View source for Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg

{{Short description|German Jewish mystic (1150–1217)}}
{{For|other people who used this name|Judah HeHasid (disambiguation){{!}}Judah HeHasid (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Jewish leader
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| name             = Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg <br />Judah the Pious
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| birth_name       = Yehuda ben Shmuel 
| birth_date       = 1150
| birth_place      = [[Speyer, Germany|Speyer]], [[Bishopric of Speyer]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age |1217|2|22|1150|df=y}}
| death_place      = [[Regensburg]], [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]]
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| father           = Shmuel 
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| children         = Moses Zaltman
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'''Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg''' (1150 – 22 February 1217<ref>''Oẓar Ṭob'', 1878, p. 045; Berliner, ''Magazin'', 1876, p. 220; ''Kerem Ḥemed'', vii. 71 [erroneously 1216]; ''Ben Chananja'', iv. 248 [erroneously 1213]</ref><ref name=je/>), also called '''Yehuda HeHasid'''<ref name=Kever.YW>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Yeshivaworld]]
   |url=https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/1512936/tziyon-of-kever-of-the-maharsha-in-ukraine-found-desecrated-photos.html
   |title=Tziyon Of Kever Of The Maharsha In Ukraine Found Desecrated [PHOTOS]
   |date=April 29, 2018}}</ref> or '''Judah the Pious''' in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], was a leader of the [[Ashkenazi Hasidim]] a movement of Jewish mysticism in Germany (not to be confused with the 18th-century [[Hasidic Judaism]] founded by the [[Baal Shem Tov]]).<ref name=Brit.Enc>{{cite web  |website=britannica.com
   |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Judah-ben-Samuel
   |title=Judah ben Samuel: German Jewish mystic |access-date=October 10, 2019}}</ref>
<!--- [[kabbalah|kabbalistic]] [[mysticism]] because it emphasizes specific prayer and moral conduct. **phrase needs better sourcing -->

Judah was born in 1150 in the small town of [[Speyer]], now in the [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Germany]], but later settled in [[Regensburg]], now in [[Bavaria]], in 1195. He wrote much of ''[[Sefer Hasidim]]'' ("Book of the Pious"), as well as a work about [[Gematria]]<ref>possibly named ''Sefer Gematriyot''</ref> and ''Sefer Hakavod'' (Book of Glory); the latter has been lost and is only known by quotations that other authors have made from it. His most prominent students were [[Eleazar of Worms|Elazar Rokeach]], [[Isaac ben Moses of Vienna]] author of ''Or Zarua'' and perhaps also [[Moses ben Jacob of Coucy]] according to [[Chaim Yosef David Azulai]].

==Biography==
Judah was descended from an old family of kabbalists from [[Northern Italy]] that had settled in Germany. His grandfather [[Kalonymus ben Isaac the Elder]] was a scholar and [[gabbai|parnas]] in [[History of the Jews in Speyer|Speyer]] (died 1126). His father [[Samuel of Speyer|Samuel]], also called ''HeHasid'' "the Pious", ''HaKadosh'' "the Holy", and ''HaNabi'' "the Prophet",<ref>[[Solomon Luria]], ''Responsa'', No. 29</ref> was president of a [[bet midrash]] in Speyer, and from him Judah, together with his brother Abraham, received his early instruction. Samuel<ref>see A. Epstein in ''Ha-Goren'', iv. 81 et seq.</ref> died while Judah was still young.<ref>idem, Jüdische Altertümer in Worms und Speier, in ''Monatsschrift'', xli. 41, 42</ref> About 1195 he left [[Speyer]] and settled in [[Regensburg]] (Ratisbon), on account of an "accident"<ref>Moses Minz, Responsa, No. 76</ref> – most probably a ritual murder accusation Feb. 13 1195 (see e.g. Israel Yuval: Two Nations in Your Womb (2006) p.&nbsp;171) and the following persecution experienced by the Jews of Speyer.<ref name=je/>

He founded a [[yeshiva]] in Regensburg and secured many pupils. Among those who became famous were [[Eleazar of Worms]], author of the ''Roqeaḥ''; [[Isaac ben Moses of Vienna]], author of ''Or Zarua''; and [[Baruch ben Samuel]] of Mainz, author of ''Sefer ha-Ḥokmah''. Eleazar applies to his teacher in several passages terms expressive of the highest esteem, such as "father of wisdom".<ref>Paris MS. No. 772, fol. 73a; comp. Epstein in ''Monatsschrift'', xxxix. 459</ref><ref name=je/>

