JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

eleazar ben judah of worms
outlook concerning the prospects of German Jewry. He felt
that the German Jewry of his time was but a small remnant
after the disasters of 1096 and the following years, and that
this remnant was continually diminishing. He expressed this
feeling in his introduction to the Sefer ha-Hokhmah (“Book of
Wisdom”), which was written in 1217 after the death of Judah
the Pious. He explained in this introduction that he felt compelled
to put his knowledge into writing, since oral tradition
was about to die out because of the deteriorating situation in
Germany.
His works may be divided into five categories: halakhah,
liturgical poetry (piyyutim), theology, ethics, and exegesis.
Eleazar’s halakhic book Sefer ha-Roke’aḥ (Fano, 1505; reissued
several times) followed the tradition of halakhic works of the
tosafists of northern France and Germany. The book was intended
to educate the common reader in the details of halakhic
law. Therefore, the author did not discuss at length exegetical
studies of the talmudic passages, but rather explained
the law and its talmudic basis. Unlike other halakhic works
written by the tosafists, Eleazar also includes recommended
minhagim in his work, material which is not strictly halakhic.
He drew extensively on the writings of his German predecessors
and quoted more than 40 scholars.
Eleazar wrote many piyyutim. However, a reliable record
of them has not yet been compiled. Many of his piyyutim were
attributed to other writers (also named Eleazar), and some attributed
to him were probably written by other writers. His
poems, written in the then-current Ashkenazi tradition, express
devotion to, and worship of, God. At the same time, they
protest to God because of Israel’s sufferings, and express hope
for Israel’s redemption and revenge on her tormentors.
His major theological work was Sodei Razayya (“Secrets
of Secrets”). Four parts of this work were printed, although
most of what is extant is found only in manuscripts. The first
part, a study of the creation (Sod Ma’aseh Bereshit), describes
how the earth, stars, elements, etc., were created. Eleazar wrote
this part of his work as an exegesis based on the 22 letters of
the Hebrew alphabet. This was in accordance with his belief
(derived from Sefer *Yezirah) that the alphabet, the word of
God, was the source of existence. Eleazar included in this part
ancient material from the Heikhalot and *Merkabah literature
especially the Baraita de-Ma’aseh Bereshit and Shi’ur Komah.
More than half of this part, the introduction and the letters
Alef to Nun, was included in the Sefer *Razi’el (Amsterdam,
1701). The second part of the work, Sod ha-Merkavah (“Secret
of the Divine Chariot”), deals with the secrets of the angels,
the Holy Throne, the Chariot, the Divine Voice which
speaks to the prophets, the Divine Glory revealed to them,
and the ways of revelation and prophecy in general. Eleazar
made use here of the teachings of *Saadiah Gaon, but also included
long quotations from Heikhalot literature. Most of this
part was printed by I. Kamelhar as Sodei Razayya (1936). The
third and largest part Sefer ha-Shem (“The Book of the Holy
Name”) contains very little theological discussion; most of it
is devoted to a systematic exegesis of the names of God, using
all the exegetical and homiletical methods which were used by
the Ḥasidim. Eleazar defined three layers in God’s manifestation:
(a) the Shekhinah or Kavod, which has shape and form
so it may be seen by prophets, (b) the Borei, which has a faint
shape, hears prayers, and performs miracles and wonders, (c)
El Elyon, which has no shape or form. The fourth part is a treatise
on psychology, Ḥokhmat ha-Nefesh (Lemberg, 1876). The
main problem analyzed is the various ways by which a connection
is established between the soul and the divine world.
Parts of this work discuss other problems, e.g., the meaning
of dreams, the fate of the soul after death, etc. The fifth and
last part of the work is a commentary on Sefer Yeẓirah (Przemysl,
1883) and contains detailed instructions for the creation
of a *golem. Eleazar wrote one other important theological
work, Sefer ha-Ḥokhmah, in which he described the various
fields of theological study, as well as the methods used in this
study. A major part of this work is concerned with exegesis
of Holy Names.
Eleazar’s main contribution to Ḥasidei Ashkenaz ethical
literature is contained in the first two chapters of Roke’aḥ. In
the first he discusses the central values of this Ḥasidism (love
and fear of God, prayer, humility, etc.). In the second, he describes
in detail the ways of repentance. A discussion of the
value of ḥasidic ethics is also found in Eleazar’s introduction
to Sodei Razayya.
Eleazar wrote many exegetical works, some of which
have yet to be printed, and probably quite a few are now lost.
His short commentary on the Torah, another on the Passover
Haggadah, and a few short commentaries on various piyyutim
(e.g., Ha-Adderet ve-ha-Emunah and Ha-Oḥez ba-Yad) are extant.
Eleazar’s biblical commentaries have recently been published
with annotations (Bene-Berak, 1985, 1988, and 2001;
Los Angeles, 2004). *Abraham b. Azriel, his pupil who wrote
the Arugat ha-Bosem, used his teacher’s exegetical works extensively.
Eleazar’s major work in this field, extant in several
manuscripts (Vienna 108, Oxford 1204), is the commentary
on the prayers. In this work, he comments on every part of
the usual and special prayers. He uses three methods in his
commentary: explanation of the content; theological interpretation;
and research for its hidden harmony with other parts
of sacred literature by use of gematriot. This important work
was edited and published by Hershler (2 vols., Jerusalem 1992).
Dozens of other short treatises by him or attributed to him
are scattered through manuscript libraries, and no exhaustive
bibliographical study has yet been made which could describe
the vast variety of his work. It seems that not one of Eleazar’s
pupils was able to continue his work, especially in the field
of esoteric theology. His best-known disciples, Abraham b.
Azriel and *Isaac of Vienna, dedicated their literary efforts
to other fields.
In common with other Ḥasidei Ashkenaz, Eleazar became
a legendary hero. According to a 13th-century story,
Eleazar used a cloud to travel from place to place, especially
when going to far-away circumcision ceremonies. As a pietist,
his writings reflect a shift in emphasis away from the social-
304 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 6