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Moses Isserles

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Moses Isserles is commonly known by theHebrewacronymforRabbiMoses Isserles, "Rema" (Hebrew:רמ״א). He is not to be confused withMeir Abulafia,known as "Ramah" (Hebrew:רמ״ה), nor withMenahem Azariah da Fano,known as "Rema MiPano" (Hebrew:רמ״ע מפאנו).
Rabbi
Moses Isserles
(Rema)
Personal
Born22 February 1530
Kraków,Kingdom of Poland
Died10 May 1572(1572-05-10)(aged 42)
Kraków,Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
ReligionJudaism
NationalityPolish
Parents
OccupationRabbi, Talmudist, andPosek
BuriedKraków,Poland

Moses Isserles(Hebrew:משה בן ישראל איסרלישׂ;Polish:Mojżesz ben Israel Isserles;22 February 1530 / 25Adar I5290 – 11 May 1572 / 18Iyar5332),[1]also known by theacronymRema,was an eminentPolishAshkenazirabbi,talmudist,andposek(expert in Jewish law). He is considered the "Maimonidesof Polish Jewry. "[2]

Biography[edit]

Isserles was born inKraków,Poland.His father,Israel ben Josef(known as Isserl), was a prominenttalmudistand independently wealthy,[3]who had probably headed the community; his grandfather, Jehiel Luria, was the first rabbi ofBrisk.(In an era which preceded the common use ofsurnames,Moses became known by hispatronymic,Isserles.) He studied inLublinunder RabbiShalom Shachna,who would later become his father-in-law. Among his fellow pupils were his relativeSolomon Luria(Maharshal)—later a major disputant of many of Isserles'halachicrulings,[4]and Chayyim b. Bezalel, an older brother of theMaharal.His first wife died young, at the age of 20 and he later established the "Rema Synagogue"in Kraków in her memory (originally his house, built by his father in his honor—which he gave to the community). He later married the sister ofJoseph ben Mordechai GershonHa-Kohen.

He returned to Kraków about 1550, establishing a largeyeshivawhere as a wealthy man, he supported his pupils. In his teaching, he was opposed topilpuland emphasized simple interpretation of theTalmud.In 1553 he was appointed asdayan;he also served on theCouncil of the Four Lands.He became a world-renowned scholar and was approached by many other well-known rabbis, includingYosef Karo,for Halachic decisions. He was one of the greatest Jewish scholars ofPoland,and was the primaryhalakhic authorityforEuropean Jewryof his day. He died in Kraków and was buried next to his synagogue. On his tombstone is inscribed: "From Moses (Maimonides) to Moses (Isserles) there was none likeMoses".Until theSecond World War,thousands of pilgrims visited his grave annually onLag Ba'omer,hisYahrzeit(date of death).

Rabbinical eras

Not only was Isserles a renowned Talmudic andlegal scholar,but he was also learned inKabbalahand studiedhistory,astronomy,andphilosophy.He taught that "the aim of man is to search for the cause and the meaning of things."[5]He also held that "it is permissible to now and then study secular wisdom, provided that this excludes works of heresy... and that one [first] knows what is permissible and forbidden, and therulesand themitzvot".[6]Maharshalreproached him for having based some of his decisions onAristotle.His reply was that he studiedGreek philosophyonly fromMaimonides'Guide for the Perplexed,and then only onShabbatandYom Tov- and furthermore, it is better to occupy oneself with philosophy than to err throughKabbalah.[7]

Isserles had several children: "Drezil (named after his maternal grandmother), wife of R. Bunem Meisels. A daughter whose name is unknown to us.... A son, R. Yehuda.... A third daughter... who is totally unknown to us."[8]He is buried in the eponymousRemuh Cemeteryin Kraków.

Genealogy[edit]

A reputed descendant ofKing DavidthroughRashi[9],he has many notable descendants, among which are included members of theMeisel family,alongside Rabbi Yakov Kuli Slonim, son-in-law of the Mittler Rebbe, the composersFelix MendelssohnandGiacomo Meyerbeer,the pianistJulius Isserlis,the cellistSteven Isserlis,the author Inbali Iserles, the mathematicianArieh Iserlesand the statisticianLeon Isserlis.

