Publication Date

1-2024

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Program

MA in Jewish Studies

Concentration

Jewish history

Keywords

Polish, Rabbinic

Advisors

Shlomo Zuckier

Abstract

This thesis examines Rappeduni Ba-Tappuḥim, Rabbi Elyakum Getz’s 17th-century commentary on the Aggadic passages in BT Bava Batra 73a-74b, known as the Aggadot of Raba Bar Bar Ḥanbna. The study positions Elyakum’s work within the broader tradition of Aggadic exegesis and defines its uniqueness. To achieve this, Rappeduni Ba-Tappuḥim is compared with two earlier 16th-century works on the same Aggadot: Rabbi Shmuel Eidel’s Ḥiddushei Aggadot and Ephraim Luntchitz’s Olelot Ephraim. While both were written in Poland, they represent contrasting approaches—Eidel's commentary is a sincere Talmudic exegesis, whereas Luntchitz’s work reflects his role as a preacher, using the text as a foundation for moral critique. This research reveals that Elyakum, while presenting himself as a commentator in the tradition of Eidels, aligns more closely with Luntchitz in terms of content and underlying objectives. The zeitgeist of seventeenth-century rabbinical Poland accounts for this discrepancy; Rappeduni Ba-Tappuḥim is a natural outgrowth of the Ashkenazic insistence on the simple meaning of the Aggadot coupled with Kabbalistic-moralistic influences and the fascination with novel homilies. Elyakum’s focus on ethical rebuke, particularly concerning the honor of impoverished or otherwise compromised Torah scholars, establishes his place in his cultural milieu. As such, Elyakum’s goal of strengthening the words of the sages is twofold; he vindicates the Aggadah’s Talmudic authors and bolsters the stature of his contemporaries. By examining Elyakum's methodological and thematic choices, this thesis contributes to the broader literature on Aggadic interpretation, the Aggadot of Rabba Bar Bar Ḥanna, and elucidates tendencies in Jewish intellectual development in seventeenth-century Poland.

Download

Share

COinS