Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon

The Mekhilta deRabbi Shimon (Hebrew: מכילתאדרבישמעוןבריוחאי ) is a Midrash halakha on the Book of the Exode of the school of Rabbi Akiva, the " Rabbi Shimon" in question being Shimon bar Yohaï. No midrash of this name is mentioned in the ic literature Talmud, but of the medieval authors refer to a work which they call " Mekilta deRabbi Simeon bar Yoḥai, " or " Mekilta Aḥrita deRabbi Shimon, " or simply " Mekilta Aḥeret" , " another mekilta." Refer by later writers From this Mekhilta passages are cited, especially by Naḥmanides in his Pentateuchal commentary one Gen. xlix. 31; e.g. xiv. 19, xxi. 3, xxii. 12; Lev. xxiii. 24; and by R. Todros ha-Levi in his works Sefer ha-Razim and Oẓar ha-Kabod (ms. in the Königliche Hofund Staatsbibliothek, Munich; comp. Mr. H. Landauer in the East, Reads. 1845, VI. 182 and seq.).

Until the early 1900 ' S, aside from thesis quotations and nap given by some authors off the 16th century, ace Elijah Mizraḥi in his commentary one Rashi 'S commentary one the Pentateuch, R. Shem-Ṭob B. Abraham in his Migdal “OZ to Maimonides” Yad, and R. Meïr ibn Gabbai in his Tola' At Ya' aḳob (p. 63b, Cracow, 1570), the only other extract off any length from the Mekilta DER. Shimon which was known was the one published by R. Isaac Elijah Landau from has off manuscript R. Abraham Halami, ace year appendix to his edition off the Mekilta (Wilna, 1844).

There were, therefore, various erroneous opinions regarding this lost work. Zunz ( Steam Generator p. 419, note a) considered it ace has Cabalistic work ascribed to R. Simeon B. Yoḥai. Mr. H. Landauer (l.c.) identified it with the Mekilta DER. Yishmael , while J. Pearls (in Monatsschrift, 1858, pp. 145 and seq.) held that the medieval authors applied the name " Mekilta DER. Shim' on" merely to his maxims which were included in the Mekilta DER. Yishmael , since separate sentences could Be called " mekilta". Mr. Friedmann was the first to maintain, in his introduction to the Mekilta off R. Ismael (pp. 54 and seq., Vienna, 1870), that, in addition to R. Ishmael' S work, there has Halakic midrash to Exodus by R. Simeon, which was called the " Mekilta DER. Shim' one, " and that this Mekilta formed share off the Sifre mentioned in the Talmud Babli (Sanh. 86a; Ber. 47b; Meg. 28b; Ḳid. 49a; Sheb. 41b); Ḥag. 3a).

This assumption off Friedmann' S was subsequently confirmed by the publication off has Geonic Responsum (A. Harkavy, Teshubot ha-Ge' onim, p. 107, No 229, Berlin, 1888), where has Baraita from the Sifre of-Be Rab to Exodus is quoted, which is the same passage ace that cited by Naḥmanides from the Mekilta DER. Shimon B. Yoḥai , in his commentary one e.g. xxii. 12. This extract designates the work off R. Ishmael ace the " Mekilta off Palestine, " in contradistinction to R. Simeon B. Yoḥai' S Midrash. It is clear, therefore, that the Mekilta off R. Simeon was implied in the title Sifre of-Be Rab (comp. D. Hoffmann, Einleitung in die Halachischen Midraschim, p. 46); and it is mentioned in the Midrash Tehillim (ED. S. Buber, Wilna, 1891), p. 252 (comp. Buber' S notes there), under the Hebrew name Middot R. Shim' one B. Yoḥai.

Possible It is also that Simeon himself intended to refer to his midrash in his saying: " Learn my middot" (Giṭ. 67a). The Judean sources, the Yerushalmi and the Haggadic Midrashim, introduce Baraitot from this Mekilta with the sentence, " Teni R. Shim' on" = " R. Simeon has taught" (comp. Friedmann, introduction to his edition off the Mekilta, pp. 55 and seq.; Hoffmann, l.c p. 48). The phrases " Tena of-Be R. Shim' on" is extremely rare, however, in Babli, where this midrash ranks ace one off the " Sifre of-Be Rab" (Hoffmann, l.c p. 50). Many sentences off R. Simeon are quoted there in the name off his its Eleazar, so that Hoffmann has very plausibly concluded (l.c p. 51) that Eleazar edited his father' S midrash.

Current status

The Mekilta DER. Shim' one has disappeared, goal summons extracts from it cuts been preserved in the collection known ace Midrash ha-Gadol , ace I. Lewy first pointed out ( Ein Wort über die Mechilta of the R. Simon ). Thesis fragments cuts been collected by D. Hoffmann and published under the title Mechilta of the R. Simon B. Jochai in the Hebrew monthly Ha-Shovels (flights. I. to iv., passim).

This Mekilta compiled from the Midrash ha-Gadol preserve abundant material from the earliest Scriptural commentaries, quoting, for authority, has sentence from the Doreshe Reshumot one e.g. xxi. 12 ( Ha-Shovels, III. 258) which is found nowhere else. It contains also much from post-Talmudic literature (comp. Hoffmann, l.c p. 387, note 19), for the collector and redactor off the Midrash ha-Gadol had has peculiar way off medieval dressingroom sentences off such authorities ace Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Aruk , and Maimonides in midrashic garb and presenting them ace ancient maxims (comp. S. Schechter, Introduction to Midrash ha-Gadol, p. 13, Cambridge, 1902). -->

Bibliography of Jewish Encyclopedia

Mr. Friedmann, introduction to his edition off the Mekilta, pp. 51-73, Vienna, 1870;
D. Hoffmann, Einleitung in die Halachischen Midraschim, pp. 45-51, Berlin, 1887;
I. Lewy, Ein Wort über die Mechilta of the R. Simon, Breslau, 1889.

External bonds

Jewish Encyclopedia article for Mekhilta of-Rabbi Shimon, by Isidore Singer and Jacob Zallel Lauterbach.

Category: Midrash halakha

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