Approach[edit]

The Rema's tombstone at theRemuh Cemetery,Kraków

Isserles is perhaps best known for his halakhic works, chief among them his notes to theShulchan AruchbyYosef Karo.He is noted for his approach to customs (minhagim): "it should be remembered that R. Isserles did not regard the JewishMinhaglightly. On the contrary, he too expressed reverence and respect for it, and whenever possible endeavored to uphold it and also to explain its origin. Only, unlike many great Talmudic scholars, he refused to follow it blindly. When convinced of the unsound basis of a Minhag, he was ready to repudiate it regardless of its acceptance by the people. "[10]

Furthermore: "The Talmud is, of course, the great reservoir to which R. Isserles turns as the first step in attempting to solve a problem. The question at hand is immediately referred to an identical or similar case in the Talmud. The second step is the weighing of the opinions of the ראשונים, i.e.Alfasi(רי” ף),Tosafists,Nachmanides,etc. expanding and explaining the text. The opinion of the majority is followed by R. Isserles and even Maimonides, whom he respected very highly, is disregarded if he was in the minority. After the Rishonim, R. Isserles proceeds to examine writings of אחרונים, i.e.Mordechai,AshriandTur,and the latter is followed especially when the Tosafists agree with him. At this point, the Responsa of still later authorities are cited extensively in accordance with the well-established principle of הלכה כבתרא, paying due attention even to the opinions of contemporaries and to customs of Polish Jewry which the ב” י omitted. Thus, Isserles, in his responsa as well as in the ד” מ and his commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, served as a supplement and offered his community the code of Law adjusted to its authorities, customs, and needs. He spread the “cloth” over the table prepared by his contemporary, the ב” י. "[11]

Isserles, likeYosef Karoin theShulchan Aruch,often quotes Kabbalistic sources and opinions in his various works, and writes of his great joy upon finding that his ruling concurred with what he later found written in the "words of theZoharwhich were given atSinai... ".[4]

Writing to a friend who had become a rabbi in Germany, Isserles expressed his preference for living in Poland over Germany: "You would be better off living with us in Poland on stale bread if need be, but safe".[12][13]

Works[edit]

Isserles is renowned for his fundamental work ofHalakha(Jewish law), entitledha-Mapah(lit., "the tablecloth" ), an inline commentary on theShulchan Aruch(lit. "the set table" ), upon which his "great reputation as a halakist and codifier rests chiefly."[14]

Darkhei Moshe[edit]

Darkhei Moshe(דרכי משה) is a commentary on theTuras well as on theBeth Yosef,which is Yosef Karo's commentary on theTurand the work underlying theShulkhan Aruch.Isserles had originally intended theDarkhei Mosheto serve as a basis for subsequenthalakhicdecisions. As such, in this work he evaluates the rulings of theTur—which was widely accepted among theAshkenazimandSephardim—comparing these with rulings of otherhalakhicauthorities.TheBeth Yosefwas published while Isserles was at work on theDarkhei Moshe.Recognizing that Karo's commentary largely met his objectives, Isserles published theDarkhei Moshein a modified form. "In publishing the דרכי משה, R. Isserles rendered a great service to Ashkenazic Jewry, for he reestablished its Talmudic authorities as the deciding factor in determining a law."[15]An abridgement of the original work is published with theTur;the complete version of theDarkhei Mosheis published separately.

HaMapah[edit]

HaMapah(המפה) is written as aglossto theShulchan AruchofYosef Karo,discussing cases whereSephardiandAshkenazicustoms differ. Hamapah is the "tablecloth" for theShulkhan Aruch,the "set table". Karo had based hisnormative positionson three authorities:Maimonides,Asher ben Jehiel(the Rosh), andIsaac Alfasi(the Rif). Of these, only Asher ben Jehiel had non-Sephardicroots, having lived most of his life inGermanybefore moving toSpain,but even so, his work is largely Sephardic in orientation. Isserles thus created a series of glosses, in which he supplemented Karo with material drawn from the laws and customs (Minhagim) ofAshkenaziJewry, chiefly based on the works ofYaakov Moelin,Israel IsserleinandIsrael Bruna.

All editions of theShulchan Aruchsince 1578 includeHaMapahembedded in the text (introduced by the word: הגהHagahah,meaning "gloss" ), and distinguished by a semi-cursive "Rashi script".Isserles' HaMapah was" considered to be an interpretation and supplement to Karo's work, while also challenging its claim to universal authority by introducing Ashkenazic traditions and customs that differed from the Sephardic ones. Rather than challenge the status of the Shulhan ‘Arukh, however, Isserles established the status of the Shulhan ‘Arukh as the authoritative text. In most of the editions since 1574, the Shulhan ‘Arukh was printed with HaMapah, thus creating an interesting tension that was realized on the printed page. It was an act of integrating the Sephardic tradition and its accommodation into the Ashkenazi world, the confirmation of the authority and its undermining appearing on the same page. "[16]

