Abraham, Tower of
THE
Abraham Alaehkar
.IKWISII
point to a very early liato for the Testament of AbraBut tlicrc are also clear indications of the existence of a Hebrew original; as. for example, the name of the angel Dokiei (chap, xiii .1) the allusion to the names Aza/.el. D'JD TJ) and Samael. XDD NniDT ("Poison of Death): and i)articularly the misunderstamlingof the Greek translator (chap viii. liain.
who mistook the heavenly
"'Great Sea " I^Min D') for "the ocean beneath," which is the usual neoHebrew designation for "ocean." The expression "thrice holy" (chaji. xx.) has nothing to do with the Christian Trinity, as Dr. .lames thinks(p. 5(1). but is the translation of the rabbinical term, Khilbish keilimliiih. for the angelic song (Isa. vi. 3, Tanua debe ICliyahu H. vi.). Whelher the author of the book was a Pharisee or. as Kohler asserts, an Essene. can not be determined liere. though it is significant that the Law is not ouce mentioned. The view of retribution, as presented in the Testament, certainly precludes Sadducean authorshi]). As regards the two recensions, A and B. neither is jirobably a faithfid translation of the Hebrew original: and the reconstruction, here attempted for the lirst time, depends sometimes upon one and sometimes upon the other. Hibuohrapht: See the valuable preface and notes by M. R. James to hised.df the Tcatamcnt nf Al'Vuhttiiu ls!)2; Schiirer. 6rf.v(7(.. ;Wed., ill. 'St'^; and especially on Hit' .l«-vish oriifin ami ehanieter of the book: K. Kobler. iHc. I'n -Tuliuudii' lUw/)'),
tliKhih. In
Q nl.
.!i 11-.
Ili r.
IS'.i,'),
vii. .WHiOti.
L.
ABRAHAM, TOWER
Ct.
OF:
Often mentioned in the Book of .lubilees as a mansion of great iinjtortance, said to have been built on the height of Hebion by Abrahiim, who bequeathed it to Jacob, his gi-andson (xxii. 24; xxix. 16, 19; xxxvi. 13-20; xxxvii. 14; xxxviii.
4, 8).
A midrashic fragment at the close of JIasseket Soferim IX. mentions an ii'on citadel built by Abra ham. of such a height tlmt the sun's I'jiys coidd not penetrate it: it received its light fi-om a disk made of precious stones. Abraham gave it to the sons of Keturah, and when at the last days sun and moon shall pale before the full light of God's glory, this tower will be opened in order to shelter God's own.
Bibliography
J. Muller,
Masscket Soferim,
1878, p. 301.
K. liciTllN.
BRODY.
See
Bhody,
Abrah.^m
Aahox
ben
SlIAI.d.M
ABRAHAM BEN AARON TROKI. See Ai:i:,ii.M .Vakhn ABRAHAM ABELE BEN ABRAHAM
Tkiiki,
r.K.N
SOLOMON: Kimwu
ms .MkIc I'dsveller (li-om Pciswol in the government of Kovno); acting rabbi of Wilna; died .Inly 20, l.SUfi He was considered one of the leading Talmiidists of his age. Although hi' has left no iiideiieiideiit litemry work, he contiibuted to the rabbinical compositions of many of liis contemporaries. Among these were the novelhv of Zebi Hiisch Katzenellenbogen, "Xetibot 'Olam " (Wilna, 1822) the responssi of Simon of Slonini. " Minhah Belulah " (Wilna. 1832) the novelhe of
Dob Baer
96
time who gave his a])i)rol)ation to a work by I. B. Levinsohn. "Teudah be-Yiswel." which initiated the H.sK.M..Mi movement in IJussia. Hischarity and kindness became proverbial al Wilna. Bini.iocRAi'iiv
idem. Kirnah
Kiienn. Kmrtil Viamcl, yunutmth, pp. --i4---i)>.
p. 9.
Warsaw, 1888; I,.
G
ABRAHAM ABELE COMBINER:
— D.
