on the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch) and on the readings from theProphetswhich he began to write in 1430, and concluded some years later.[1][2]The work is unique in that he incorporates thereinAristotelianandPlatonicphilosophy translated from Greek into Arabic, along with the teachings ofMaimonides(1138–1204), and the philosophical notions expressed byAbu Nasr al-Farabi(c. 870–950), whom he cites in his work.[3]The author makes use of three languages in his discourse,Hebrew,Judeo-Arabic,andAramaic,interchanging between them whenever he sees fit.[3]All sections of the Judeo-Arabic texts have been translated into Hebrew by Meir Havazelet in his 1990–1992 revised editions of the work, to accommodate a largely Hebrew-speaking readership.

In later years, Zechariah ha-Rofé also wrote a commentary on hisMidrash ha-Ḥefetzat the behest of one of his students, in an attempt to elucidate sections where the author had promised to expand more on theallegoricalsubjects he addressed but had failed to do so, calling ital-Durra al-Muntakhaba( "the Choice Pearl" ).[4][5]

In nearly all of Zechariah ha-Rofé's works, he makes use of homilies,agadotand edifying stories drawn from other rabbinic sources, such as from theMidrash HaGadol[6]and theTalmud,but which, in some cases, the sources are no longer known or extant.[3]He also cites the names of certain rabbinic sages who are not named in other rabbinic literature,[3]in addition to citing works that are no longer extant.

Background

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At the time of the composition ofMidrash ha-Ḥefetz,Zechariah lived in Masna'a Bani Qays, a small village inYemensituated betweenSan'aandDhamar,although, originally, his paternal line hailed from the city of Dhamar.[7]His birth-name is given as Yiḥye b. Suleiman al-Dhamari.[8][9]Because of his skills as a medical practitioner, he became widely known as "the Physician," besides the coincidental fact that his surname in Arabic (=Ṭabib) also denotes a physician.[3]As with many Jewish surnames, a distant relative's profession was often applied to the family name in recognition of that ancestor and his pedigree. In Yemenite Jewish custom, the name Yiḥye is often interchanged with the Hebrew name Zechariah.

During the author's lifetime, a devastatingplagueafflicted the population of Yemen, between the years 1434 and 1436, in which many of its inhabitants perished.[10][9]

Be apprised that in the year 1747 of theSeleucid era(= 1436CE), there was a very great plague, and epidemic, and death, and of the people none remained other than a few in most cities. The epidemic moved from city to city, while many of the people [that had fallen] were left unburied. It would linger in a city for a period of forty days, and after this period, it would move on. And anyone who went from a city where the epidemic had visited, he would pass-on [the disease] unto [other] people, and the people of the other city would die, and anyone who took away anything of the precious objects of the dead, he too died. Those remaining of the people became [like] kings over the city while those who had been downtrodden became rulers and those who had been poor became rich.

Midrash ha-Ḥefetz

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Midrash ha-Ḥefetz,also speltMidrash ha-Hefez,is unique among Hebrewmidrashicliterature, as it is not only a collection of biblicalhomiletic expositions,but is a commentary on difficult phrases and words of theTorah.[11]Many of these difficult words and expressions have been collected and arranged in a separate volume of Indices, published by the editor.[12]Midrash ha-Ḥefetzalso incorporates philosophical notions derived from Greek and Arab philosophers, where they were thought to be in agreement with the teachings of Israel's sages.[13]Philosophical ideas drawn from Maimonides'Guide for the Perplexedare also employed in his work.[14]In this work, Zechariah ha-Rofé also expounds on the meaning of the accompanying verses of theHaftara,in its several sections.[9]

Many of thehermeneutical principlesused in biblical exegesis are explained in the prologue ofMidrash ha-Ḥefetz.[15]

