JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

BARUCH BEN ISAAC OF WORMS (late 12th–early 13th century),
German tosafist. Although Baruch lived in Worms, he
probably came from France and is sometimes referred to as
Ha-Zarefati (“the Frenchman”). Baruch was a pupil of *Isaac
b. Samuel the Elder of Dampierre, and after his teacher’s death,
spent a considerable amount of time in France with Judah
of Paris. Baruch immigrated to Ereẓ Israel (1237?). It seems
certain that he is not to be identified with *Baruch b. Isaac
of Regensburg.
He is renowned as the author of Sefer ha-Terumah (written
shortly before 1202; first published Venice, 1523), which
comprises a summary of the established halakhot on several
subjects, including the laws pertaining to Ereẓ Israel, combined
and arranged according to the chapters of the relevant
tractates of the Talmud. The whole work reflects the teachings
of Isaac b. Samuel. In it Baruch mentions *Samuel b. Meir
(Rashbam) and *Isaac b. Meir, as well as statements of Rabbi
Jacob *Tam and his pupils; however, very few German scholars
are referred to. By virtue of its wealth of material and its terse,
easy style, well adapted to its purpose of leading, through discussion,
to the practical halakhah, the book spread through
France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and was widely quoted by
many later authorities among them, *Eliezer of Worms, *Isaac
b. Moses Or Zarua, *Moses b. Jacob of Coucy, Zedekiah *Anav,
*Aaron b. Jacob of Lunel, and *Naḥmanides. Entire halakhic
passages from the work were inserted by copyists into the
*Maḥzor Vitry. Numerous manuscripts of Sefer ha-Terumah
and some manuscripts of an anonymous abridgment are extant.
Baruch also wrote tosafot to several tractates of the Talmud,
but only those on Zevaḥim have been preserved and they
are printed in the standard editions of the Talmud. A. Epstein
held that the anonymous commentary on Tamid attributed to
Abraham b. David (Prague, 1725) should be ascribed to Baruch,
but – despite a measure of similarity between the commentary
and a number of quotations in Baruch’s name which
are known – this is unlikely. E.E. Urbach has maintained that
the commentary on the Sifra ascribed to Abraham b. David
was written by Baruch, but this too is uncertain.
Bibliography: A. Epstein, Das talmudische Lexikon “Yiḥusei
Tanna’im ve-Amora’im” (1895); Urbach, Tosafot, 263, 286–99, 511–2;
V. Aptowitzer, Mavo le-Sefer Ravyah (1938), 327–8.
[Israel Moses Ta-Shma]
BARUCH BEN JEHIEL OF MEDZIBEZH (1757–1810),
ḥasidic ẓaddik; grandson of *Israel b. Eliezer the Baal Shem
Tov, the founder of modern *Ḥasidism. Baruch, who studied
under Phinehas Shapira of Korets, officiated from 1780 as
rabbi in Tulchin, but encountered opposition and returned
to Medzibezh in 1788. He attributed great importance to his
descent and regarded himself as the heir to the Ba’al Shem
Tov’s leadership. He held that the ẓaddik could save and lead
the whole world; the duty of the common man was only “to
destroy the evil impulses and abandon his desires.” Regarding
himself as the leader of Ḥasidism by hereditary right, he
held “court” in Medzibezh in a highly autocratic and luxuri-
baruch ben samuel
ous fashion, though preaching asceticism to others. He kept
a “court jester,” Hershele Ostropoler. His behavior aroused
opposition from other ḥasidic leaders. In 1808 he met Shneur
Zalman of Lyady in an effort to settle their differences.
Baruch attached mystical importance to the custom practiced
by Ḥasidim of giving presents to the rabbis (pidyonot).
He encouraged Ḥasidim to immigrate to Ereẓ Israel. He took
part in the assembly of ḥasidic rabbis at Berdichev (1802–03)
that discussed the government’s prohibition of Jewish settlement
in the villages among other matters. His writings include
Amarot Tehorot (1865; first published in his brother’s (*Moses
Ḥayyim Ephraim) Degel Maḥaneh Ephraim, Zhitomir, 1850)
and Buẓina di-Nehora (1880).
Bibliography: M. Bodek, Seder ha-Dorot he-Ḥadash (1865),
23; Horodezky, Ḥasidut, 3 (19534), 12–17; Dubnow, Ḥasidut, 1 (1930),
205–8; M. Buber, Tales of the Ḥasidim, 1 (1947), 87–97; M.E. Gutman,
Mi-Gibborei ha-Ḥasidut, 3 (1928).
[Nachum Arieli]
BARUCH BEN SAMUEL (d. 1834), adventurer and physician.
Baruch was born in Pinsk and emigrated to Safed in 1819.
The reports of a messenger who traveled from Safed to Yemen
and back in 1825 gave rise to wondrous tales about a Jew from
the tribe of Dan whom he allegedly met in Yemen and of stories
about the “Sons of Moses” and the Ten Tribes. The community
of Safed decided to send a messenger to these remote
Jews to come to the aid of their brethren in Palestine. They
chose Baruch who, in their opinion, possessed the qualities
necessary for such a bold undertaking. They gave him a letter
addressed to the Ten Tribes and made him swear to devote
himself wholly to this task.
Baruch started his journey in 1831. His travels took him
to Damascus, Aleppo, Kurdistan, Mesopotamia, Baghdad,
Basra, Bushire, Muscat, and Aden. Toward the end of 1833
Baruch reached Yemen. The rabbis of San’a received him cordially
and one of the members of the community (dayyan Māri
Yiḥye al-Abyat) accompanied him to Ḥaydān at the northern
extremity of Yemen, where, according to the rumor, the tribe
of Dan lived. Baruch and his companion made their way into
the desert where they met a shepherd, who appeared to them
like a Danite. They gave him the letter and he promised to
deliver the answer to them in Ḥaydān. Then Baruch and his
companion hurried back to San’a for the autumn Holidays.
The Jews of Ḥaydān promised to forward the anticipated answer
to San’a, but it never came.
When Baruch returned to San’a, he offered to cure the
sickly imam of Yemen, al-Mahdi. He hoped thereby to enlist
the imam’s aid in the completion of his mission. After his recovery,
the imam appointed Baruch his court physician. Baruch
began to behave haughtily toward the Muslims, and thus
aroused their enmity and jealousy. In 1834 Ibrahim Pasha of
Egypt attacked Yemen and captured Mocha. Baruch assured
the imam that if he would give him an army, he would drive
out the conqueror on condition that afterward he himself be
appointed the ruler of that city. This proposal served Baruch’s
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3 189