The citations "indicating the sources in earlier authorities of the decisions in the annotations to the Shulchan Aruch, were not placed by Isserles. This may be seen from the fact that many times incorrect references are given. An anonymous scholar placed them at the end of each comment and gradually they have been mistaken as being indications of the author himself."[17]

Isserles' weaving "his comments into the main text as glosses, indicates, besides upholding the traditional Ashkenazi attitude to a text, that the work itself, meant to serve as a textbook for laymen, had been accepted in Rema's yeshivah at Krakow as a students' reference book. Instead of the Arba‘ah Turim, the main text for the study of posekim in the Ashkenazi yeshivah up to Rema's day, he chose to use the new book, which was free of accumulated layers of glosses and emendations, up-to-date and lucid, and arranged along the same lines as the old Turim so that it could easily be introduced into the yeshivah curriculum. This was the crucial step in altering the canonical status of the Shulhan Arukh."[18]

Today, the term "Shulchan Aruch"refers to the combined work of Karo and Isserles. This consolidation of the two works strengthened the underlying unity of theSephardiandAshkenazicommunities. It is through this unification that theShulkhan Aruchbecame the universally acceptedCode of Lawfor the entireJewish people,with the notable exception ofYemenite Jewswho still follow theRambam(Maimonides).

Ancestry[edit]

Published works[edit]

Other works[edit]

Isserles also wrote:

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Elon 1973, pg. 1122; Goldwurm 1989, p. 75
  2. ^"Jewish Virtual Library - Moses ben Israel Isserles".
  3. ^Mishor 2010, Foreword, p. 15
  4. ^abMishor 2010, p. 15
  5. ^Torath ha-Olah3:7
  6. ^Shulkhan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah, 246:4
  7. ^ResponsaNo. 7
  8. ^Siev 1943, pp. 16–17.
  9. ^Jacobi Papers, Vol 4, p. 8, B.5
  10. ^Siev 1943, p. 77.
  11. ^Siev 1943, pp. 57–58.
  12. ^Kraushar, Alexandra (1865).Historya żydów w Polsce[History of the Jews in Poland]. Warsaw: Druk Gazety Polskiéj. p. 242.Byłoby Ci lepiej życ u nas w Polsce choćby o suchym chlebie ale bezpiecznie. "[You would be better off living with us in Poland on stale bread if need be, but safe.]
  13. ^Bernard Dov Weinryb (1973).The Jews of Poland: A Social and Economic History of the Jewish Community in Poland from 1100 to 1800.Jewish Publication Society. p. 166.ISBN978-0-8276-0016-4.
  14. ^Lew 1968, p. 68.
  15. ^Siev 1943, p. 63.
  16. ^Raz-Krozkin 2006, "From Safed to Venice: The Shulhan ‘Arukh and the Censor”, p. 98.
  17. ^Siev 1943, p. 45.
  18. ^Reiner, 1997, p. 97.

References[edit]

  • Goldin, Hyman E. (1961).Kitzur Shulchan Aruch- Code of Jewish Law.New York: Hebrew Publishing Company.
  • Goldwurm, Hersh (1989).The Early Acharonim.Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications.ISBN0-89906-488-4.
  • Elon, Menachem(1973).HaMishpat Ha'Ivri(in Hebrew). Jerusalem:Magnes.
  • Elon, Menachem (1994).Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles.Philadelphia:Jewish Publication Society.ISBN0-8276-0389-4.
  • Shulman, Yaacov Dovid(1991).The Rema: The Story of Rabbi Moshe Isserles.CIS Publishers.ISBN978-1-56062-090-7.
  • Mishor (2010).Toras Hachatas.New York: Mishor.
  • Lew, Myer S. (1944).The Jews of Poland: Their Economic, Social and Communal Life in the Sixteenth Century as reflected in the Works of Rabbi Moses Isserls.London: Edward Goldston.
  • Raz-Krozkin, Amnon (2006). Chanita Goodblatt; Howard Kreisel (eds.).Tradition, Heterodoxy and Religious Culture: Judaism and Christianity in the Early Modern Period.Be'er Sheva: Ben Gurion University of the Negev Press.
  • Reiner, Elchanan (1997). "The Ashkenazi Élite at the Beginning of the Modern Era: Manuscript versus Printed Book".Polin.10.
  • Siev, Asher (1943).The Period, Life and Work of Rabbi Moses Isserles.New York: Yeshiva University, PhD. Dissertation.

External links[edit]

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