Commentators:R. Chananel b. Chushiel/0/en
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Version as of 21:34, 18 July 2023 by Matt.Lubin (talk | contribs)
R. Chananel b. Chushiel
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Name | R. Chananel b. Chushiel רבנו חננאל בן חושיאל, ר"ח |
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Dates | c. 965 – 1055 |
Location | Kairouan |
Works | Commentaries on Talmud and Talmud |
Exegetical Characteristics | |
Influenced by | His father R. Chushiel, R. Hai Gaon, R. Saadia Gaon |
Impacted on | R. Nissim b. Yaakov, Rif, Rambam |
Background
Life
- Name – Ḥananel (or "Chananel"); some historians believe that his given name was Elhanan, but at some point later in his life he became referred to by the name Ḥananel.1
- Hebrew name – חננאל בן חושיאל (or, possibly, אלחנן בן חושיאל)
- Dates – c. 970-10572
- Location – Kairouan (or "Qayrawan"), in modern-day Tunisia. Most historians believe that R. Hananel was born in Italy, likely Bari, and emigrated to Kairouan as an adult.3
- Occupation – Rabbinical judge and head of the local house of study4
- Family – R. Ḥananel's father, R. Ḥushiel b. Elhanan, was an Italian who became the rabbinic leader of Kairouan. A tradition states that R. Ḥananel had nine daughters but no sons.5
- Education – Some have thought that R. Ḥananel studied in the Geonic Yeshivot of Babylonia, but this is likely not the case.6
- Teachers – Throughout his commentary, R. Ḥananel constantly refers to "his teachers," who remain unnamed. It is likely that R. Ḥananel learned most of his Torah from his father, R. Ḥushiel b. Elhanan, who was the rabbinic leader of Kairouan.7
- Contemporaries – R. Hai Gaon,8 R. Nissim b. Yaakov, Shmuel haNagid
- Students – R. Nissim b. Yaakov
- Time period – R. Ḥananel is considered to be among the transitional figures between the era of the "Geonim" and the "Rishonim."9
- World outlook – R. Ḥananel refers to his act of writing down his explanations of the Gemara as מלאכת שמים, heavenly work.10
Works
- Biblical commentaries – Many of the Spanish commentators on the bible quote citations from R. Hananel's commentary on the Torah, though the complete work is lost.11
- Rabbinics –
- Talmudic novellae – R. Hananel wrote a running commentary on the more commonly studied sections of Talmud Bavli: orders Mo'ed, Nashim (with the probable exceptions of Nedarim, Nazir, and most of Sotah), and Nezikin, as well as the tractates of Berachot, Hulin, and Niddah.12
- Halakhic codes – Citations from halakhic works attributed to R. Hananel indicate that he wrote some smaller monographs on select halakhic topics.13
- Responsa – Several responsa of R. Hananel are mentioned by medieval commentators, although a collection has not survived.14
- Misattributed works – Commentary on Horayot, Zevahim; Sefer Miktzo'ot15
Torah Commentary
Characteristics
- Verse by verse / Topical –
- Genre –
- Structure –
- Language –
- Peshat and derash –
Methods
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Themes
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Textual Issues
- Manuscripts –
- Printings –
- Textual layers –
Sources
Significant Influences
- Earlier Sources – The Talmudic commentary of R. Hananel relies heavily on both the commentaries and responsa of the Babylonian Geonim,16 on oral traditions that he heard from his teachers,17 and on the Talmud Yerushalmi.18 R. Hananel's Torah commentary is largely based upon the Torah commentaries of R. Saadia Gaon and R. Shmuel b. Hofni Gaon.19
Occasional Usage
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Possible Relationship
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Impact
Later exegetes
- Spanish commentators from the medieval era, such as Ramban20 and R. Bachyei,21 often quote Rabbeinu Hananel. In the introduction to his work, Rabbeinu Bachyei calls attention to this fact, and refers to Rabbeinu Hananel as הפטיש החזק, the mighty hammer.
- Medieval aids to Talmud study and halakhic analysis - particularly, the "Sefer ha-Arukh" by R. Natan of Rome and the "Ohr Zarua" by R. Yitzhak of Vienna - quote extensively from Rabbeinu Hananel.
- R. Yitzhak Alfasi ("Rif") rarely quotes Rabbeinu Hananel by name, but in the vast majority of instances, anonymous quotations in his work can be attributed to Rabbeinu Hananel.22
- Rambam's halakhic decisions are often based upon R. Hananel's interpretations23 or editions of the Gemara.24
Supercommentaries
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