The rabbi Meir Abulafia was the most important
Castilian scholar of the Talmud during the first half
of the 13th century. Abulafia was born in Burgos,
Spain, about 1180, and spent most of his life in
Toledo. He was one of three rabbis appointed to the
Toledo Jewish court, and helped to establish ritual
regulations for the Jews of Spain. He was held in
such high regard in Toledo that in 1225, upon the
death of his father, Todros ben Judah, he became
known by his father’s honorary title of nasi (prince).
Abulafia’s great contributions to scholarship include his substantial Aramaic commentary on the
Talmud, called Peratei Peratim, of which only the
sections on Bava’ Batra’ and on Sanhedrin survive.
He was also known for his carefully edited Torah
scroll (produced after consulting a large number of
previous scrolls) that became the definitive edition
for Spanish Jewry. His Masoret Siyag La-Torah, a
manual for Torah writing, was also influential, and
he wrote a number of poems in Hebrew that reflect
his life and times. The best known of these poems
is his “Letter from the Grave.” The poem, written in
the voice of his deceased sister, was intended as a
comfort to his grieving father.
He is most famous, however, for his launching
the first Maimonodean controversy. Abulafia was
highly orthodox in his views, and defended even
the most illogical of the Talmud’s aggadah (legendary stories) as literally true. But when in his
Guide for the Perplexed the most esteemed medieval Jewish philosopher, MAIMONIDES, had implied his disbelief in the resurrection of the body,
the position shocked and outraged Abulafia. He
wrote a series of letters condemning Maimonides,
first to the Jewish leaders of Lunel and then to
those of northern France. In both cases his letters
were dismissed and Maimonides supported. Despite his failure, he remained a staunch antirationalist throughout his life. However, when his
younger contemporary Nachmanides sought to revive the controversy over Maimonides 30 years
later, Abulafia did not participate in the debate, excusing himself because of his age.
Bibliography
Carmi, T., ed. and trans. The Penguin Book of Hebrew
Verse. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 1981.
Septimus, Bernard. Hispano-Jewish Culture in Transition: The Career and Controversies of Ramah.
Harvard Judaic Monographs 4. Cambridge, Mass.:
Harvard University Press, 1982.