In some cases, Zechariah ha-Rofé deviates from the conventional explanation of biblical verses and offers novel explanations of his own. Thus, in the verse which says(Leviticus19:18):"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"(ואהבת לרעך כמוך‎), and where "loving one's neighbour" is traditionally understood in the context of "as one's own self," meaning, whatsoever is unpleasant to one's own self, he should refrain from doing the like of which to his neighbour, here, Zechariah explains its sense as meaning that one is to look upon his neighbour's opinion as though it were his own opinion and worthy of respect, with an emphasis on "one's neighbour being equal to himself".[16][17]

Other works

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Zechariah ha-Rofé also compiled a medicinal work in the Judeo-Arabic script, entitledKitāb al-Wajīz( "The abridged book" ), in which he opens with the unequivocal claim that the "cupping therapy(withdrawing of blood from the body by the use of suction cups)[a]andcauterization(the application of a hot iron to one's forehead)[b]are the most basic essentials of the medical practice, although a person's recovery [from his ailment] is dependent solely upon God. "[18]The former was practised in Yemen by making an incision in the lower back of the neck and withdrawing blood with the aid of small horns.[19]Kitāb al-Wajīzis divided into three primary sections: 1) The composition of the human body and its temperament, the signs of diseases and bloodletting; 2) List of different drugs, their substitutes and their effect; and 3) The list of organs and their prescription drugs. (In this last section are 40 chapters).

Nearly all of the medicinal work follows the practices prevalent in the Middle Ages, and makes use of remedies found in the works ofHippocrates(c. 460–370 BCE), ofGalen(200–129 BCE) and ofMaimonides.[20]Occasionally, however, the author brings down superstitious practices (supernatural cures) as a remedy for certain ailments, such as spitting into a frog's mouth and releasing the frog in water to abort an unwanted pregnancy, or to hang the skin of a donkey or a wolf's canine tooth and its skin to a child who is disturbed by excessive fear.[21]There is also a detailed description of charms andamuletsand of their usage in affecting healing or protection.

The medicinal work, of which only two manuscripts survive, is still in manuscript form.[22]

According toS. Schecter,other materials once comprised the workMidrash ha-Ḥefetz,such as the riddles posed by theQueen of ShebatoKing Solomon,although these excerpts are not found in the edition ofMidrash ha-Ḥefetzpublished by Meir Havazelet. Schecter published his findings in a different publication,[23]and which are now a part of the manuscript collections in theBritish Museum(with four copies: Or. 2351, Or. 2380, Or. 2381 and Or. 2382). TheBodleian Libraryat the University of Oxford (see Dr. Neubauer’s Catalogue, No. 2492) and theRoyal Libraryin Berlin also possess copies of this Midrash (The Riddles of Solomon).

InSharḥ al-Ḥibbūr(A commentary on Maimonides'Mishneh Torah), Zechariah ha-Rofé lays down thehalachicpractices prevalent in Israel in his day, and notes that, with respect to the holiday ofPassover,the custom in Yemen was for Jews to take-up 11⁄2loaves of unleavened bread (matzah) whenever eating during the entire 7 days of Passover, even on a Sabbath day.[24]

Works

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  • Midrash ha-Ḥefetz
  • al-Durra al-Muntakhaba( "The Choice Pearl" ), being a commentary on theMidrash ha-Ḥefetzwhere he elucidates difficult words[25]
  • Kitāb al-Wajīz( "The Abridged Book" ), a medicinal work
  • A midrashic commentary on theHaftara,published in a separate volume by Yehuda Levi-Nahum in 1949 (incorporated also in theMidrash ha-Ḥefetz)[4]
  • A midrashic commentary onMegillat Esther,[4]published by Yehuda Levi-Nahum[26](incorporated also in theMidrash ha-Ḥefetz,where it discussesAmalekinParashat Beshalach)[9]
  • A midrashic commentary on theBook of Lamentations[4]
  • A midrashic commentary on theSong of Songs,written in Judeo-Arabic and explainedallegorically,being a reprint of his commentary on Song of Songs taken from theMidrash ha-Ḥefetzand accompanied with a Hebrew translation.[4]Published byYosef Qafihin his book,The Five Scrolls.[3]
  • Sharḥ al-Ḥibbūr,also known asNimūqei harav Zechariah ha-Rofé(A commentary on Maimonides'Mishneh Torah,in which he explains the difficult passages of his work, and treats on Maimonides' enumeration of the 613 biblical commands; he elucidates the text by presenting a question and then answering it).[4][3][27]A rare document of this work can be seen at theNational Library of Israelin Jerusalem, Department of Manuscripts, in microfilm # F-44265.
  • A commentary on Maimonides'Guide for the Perplexed(composed in Judeo-Arabic, and entitled,Sharḥ ʻalei al-delāleh)[4][28]
  • A commentary onMaaseh Merkabah,found in theBook of Ezekiel,entitledPirūsh al-Merkabah,orSharḥ nevū’ath Yeḥezḳel.[29]