Judah left one son, Moses Zaltman,<ref>Epstein, l.c. p. 449, note 7</ref> author of a commentary on several parts of the Bible.<ref>see Schiller-Szinessy, ''Cat. Hebr. MSS. . . . University Library, Cambridge'', p. 159</ref> Some scholars think that this Moses Zaltman, Zlatman or Blatman was in reality Rabbi Moses ben Yoel of Regensburg.<ref>אפרים אורבך ,בעלי התוספות, p. 208</ref> It has been erroneously supposed that Judah had two other sons, Aaron<ref>Luria, l.c.</ref> and David.<ref>Steinschneider, ''Hebr. Bibl.'' iv. 98; Gross, in Berliner's ''Magazin'', i. 106; Brüll's ''Jahrb.'' ix. 45; Epstein, l.c.</ref><ref name=je/>

He died on Shabbat Zachor.{{Needs citation|date=October 2024}} According to MS Guenzburg 109 f. 73r, "he was buried in the holy city of Regensburg and I, [Menahem] Ullendorf ben Naftali, visited his grave on [[Tisha B'Av|Tisha b'Av]] of [1471] and signed my name upon his tombstone."

Judah he-Ḥasid has often been confused with [[Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon]] of Paris,<ref>''Ḳore ha-Dorot'', ''Shalshelet HaḲabbalah'', ''Yuḥasin'', ''Shem HaGedolim''</ref> who is also called ''HeḤasid'', which is nothing but an honorable title usual in his age. The fact that French words are to be found in the ''Book of the Pious'' and that it reflects French conditions caused Grätz also to attribute its authorship to Judah Sir Leon HeḤasid. But the reasons given by Grätz are not tenable.<ref name=je/>
===Legends of his life===
Legend describes Judah as an excellent bowman who at the age of eighteen was ignorant of the daily prayers. When, however, enlightenment suddenly came upon him he performed many miracles. He restored fertility to a young married woman. The prophet [[Elijah]] is said to have partaken of his [[Seder]] meal and to have been seen by him in a [[synagogue]]. He miraculously prevented a Jewish child from being baptized and knew the exact year of Israel's redemption. He maintained communications with the [[Bishop of Salzburg]] and acted as seer for the Duke of [[Regensburg]].<ref>Jellinek, ''B. H.'' vi. 139; Grünbaum, ''Jüdisch-Deutsche Chrestomathie'', p. 385; Brüll's ''Jahrb.'' ix. 20</ref><ref name=je/>

==Writings==
{{Eras of the Halakha}}
It is rather difficult to determine in what the new and important departure ascribed to him by legend consisted, since the obscurity spread over his works is as impenetrable as that surrounding his life. We know little of his study of the Talmud. Occasionally a halakhic writing, ''Gan Bosem'', is quoted as his;<ref>comp. Zunz, ''Z. G.'' p. 162</ref> a decision of his is found in [[Samson ben Zadok]]'s ''Sefer Tašbaṣ'' § 219,<ref>{{cite book|author=Samson ben Zadok|author-link=Samson ben Zadok|script-title=he:תשב"ץ|url=https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=4087&st=&pgnum=33&hilite=|language=he|at=§ 219|access-date=Aug 12, 2022}}</ref><ref>Zunz, l.c. p. 566</ref> in [[Isaac ben Moses of Vienna]]'s ''Or Zarua'', and in [[Meïr Rothenburg]]'s collection of responsa;<ref>Zunz, ''Literaturgesch.'' p. 298</ref> and he is found in correspondence with celebrated halakhists of his age.<ref name=je/>

His commentary on the Torah, written down by his pupils after his lectures, was known only by citations in later commentaries.<ref>Zunz, ''Z. G.'' p. 76 et passim; Luzzatto, ''Qerem Ḥemed'', vii. 71; ''Oẓar Ṭob'', 1878, p. 045</ref><ref name=je/> Yet, in 1975, Rabbi I. S. Langa has published Judah's commentary on the [[Pentateuch]], but he was forced to publish a second censored edition, due to claims about [[Interpolation (manuscripts)|interpolations]] and modifications made in the [[composition of the Torah]] (on Gen. 48:20; Lev. 2:13; Deu. 2:8).<ref>ישראל מ. תא-שמע, על ביקורת המקרא באשכנז בימי הביניים, עמ' 273, כנסת מחקרים: עיונים בספרות הרבנית בימי הביניים, כרך א : אשכנז</ref><ref name="Viezel 2015">Eran Viezel, ‘R. Judah HeHasid or R. Moshe Zaltman: Who Proposed that Torah Verses Were Written After the Time of Moses?,’ Journal of Jewish Studies 66 (2015), pp. 97-115 </ref> Eran Viezel has argued that these claims were made by R. Moshe Zaltman, the son of R. Judah he-Hasid, rather than Judah himself.<ref name="Viezel 2015"/>

