Nissim Ben Jacob (Rav Nissim Gaon, 990-1062, Hebrew: ניסים בן יעקב) was a rabbi and Talmudist best known today for his Talmudic commentary "HaMafteach", by which title he is also known. Events By Place Africa Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque begins in Cairo. Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history
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Biography
Rav Nissim studied at the Kairouan yeshiva, initially under his father - Jacob ben Nissim ("Rav Yaakov Gaon") who had studied under Hai Gaon - and then under Chushiel, who succeeded Jacob as head of the Yeshiva. Kairouan ( Arabic القيروان (also known as Kirwan, Al Qayrawan) is a Muslim holy city which ranks after Mecca, Medina Yeshiva or yeshivah (jəʃi'və ( Hebrew: ישיבה "sitting (n Hai ben Sherira, better known as Hai Gaon, was a medieval Jewish theologian Rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy Rosh yeshiva, ( pl. Heb. Roshei yeshiva; Yeshivish Rosh yeshivas) (ראש ישיבה is the title given to the dean of Nissim himself later became head of the yeshiva; in this capacity he is closely associated with Chananel son of Chushiel. Chananel ben Chushiel or Hananel ben Hushiel (חננאל בן חושיאל was a Rabbi, Talmudist and a student of one of the last Geonim. His most famous student is probably Isaac Alfasi. Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013 - 1103 - also Isaac Hakohen, Alfasi or the Rif (רי"ף - was a Talmudist and Posek (decisor Rav Nissim maintained an active correspondence with Hai Gaon and with Shmuel Hanaggid, whose son Joseph married Nissim's only daughter. Hai ben Sherira, better known as Hai Gaon, was a medieval Jewish theologian Rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy Samuel ibn Naghrela (שמואל הלוי בן יוסף הנגיד Sh'muel HaLevi ben Yosef HaNagid; أبو إسحاق إسماعيل بن النغريلة Abu Ishaq Isma'il Some consider Nissim and Chananel to constitute the first generation of Rishonim.
Works
The commentary Sefer Mafteach Manulei Hatalmud (Hebrew: "The book of the key to the Talmud"; often, simply HaMafteach) is essentially a Talmudic cross-reference. In it Rav Nissim identifies the sources for Mishnaic quotes, identifying obscure allusions to other places in Talmudic literature. The Mishnah or Mishna (he משנה "repetition" from the verb shanah he שנה or "to study and review" is a major work of Rabbinic Judaism He quotes from the Tosefta, Mekhilta, Sifre, Sifra, and from the Jerusalem Talmud, the explanations of which he sometimes prefers to those of the Babylonian Talmud. The Tosefta ( Aramaic: תוספתא is a secondary compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic The Jerusalem Talmud or Talmud Yerushalmi (תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשָׁלְמִי often the Yerushalmi for short is a collection Nissim did not confine himself to quoting references, he also discusses these in connection with the text; this work is thus also a commentary. In Literary criticism, close reading describes the careful sustained interpretation of a brief passage of text The work was written on several tractates, and is printed, in many editions, on the page itself.
R. Nissim also wrote other works, some of which have been lost, but which are quoted by later sages:
- "Siddur Tefillah", a siddur (prayerbook)
- A (now lost) commentary on the Torah
- A "Sefer ha-Mitzvot" on the commandments (now lost)
- "Hilkhot Lulav" a polemic against the Karaites (now lost)
- "Megillat Setarim": a collection of notes concerning halakhic decisions, explanations, and midrashim, primarily a note-book for the author's private use, and published by his pupils probably not until after his death. A siddur ( Hebrew: סידור plural siddurim) is a Jewish Prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense can mean the entire spectrum of Rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to This article is about commandments in Judaism For the Jewish rite of passage see Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah Mitzvah ( Hebrew: מצוה Lulav (לולב is a ripe green closed frond of the Date palm tree Polemics (pəˈlɛmɪks/ /poʊ- is the practice of disputing or controverting religious, philosophical, or political matters Karaite Judaism or Karaism (ˈkærəˌaɪt ˈkærəˌɪzəm) is a Jewish movement NOTE The word sect should not be used without defining it first and Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law Posek ( Hebrew פוסק po·ˈseq pl Poskim, פוסקים is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the
- A collection of tales, "Sefer Ma'asiyyot ha-Hakhamim wehu Ḥibbur Yafeh meha-Yeshu'ah": about sixty tales, based upon the Mishnah, Baraita, the two Talmuds, and the midrashic writings; and written at the request of Nissim's father-in-law, Dunash, on the loss of his son. The Mishnah or Mishna (he משנה "repetition" from the verb shanah he שנה or "to study and review" is a major work of Rabbinic Judaism Baraita ( Aramaic ברייתא "external" "outside" pl The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic
Literary Portrayals
R. Nissim appears as a character in A Delightful Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval Mediterranean, a novel by Burton Visotzky. Burton L Visotzky born in Chicago Illinois 1951 is a Conservative Rabbi and professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary who also studied moral development at The novel expands on the few known biographical facts (including the marriage of his duaghter). Its title, "A Delightful Compendium," derives from "Ḥibbur Yafeh. "
Bibliography
- Nissim ben Jacob ibn Shahin, tr. William M. Brinner, An Elegant Composition concerning Relief after Adversity: Yale 1977 (Yale Judaica Series vol 20)
External links
- Nissim Ben Jacob Ben Nissim Ibn Shahin, jewishencyclopedia. com
- Nissim Ben Jacob, jewishhistory. org
- Sefer ha-Mafteah, Prof. Eliezer Segal
- R' Nissim ben Yaakov z"l, torah. org
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