Ephraim ben Isaac of Regensburg | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | Ephraim ben Isaac 1110 (1110) |
| Died | 1175 (aged 64–65) |
| Parent |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
Ephraim ben Isaac ben Abraham of Regensburg (Hebrew: אפרים בן יצחק מרגנסבורג;c. 1110 – 1175) also sometimes calledBen Yakir, was a 12th-centuryGermantosafist and liturgical poet who was known for his keen intellect, his numerouspiyyutim and for controversy refusing to recognize any post-Talmudic authority.[1][2]
Born in about 1110 inRegensburg,Germany, in his early years, he studied underIsaac ben Mordecai andIsaac ben Asher ha-Levi, later moving toFrance to study underRabbeinu Tam of whom he was an early student. On his return from France he settled in his birth-town of Regensburg, where, along with Isaac ben Mordecai andMoses ben Abraham, he established a rabbinical collegium. It was also during this time that he served as a respected member of the Regensburgbet din. Of apparent remarkable keenness of perception, Rabbi Ephraim refused to recognize, either in the theoretical or in the practical field, any post-Talmudic authority, and often, therefore, came into conflict with his teachers and colleagues. Once, after a particularly heated dispute with the rabbis ofSpeyer, Rabbenu Tam answered Rabbi Ephraim sharply stating: "From the day I have known you, I have never heard you concede a point"[3] Rabbenu Tam, however, appreciating Ephraim's selfless motives, bore him no ill will, even referring to him affectionately as "my brother Rabbi Ephraim"[4] Another time, Rabbi Ephraim tried to introduce extensive modifications to the strictPassover regulations, in spite of the protest ofRabbi Ephraim ben Joseph, whose authority he refused to recognize. However Rabbi Ephraim is probably best known for abrogating established customs and religious regulations which had been long regarded as inviolable, because he saw no reason for their existence to be found in the Talmud. Despite his controversial nature, hishalakic literature was still greatly respected and still achieved great success. He is considered by some as the greatest writer of piyyutim of his time. Over thirty two of his piyyutim are extant, many of which reflect the hardships suffered by the Jews of Germany in the Regensburg massacre of 1137 and during theSecond Crusade. He later moved on to Worms, and then back to Regensburg, where he died in 1175.[5][6]
Ephraim wrote tosafot to various Talmudic treatises, some portions of which may be found in the printed tosafot as well as in other works. He wrote a commentary onPirkei Avot and halakhic decisioning. He also apparently wrote "Arba Panim" a commentary onSeder Nezikin. Ephraim also employed the metric forms ofSephardi poetry and one of hisseliḥot is in the Sephardi festival liturgy.[6][7]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Ginzberg, Louis (1903)."Ephraim b. Isaac of Regensburg (also called Ephraim the Great)". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 190.