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David Abudarham (fl. 1340) (Hebrew:ר׳ דָּוִד אַבּוּדַרְהָם), referred to asAbudarham,[1] Abudraham, or Avudraham,[2][3] was arishon who lived inSeville in the 14th century and was known for hiscommentary on thesiddur.
He is said to have been a student ofJacob ben Asher (son ofAsher ben Yechiel). This view originates inChaim Yosef David Azulai'sShem Gedolim. Abudarham gives full citations of authority up to and including Jacob ben Asher. He also mentions that he lived at Asher ben Jehiel's house, and was a "friend" of Jacob ben Asher. Fromthe article about Abudraham from Wikipedia in French it appears that he is likely a student of Rabbi Asher ben Yehiel instead, since he quotes him quite often, but never Rabbi Jacob ben Asher.
He is believed to be the ancestor ofSolomon Abudarham (d. 1804),Chief Rabbi of Gibraltar.[4]
Abudarham belonged to the class of writers who, in an age of decline, felt the need of disseminating in popular form the knowledge stored up in various sources of rabbinical literature. His book, popularly known asSefer Abudarham, has no specific title beyond the nameחיבור פירוש הברכות והתפילותḤibbur Perush haBerakhot vehaTefillot, ("Commentary on the Blessings and Prayers"), probably because it was intended to serve as a running commentary to the liturgy. In the preface he states that he desired to afford the people, whom he found lacking in knowledge, the means of using the liturgy intelligently, and for this purpose he collected, from both theBabylonian and theJerusalem Talmuds, from theGeonim and all the commentators down to his own time, the material for the explanation of each portion of the prayer-book. In order to elucidate the meaning and origin of each observance connected with divine worship throughout the year, he made use of all the works concerning the rites he could obtain, some of which were very rare. In addition he gave a systematic exposition of theHebrew calendar, but at the same time, he lays no claim to any originality. He certainly succeeded, as no one did before him, in writing a commentary which is very valuable, if not altogether indispensable, to the student of Jewish ritual.
Though he believed (like most of his contemporaries) in the mystical sense of words and numbers, he combined a fair grammatical knowledge, good common-sense, and a comprehensive rabbinical erudition. Thus, he was better qualified than many of his predecessors to give a satisfactory explanation of almost every phrase of the prayer-book. The work started byRashi andMeir of Rothenburg, and continued especially inFrance,Spain, andGermany during the 14th century,[5] found in Abudarham's profound spirituality and wise judgment a fitting conclusion and consummation.
His work quotes frequently from the early work on prayer byJudah ben Yakar.[6]
Three introductory chapters on the reading of theShema,Shacharit, and the various blessings precede the commentary, which begins withMaariv, and then follows the order of the prayer-book, chiefly of theSephardicminhag, from beginning to end: first the Daily Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Prayers: then theShabbat, theRosh Chodesh, and thePassover Prayers (including theHaggadah). Considerable space is given to the prayers of theTa'anit in general, besides those of the national fast-days in commemoration ofJerusalem; then followRosh Hashanah andYom Kippur andSukkot prayers. This section is followed by a chapter on theHafṭarot, and then follow one on the calendar and a special discourse on theTequfot and the superstitious belief concerning it.
The last section covers, in nine chapters, the various blessings, for example those recited before and after meals. The closing paragraph quite characteristically contains the rules regarding the cutting of nails, and ends by stating: "This book was completed in Seville in 5100 [1339 CE] after the Creation of the World, by Abudarham." In the manner of an eclectic he frequently states, or suggests, many explanations for one fact; but a certain warmth of religious feeling pervades the whole book and makes it a harmonious unit, giving it an edifying, rather than a merely legal, character.
That the work supplied a commonly felt need is shown by its nine editions. The first edition appeared inLisbon in 1489 (which was reprinted in Morocco as the first printed book in Africa[7]); the second inConstantinople in 1513; the third and fourth inVenice in 1546 and 1566 respectively; the fifth inAmsterdam in 1726 (in this a portion of the calendar was omitted); the sixth and seventh inPrague in 1784 and 1817 respectively; the eighth inLviv in 1857; and the ninth inWarsaw in 1877. A manuscript exists in the Friedländer Library atSaint Petersburg.
.. Pesach Haggadah .. AVUDRAHAM: ..
in the Artscroll , in the name of the AVUDRAHAM adds that
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Kaufmann Kohler (1901–1906)."ABUDARHAM, DAVID BEN JOSEPH BEN DAVID (or ABUDRAHIM)". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Its bibliography:
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