References

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  1. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 4, note 28 (Zechariah ha-Rofé's Prologue). At Zechariah ha-Rofé's own admittance, he began to write his commentary,Midrash ha-Ḥefetz,inanno mundi5190 (הק "ץ ליצירה‎), a year corresponding with 1430 CE. A misplaced colophon appearing in another work of Zechariah ha-Rofé, a work which included theMidrash ha-Ḥefetz,shows the date 1427 as the completion of the work (see Havazelet 1990:12 [Preface] and Ratzaby 1995:23), but which can only be understood to imply that the other work was completed in that year - excludingMidrash ha-Ḥefetz.Midrash ha-Ḥefetzwould have been completed some years later, as Zechariah ha-Rofé mentions in the Torah section,Parashat Bo(Havazelet 1990:311, note 69) that in the year 1747 of theSeleucid era(corresponding with year 1436 CE) there was a plague in Yemen which devastated many of their cities' populations.
  2. ^Cf. Ratzaby (1995), p. 24, where there is a conflicting statement, relating to Zechariah ha-Rofé having completed the composition of his workMidrash ha-Ḥefetzin 1430.
  3. ^abcdefgQafih (1962), p. 13
  4. ^abcdefgMargalioth (2003), p. 462
  5. ^Qafih (1962), p. 14 (Preface)
  6. ^Fisch (1957), p. 19 (Preface)
  7. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 12
  8. ^Qafih(1989), p. 215, citingBodleian LibraryMs. 2493, entitledal-Wajīz al-mughani,at the end of its Introduction, and which work was written in Yemen in the year 1493.
  9. ^abcdRatzaby (1995), p. 23
  10. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 311 (note 69)
  11. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 16
  12. ^Havazelet (1999), pp. 74–85
  13. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 8 (Zechariah ha-Rofé's Prologue), who wrote: "Be apprised that I did not bring down here the words of the philosophers except what is agreeable to our Divine Law, or else in a way that is to strengthen [it], and it is not to be understood [thereby] that I hold to [all] their opinions. Remember this" (End Quote).
  14. ^SeeGuide for the Perplexed,Part II, chapter VI, on the discussion about "angels," and compare the same withMidrash ha-Ḥefetz,Parashat Vayeshev,Genesis 38:16 (Havazelet 1990:224)
  15. ^Havazelet (1990), pp. 9–18
  16. ^Havazelet (1990), p. 23
  17. ^Havazelet (1992), p. 125
  18. ^Tobi (1989–1990), p. 107
  19. ^Tobi (1989–1990), p. 108
  20. ^Tobi (1989–1990), p. 109
  21. ^Tobi (1989–1990), p. 110
  22. ^Margalioth (2003), p. 462; Tobi (1989–1990), p. 107 (note 16). BesidesKitāb al-Wajīz(Qafih Ms.), there is a second manuscript that was copied in the 20th-century and now preserved at theJewish Theological Seminary of America(microfilm 2672, pp. 86a–239a), and which is laden with copyist errors.
  23. ^Solomon Schechter(1890), "The Riddles of Solomon in Rabbinic Literature",Folk-Lore,1:353ff
  24. ^Qafih(2011), p. 412, note 19 (s.v.Hil. Ḥametz u'matzah8:6), citing Zechariah ha-Rofé
  25. ^Ratzaby (1995), pp. 24–25. Ratzaby brings down the full-name of this work, which was originally entitled,al-Durra al-Muntakhaba fī al-maʻānī al-ʻajibah wa-al-isrār al-gharībah[= The Choice Pearl in what concerns wonderful matters and strange mysteries].
  26. ^Levi Nahum (1971), pp. 192–201, and missing chapters 4, 5, and 8
  27. ^Ratzaby (1995), p. 25
  28. ^Ratzaby (1995), p. 27
  29. ^Ratzaby (1995), p. 28

