JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

āb al-abwāb
Iranian Jewry’s Hour of Peril and Heroism (1987); H. Levy, Comprehensive
History of the Jews of Iran (1999), 302ff.
[Amnon Netzer (2nd ed.)]
BĀB AL-ABWĀB (“Gate of the Gates”; Persian Darband;
modern *Derbent), a pass and town at the eastern end of the
Caucasus range, where the road narrows between the mountains
and the Caspian Sea. Bāb al-Abwāb is mentioned in both
the “Letter of Ḥasdai” and the “Reply of King Joseph” (see
*Khazars), in the latter specifically as marking the southern
limit of the Khazar domain. This agrees in general with the
accounts of the Arabic geographers and historians. The latter
described Bāb al-Abwāb as guarding one of the two main
passes of the Caucasus through which the Khazars invaded
the lands of Islam. Extensive arrangements for the defense
of Bāb al-Abwāb are reported by the geographer al-Iṣṭakhrī
(tenth century). Previously, the town had more than once been
overrun from the north, though the successful Khazar attack
against Ardabil (apparently in 730), referred to in the “Reply
of King Joseph,” was made via Dariel (now Daryal).
Bibliography: Dunlop, Khazars, index; Dunlop, in: EIS2
(incl. bibl.); al-Iṣṭakhrī, Kitāb al-Masālik wa-al-Mamālik (1961),
109–10; M. Artamonov, Istoriya Khazar (1962), index.
[Douglas Morton Dunlop]
BABA RABBAH (or Baba ha-Gadol, “the Great Baba,” 4th
cent. C.E.), Samaritan high priest, eldest son of the high priest
Nethanel (300–332 C.E.). According to the dating of the Samaritan
chronicles, Baba Rabbah lived in the middle of the
fourth century C.E. He is regarded as the most outstanding Samaritan
political leader and reformer. His epithet “the Great”
distinguishes him from other high priests called Baba, before
and after his time. All information about Baba Rabbah is derived
solely from the Samaritan chronicles: the Tolidah, the
Samaritan Book of Joshua, the Kitāb al-Taʾrīkh of *Abu al-Fat,
and the New Chronicle (see *Samaritans, Literature). The last
three embellish their narrative with much legendary material.
Of special interest is the legend of the Roman agent Jarman
or Jarmūn related in the Samaritan Book of Joshua. By
the emperor’s decree, the Roman had been posted at the high
priest Nethanel’s door to prevent him from circumcising his
eldest son Baba Rabbah; but Jarman was a God-fearing man
who preferred to obey the law of the Eternal King rather than
the earthly ruler. In gratitude, the Samaritans continue to
bless his name at every circumcision ceremony at the conclusion
of a poem composed by Markah in glorification of this
act. According to the other two chronicles, however, the high
priest in this story is Akbon, Baba’s brother, who succeeded
him in office.
Baba Rabbah lived in an age of great political and religious
upheaval; pagan Rome had been succeeded by the
Byzantine Empire. This turning point, when the foreign rulers
were preoccupied with their own affairs, provided a brief
respite for the oppressed Samaritan community. Baba Rab-
bah achieved numerous victories over the Romans and some
neighboring states and time and again succeeded in driving
the enemy out of Samaritan territory. To secure the safety of
his country, he maintained an army of 3,000 men on constant
alert. After he led his people for 40 years, the Byzantine
emperor invited him to Constantinople to conclude a peace
treaty. On his arrival he was received with princely honors but
was held as a prisoner until his death.
During his rule, Baba Rabbah divided the country into
12 administrative districts, each under the leadership of a layman
and a priest. The list of these districts indicates that at
this time Samaritan communities existed in all parts of the
Holy Land. Baba founded a legislative council of three priests
and four laymen and conferred upon each member the title
ḥakham. They constituted, after Baba Rabbah himself, the
highest authority in the community. One of their tasks was
to tour the country at regular intervals to ensure that people
were instructed in the laws of the Torah and to decide on difficult
halakhic matters. In conjunction with his administrative
reforms, Baba Rabbah made efforts to promote a revival
of religion and literature. He reopened all the synagogues and
schools that the Romans had closed and founded many new
ones, building one of the nine new synagogues at the foot of
Mt. Gerizim. He had a cistern installed at this holy place for
the purification of the people who came to pray there. Many
old manuscripts of the law were then collected and preserved.
It was probably also at this time that the foundations of the
Defter, the Samaritan common prayer book, were laid by *Amram
Darah and his son Markah, who composed liturgical and
midrashic poems in Aramaic.
Bibliography: J.A. Montgomery, The Samaritans (1907,
repr. 1968), 101–4; J. Macdonald, Theology of the Samaritans (1964),
index; A.E. Cowley, Samaritan Liturgy, 2 (1909), xx–xxii; M. Gaster,
Samaritans (1925), 39; I. Ben-Zvi, Sefer ha-Shomeronim (1935), 24; M.
Avi-Yonah, in: Eretz Israel, 4 (1956), 127–32; R. Tsadaqa, Aggadot Am
Shomeroniyyot (1965), 22–35; H.G. Kippenberg, Garizim und Synagoge
(1971, index), TEXTS: E. Vilmar (ed.) Abulfathi, Annales Samaritani
(1865), 125–47 (Arabic with Latin notes and introduction);
T.G.J. Juynboll (ed.), Chronicon Samaritanum, Liber Josuae (1848),
lii–lv (Arabic text); J. Bowman, Transcript of the Original Text of the
Samaritan Chronicle Tolidah (1957), 16a–17b (Heb. with Eng. notes);
E.N. Adler and M. Seligsohn (eds.), Une Nouvelle Chronique Samaritaine
(1903), 51–61.
[Ayala Loewenstamm]
BABBITT, MILTON (1916– ), U.S. composer and theorist.
Born in Philadelphia, Babbitt started playing violin at the age
of four and played in jazz performances and composed popular
songs in high school. His father’s involvement in mathematics
stimulated Babbitt’s interest in the subject. In 1931 he
began studying mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania,
but soon he transferred to the study of music at New
York University. In 1935 he was a student of Roger Sessions in
composition at Princeton University and in 1938–42 became
a staff member there. During World War II Babbitt was ac-
16 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3