Rabbi Isaac ben Melchizedek | |
|---|---|
 Page from Ben Melchizedek's commentary,Kil'ayim 1:4 (Courtesy of theBritish Library) | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | c. 1090 |
| Died | c. 1160 |
| Occupation | Mishnaic exegete |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Profession | Rabbi |
| Residence | Southern Italy |
Isaac ben Melchizedek (Hebrew:יצחק בן מלכי צדק; also known by the acronymRibmaṣריבמץ; c. 1090–1160), was arabbinic scholar fromSiponto, Italy, and one of the first medieval scholars to have composed a commentary on theMishnah, of which only his commentary onSeder Zera'im survives. Elements of the Mishnaic order ofTaharot are also cited in his name by theTosafists,[1] but the complete work is no longer extant.
Rabbi Isaac ben Melchizedek was the son of an astute Italian Jewish Talmudist. Rabbi Isaac eventually moved away from his home town and settled inSalerno. He is known to have fathered at least two sons: Judah and Shiloh. It was in Salerno that Isaac's son, Judah, met with the renowned Jewish traveler,Benjamin of Tudela. Benjamin of Tudelo referred to his father, Rabbi Isaac, as "the great rabbi." In Italy, Rabbi Isaac maintained a correspondence with RabbiYaakov ben Meir, known also asRabbeinu Tam. Shiloh, his son, is mentioned inSefer ha-'Iṭṭur.[2]
FromNaples by sea to the city ofSalerno, where the Christians have a school of medicine. About 600 Jews dwell there. Among the scholars are R. Judah, son of R. Isaac, the son of Melchizedek, the great Rabbi, who came from the city ofSiponto.[3]
Isaac's Mishnah commentary is thought to have had a wide dissemination among Jewish communities throughout theMediterranean littoral and Egypt, as some of his words are cited and argued against by great Jewish scholars inFostat[4] and inPosquières.[5][6] RabbiAbraham b. David of Posquières referred to Rabbi Isaac by the epithet,Ha-Rav ha-Yevani, meaning, "the Grecian rabbi," seeing that part of southern Italy was at that time underByzantine influence. Rabbi Isaac's work is also widely cited bySolomon Sirilio where, occasionally, he decides in favor of Isaac's interpretation of a passage in the Mishnah over that of the later scholar,Maimonides. Both,Ishtori Haparchi and RabbiChaim Joseph David Azulai, make mention of him in their writings.[7][8] RabbiMeir of Rothenburg mentions him with respect to teachings in MishnahKelim 8:6;Nega'im 11:1.[7]
Rabbi Isaac's commentary ofSeder Zera'im has been printed in the 1890Romm Wilna edition of theBabylonian Talmud. In most editions of theBerakhot tractate, his commentary onSeder Zera'im appears in its entirety. The portion of Rabbi Isaac's Mishnah commentary ofBikkurim 2:4, unto the end of the tractate, is of special importance, as it has been printed inShimshon of Sens's commentary of the Mishnah where he left no commentary of his own.[7] In Rabbi Isaac ben Melchizedek's commentary, besides citing from the two Talmuds, he frequently makes use of other classical rabbinic sources, such as theTosefta, theSifra on Leviticus,Sifrei Zuṭa on the Book of Numbers, theAramaic Targum, theSeder 'Olam, theSefer Arukh of RabbiNathan ben Jehiel of Rome, the commentary written by RabbiHai Gaon on the Mishnaic orders ofZera'im andṬaharot, as well as cites elements taken from R.Nissim'sSefer Mafteaḥ ("The book of the key to unlocking the Talmud").
Two manuscripts exist of Isaac ben Melchizedek's Mishnah commentary, one at theBodleian Library in Oxford (no. 392 - [Michael 203]), written on paper and copied in the 16-17th century, containing all ofSeder Zera'im; the other is housed at theBritish Library (Or 6712), formerly the British Museum, written on parchment and also containing all ofSeder Zera'im.
Rabbi Isaac's Mishnah commentary was published and edited by Nisan Meir Zaks (q.v. N.M. Zaks) in 1975,laureate of the "Rav Kook Award" for original Torah literature. When read in conjunction with other commentaries, it is an indispensable source for helping scholars understand thediachrony of theHebrew language, especially in its use of Greekloan words, and how that some words have changed in meaning over the course of two millennia.[Note 1] Rabbi Isaac's method of elucidating the Mishnah is concise, resembling that ofRashi's commentary on theTalmud. His commentary is unique in that he not only employs in his commentary Aramaic words to elucidate the text, but also Arabic, Greek, Latin and Italian words, written in Hebrew characters.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore (1901–1906)."Isaac ben Melchizedek of Siponto". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.