===Liturgy===
He composed liturgical songs, but the authenticity of those attributed to him is uncertain. As regards his ''Shir Hayichud'' (seven parts; the eighth is called ''Shir HaKavod''), printed in Tiengen, 1560,<ref>Steinschneider, ''Cat. Bodl.'' No. 3313; translated into German in S. Heller's ''Die Echten Hebräischen Melodien'' (ed. Kaufmann)</ref> there is very great divergence of opinion, and the question of its authorship is still undecided. According to Zunz,<ref>''Literaturgesch.'' p. 300</ref> it seems to be genuine, as do also his prayer ''Yechabeh Dim`ati'' and his [[selichot|selicha]] ''Gadol Yichudcha Elohim Beyisrael''. More probably, according to the sources,<ref>see ''Siddur Hegyon Lev'', p. 529, Königsberg, 1845</ref> his father, or a certain Samuel Ḥazzan, who died as a martyr at [[Erfurt]] in 1121, composed the ''Shir ha-Yiḥud'', and Judah himself wrote a commentary on it.<ref>Landshuth, '' 'Ammude Ha'Abodah'', p. 77; Epstein, in ''Ha-Goren'', iv. 98</ref> Several prayers are erroneously attributed to Judah; e.g., Zunz wrongly ascribes to him the alphabetical ''teḥinnah'' ''Ezkera Yom Moti''.<ref>Steinschneider, l.c.; Landshuth, l.c.</ref> He wrote also commentaries on several parts of the daily prayers and on the Maḥzor.<ref>Zunz, l.c. p. 301; comp. also Epstein, l.c. pp. 91, 95 et seq.</ref><ref name=je/>

Judah collected the notes of travel of his fellow citizen [[Petachiah of Regensburg]], though incompletely and without any order.<ref>Zunz, in Asher's ''Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela'', ii. 253</ref> His chief literary work was an ethical and mystical one. Undoubtedly genuine is his ''Sefer HaKavod'', which is mentioned by his pupils. Although there is some doubt,<ref>comp. Moses Brück, ''Rabbinische Ceremonialgebräuche in Ihrer Entstehung'', pp. 68 et seq., Breslau, 1837; Abrahams, Ethical Wills, in ''J. Q. R.'' iii. 472</ref> it is generally accepted that the person who wrote  [[ethical will]] ''Tzava'at Rabbi Yehudah Hechasid'', printed in 1583 and translated into Judæo-German, Prague, seventeenth to eighteenth century was Harav Yehuda HeChasid Shapiro.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.thehalacha.com/attach/Volume3/Issue7.pdf|author=Moishe Dovid Lebovits|title=The Will of Rav Yehuda Hachasid|magazine=Halachically Speaking|volume=3|issue=7|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110708115422/http://www.thehalacha.com/attach/Volume3/Issue7.pdf|archive-date=July 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> This testament contained regulations regarding the dead (§§ 1-15), the building of houses (§§ 16-21), matrimony (§§ 22-32), prohibited marriages between stepbrothers and stepsisters and between cousins, and various customs and superstitious prescriptions (§§ 33-end).<ref name=je/>

He was also a student, of one of the authors of [[Tosafot]], and was the teacher of [[Meir of Rothenburg]].<ref name="Shivim">Shivim Temarim ppg. 1-1b, Toldot Rabbeinu Yehuda HeChasid</ref> He also taught [[Isaac ben Moses of Vienna]] (author of the ''Or Zarua'') and [[Moses ben Jacob of Coucy]] (author of the ''Semag'').<ref name="Shivim" /> Some say all the items in the will were written through [[Holy Spirit in Judaism|Holy Spirit]].<ref>Milei D'chasiduta, p. 39</ref> Some commentaries go so far as to say that none of the [[Timeline of the Hebrew prophets|Biblical prophets]] came to his level.<ref name="Shulchan" /> Many people are very careful with all the items listed in the will.<ref>Yufei Leleiv 3:Y.D. 240, and others</ref> Some say one who is not careful with the items in the [[tzavaah]] will have to give a ''din'' and ''heshbon'' (account).<ref name="Shulchan">Shulchan Hatohar 260:3</ref> The reason why the will is generally not brought in the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' is because the dangers mentioned in it and the [[Gemara]] are real dangers, while the items in the will are not real dangers, but things which one must distance himself from.<ref>Shiva Enayim Ein 3</ref>