P.ilish al Gonibiii. in Russian Poland; died at Kalisz about 16S3. He was a son of Hayyim ha Levi, who was killed by the Cos-
Taliiiudist
born about
Kiii'")
sacks in Hi.").") Abraham was one of the most eminent Talmudists of liis time a fact clearly shown by his commentary on the "Sliulhan Anik, )rah Ilayyim," entitled " Magen Abi-aliam" (Shield oif Abrahiun), writt<'n by him at the age of thirty, and which was published in 1692 at Dyhernfurlh. This work has exercised a remarkable intluence on the religious practises of the .lews, and still continues to do so. German and Polish Jews genenilly were guided by its decisions; conseiiuenlly the work
(
was
freciuently
commented
U])on by the later rabbis.
Besides this book, lie wrote the "Zayit Raanan" (Green Olive Tree), Dcssiiu, 17(t4, containing cabalistic and pilpulistic dissertations, to which he appended a part of his Pentateuchal commentary, "Shemen Sason (Oil of Gladness), printed as far as the weekly ]iortion Ilayye Sarah, and a commentary on the Onli-r Nezikiu of the Tosefta, Amsterdam. IT32. In addition, he wroteaconimentary on the "Sliulhan 'Anik, Eben ha-'Ezer," with a siiecial essay on the correct spelling of Jewish names in ofbcial docu tucnts, and scholia to the treatises Zebahim and Menahot. Xeither of these works is now extant. He also attempted to write pii/iitim but the result showed that he lacked all poi'lic instinct. Abraham s|ient nearly all his life at Kalisz. Poland, wlieic he held the ]iosition of assistant ralilii, or dayyan. His last wish was tluit his name and the titles of his works should be his only e|iil!iph.
BiBi.ioGRAPnY: Michael. Or )i(i-Hn//)/im, No. !H; Land.shnth, 'Atnmiuir }m-llnnlah. p. 2: Iltt-Shftlifir, ix. 16; Freiidcntliai, Au.< iter Hfimiith ilniihh:«iin'>'. p. 2ii.
L G.
ABRAHAM ABELE BEN JEREMIAH: Interpreterof the Masora lloiirished in the middle of the eighteenth century at ICalwaria. in the government of iSuwalki. Russian Poland. He wrote " Seder Abraham" (Order of Abraham), Frankfort on theOder, 17.52, containing interpretations of the Masoretic notes on the Pentateuch, arranged in iilphabetieal order, and lie edited and anuf)tated po "1310 (Frankfort on the Oder 1769). a poem made up of
- ill the
Hebrew words commencing with the letter Sin (f).
ABRAHAM BEN AARON DE BOTON. .r,l;.KH.M m.S A.MinNTii; ABRAHAM AARON BEN SHALOM
Sec-
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Hokmah
Kadisch. "Yehegeh " (Wilna 1>>30); and the responsa of Samuel of Byelostok. " Biffde Yesha- " (Wilna. 1S44). Solomon ben .Tud;ili
Loeb of Wilna pronounced a eulogv on him, which was published under the title ""Emek ha-Bakah (Vale of Tears), AVilna. 1836. With Akiba Egerand Moses Sofer he exercised a powerful intiuence on the religious practises of the Russian Jews. lie was '
distinguished as the only conservative rabbi of his
BiBi.iooRAPnY:
Ropsit, Cat. d. HoHcntTtaUchen Bihl. II. appendix. No. mi; Zedner. Cat. Hrh. Unnhx lirit Mns. p. 18: Benjacob, Os<ir/in-Scf<irim, p. 409; Fuenn, K'i-)it'.C( Vltract, .
p.
- il.
1)
ABRAHAM ABELE BEN NAPHTALI: Rabbi in Kherson in the first half of the nineteenth century: author of "Bet Abraham "(Hou.se of Abra ham), Szydlkow. 1837, containing (1) notes on the ritual codes, chiefly exceri)ted from the literature of the responsa; and (2) various novcllai an<l homilies and three responsa Bibliography Fuenn. Knirsct Yhrnel. p. 2S. D.
ABRAHAM BEN ABIGBOR:
Bohemian
rabbi, Ikiiii in the latter |i;irl of the Jifleenth century; died at Prague. 0(t. 7. l.")42. For the last twenty years of his life he wasrablii of Prague and as such jiad many pupils, among whom was Abraham Jaffc,