Notes

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  1. ^Cf.Babylonian Talmud(Avodah Zarah29a), which speaks about "the incisions made for the application of suction cups," or literally "horns." Other places in the Talmud where this practice is alluded to areShabbat108b, 129a;Ketubbot39b;Sanhedrin93b;Makkot21a;Niddah67a andMoed Qatan28a.
  2. ^The application of a hot iron to the forehead of a child who was stricken with fever finds support in theBabylonian Talmud(Hullin8a), where it states: "...and the effect of the hot iron comes and removes the traces of the stroke."

Bibliography

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  • Fisch, Solomon, ed. (1957).Midrash Haggadol on the Pentateuch (Numbers)(in Hebrew). Vol. 1. London: L. Honig & Sons.OCLC1049027075.
  • Havazelet, Meir, ed. (1990).Midrash ha-Ḥefetz(in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.OCLC23773577.
  • Havazelet, Meir, ed. (1992).Midrash ha-Ḥefetz(in Hebrew). Vol. 2. Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.OCLC23773577.
  • Havazelet, Meir, ed. (1999).Midrash Ha-Ḥefeṣ - A Yemenite Midrash on the Pentateuch by Rabbi Zekharyah Ben Shelomo Ha-Rofe(in Hebrew). Vol. 3 (Indices [& Errata]). Tel Aviv: Afikim Publishing House.OCLC152713893.
  • Levi Nahum, Yehuda (1971). Greidi, Shimon (ed.).Ḥasifat genuzim mi-Teman (Revelation of ancient Yemenite treasures)(in Hebrew). Holon, Israel: Mifal Hasifat Ginze Teman.OCLC474697820.
  • Margalioth, Mordechai, ed. (2003).Encyclopedia of Great Men in Israel (Being a Biographical Dictionary of Jewish Sages and Scholars from the 9th to the End of the 18th Century)(in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Tel-Aviv: Yavneh Publishing House.OCLC52841127.
  • Qafiḥ, Yosef(1962).The Five Scrolls (Ḥamesh Megillot)(in Hebrew). Jerusalem: ha-Agudah le-hatsalat ginze Teman.OCLC927095961.
  • Qafiḥ, Yosef(1989). Yosef Tobi (ed.).Ketavim (Collected Papers)(in Hebrew). Vol. 1. Jerusalem: Eʻeleh betamar, et al.OCLC61623627.
  • Qafih, Y.,ed. (2011), "Hil. Ḥametz u'matzah",Sefer Mishneh Torah(in Hebrew), vol. 4 (Zemanim) (4 ed.), Kiryat Ono: Mekhon mishnat ha-Rambam,OCLC187478401
  • Ratzaby, Yehudah[in Hebrew](1995).Yemenite Jewish Literature - Authors and their Writings(in Hebrew). Kiriat Ono: Makhon Moshe.
  • Tobi, Yosef[in Hebrew](1989–1990). "Medical Books of Yemenite Jewry".Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore(in Hebrew). 11/12: 102–120.JSTOR23356313.(Kitāb al-Wajīzis described on pp. 106–111; 117–120)
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