There are also ascribed to Judah an astrological work, ''Gemaṭriot'',<ref>Azulai, ''Shem HaGedolim'', ii., No. 27</ref> handed down by his pupils and seen by [[Chaim Azulai]], and ''Sefer ha-Ḥokhmah'', on prayers and customs and the writing of scrolls of the Law.<ref name=je/>

===Sefer Hasidim===
{{main|Sefer Hasidim}}

The principal work with which Judah's name is connected is ''Sefer Hasidim''. The book contains ethical, ascetic, and mystical teachings, intermingled with elements of German popular belief. ''Sefer Hasidim'' is not a uniform work, nor is it the product of one author.<ref name=je/> Parts of it have been attributed to [[Samuel of Speyer]] and [[Eleazar of Worms]], as well as to Judah himself.

==Mysticism==
The precise importance of Judah ben Samuel is somewhat difficult to determine. Side by side with the official, dogmatic religion of the Synagogue there has always existed a mysticism dealing more largely and more intimately with the personal relation of the individual to God, which at times was in opposition to the religion of the Synagogue. Judah's mysticism was in such a stage of opposition; he therefore undervalued the study of the Halakhah and indulged in marked departures from the accepted religious practises. He endeavored to deepen the feeling of devotion and piety and emphasized the importance of studying the Bible rather than studying the Talmud. He deals mystically with prayer, regarding it as more important than study. It was really he who introduced [[Theosophy (history of philosophy)|theosophy]] among the Jews of Germany. The occasional quotations from his ''Sefer HaKavod'' present the salient points of his views.<ref name=je/>

The conception of a personal relation to the Lord was long since felt by Jewish thinkers to be inconsistent with His spiritual nature. Judah and his school, therefore, though not the first ones, distinguished between the Divine Being (''Etzem'') and the Divine Majesty (''Kavod''). The Divine Being, called also ''Ḳedushshah'', dwells in the west, invisible to men and angels. The Divine Being is superior to all human perception. When God reveals Himself to men and angels, He appears in the form of the Divine Majesty. The Divine Majesty, then, dwelling in the east and created out of divine fire, holds the divine throne, true to its nature of representing to human eyes the Divine Being. The throne is draped on the south, east, and north, while it is open to the west in order to allow the reflection of the Divine Being dwelling in the west to shine upon it. It is surrounded by the heavenly legions of angels, chanting to the glory of the Creator.<ref>Epstein, in ''Ha-Ḥoḳer'', ii. 37 et seq.</ref><ref name=je/>

Lacking the philosophic training common among the Spanish Jews – although he was acquainted with [[Abraham Ibn Ezra|Ibn Ezra]], [[Saadia Gaon|Saadia]], some of the [[Karaite (Jewish sect)|Karaites]], and perhaps [[Maimonides]] – Judah did not reduce his mystic-theosophical theories to a system, and they are therefore difficult to survey. His intellectual importance is on the whole not clear.<ref>comp. Güdemann, ''Gesch.'' pp. 153 et seq., 167 et seq.; Jew. Encyc. iii. 465, s.v. Cabala</ref> Zunz  says of him: "To vindicate whatever is noble in human endeavors, and the highest aspirations of the Israelite, and to discover the inmost truths alluded to in the Sacred Books, seemed to be the ultimate purpose of a mind in which poetic, moral, and divine qualities were fused."<ref>Zunz, ''Z. G.'' p. 125</ref><ref name=je>{{JewishEncyclopedia|inline=1|article=Judah ben Samuel he-Ḥasid of Regensburg|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=J&artid=658|author=[[Kaufmann Kohler]] and [[Max Schloessinger]]}} Its bibliography:
* [[Julius Fürst]], ''Bibl. Jud.'' i. 169;
* [[S. A. Wertheimer]], ''Sefer Leshon Hasidim'', two parts, Jerusalem, 1899;
* Reifmann, in ''Oẓar Ṭob'', 1885, pp.&nbsp;26 et seq.
</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Judah Ben Samuel Of Regensburg}}
[[Category:13th-century German philosophers]]
[[Category:Philosophers of Judaism]]
[[Category:Medieval Jewish philosophers]]
[[Category:13th-century German rabbis]]
[[Category:Rabbis from Regensburg]]
[[Category:German male writers]]
[[Category:1150 births]]
[[Category:1217 deaths]]
[[Category:Authors of books on Jewish law]]
[[Category:Rabbis from Speyer]]
[[Category:12th-century German philosophers]]