Amram, David Werner
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Amrain ben Sbeshna
But when Moses wsis placed by his mother Ihc river. Aninim again cried out " O my duuirhter. whiil lias become of lliy prophecy?" Wliercfore Miriam remained standing on tlie shore watcliing what "would be done unto him in the farf ultilli'«l
an
in
"
!
iirk in
off lime
"
(Sojah,
Vi-i).
besides nuich to relate of Amis not even referred to Amram, like Jesse the father in the Biblical story. of David umd Benjamin the son of Jacob, and Kilab the son of David), died without sin; or, as Ihc expression is, "owing only to the clTecl of the poisi>n of the serpent." t'onseiiuently he was one of those whose bodv did not fall a prey to worms or decay He was, like Ahi(B. B. 17(/, "Derek Erez Zutta, i."). jahof Shiloli, one of the long-lived saints whose life extended over many .general ions of Jews, to whom he became a transmitter of ancient lore. He instructed even Ahi,jali.the iirophet.in the doctrines taught bv the patriarch Jacob. Being the son of Koliath, who, though the second son of Levi, was the one chosen to " lead the assemblies of people in worship " ( =kehat 'annnimjand therefore, the real heir to Levi, the tenth one (beginning the comit from the yoimgest) of the twelve tribes and for this reason the consecrated bearer of Abraham's blessings and Jacob's traditions (Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Levi, xi. Book of Jubilees, x.wii. Gen. R. l.x. ), Amram was the "chief of his generation" (Sotali. Viti). When war broke out between Egy]it and Canaan, and the Israelites saw this to be the (>p|iortuuity for taking the bones of all the sons of Jacob (excejil Joseph's) to the Holy Land and burying Ihem in the cave of Machpelali, Amram was one of those who took part in the sacred task, and, while most of the people returned to E.ir.vpt, he with a few others remained for a long time in the city of Hebron (Book of Jubilees, xlvi. 11).
The llaggadah has
nim. the father of Moses, that
In Jnhrhuch Litt. 1v,; Baring-Cioiild, Legends 2iXl rt nen. : CJirntucte of it/'Wfji, 2; Cfiroiiirle of Jerahmecl, translated
Buii.iocKAPnv: Beer, Lchcn ilmes itraemenl).
fUr JUilische itf
(iiKch.
uml
the O. T. Patriorchi*^ pp.
ih Jplllnek,
li. 11. 11. 1)T (iilsliT. p. 1(10.
K.
AMRAM, DAVID 'WERNER
American law-
yer; son of Werner Davi<l Amram: born at Philadelphia, Pa., in 18G6: educated at the public scliools and at the Hugby Academy in Philadelphia, and in the Collegiate and Law departments of the University of Pennsylvania, frnm which he received the degrees of A.>I. and LL.B. He practises as an attorney at law in Pliiladeli)liia. Mr. Amram has held numerous positions in the Jew ish community, such as president of the Philadelphia Young Men's Hebrew Association: director of the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia member of the publicaticm committee of the Jewish Publication Society of America diiTctorof the Jewish Chaiitauipia Society; directorof the American Federation Jlr. Amof Zionists: trustee of the Gratz College. ram is a prolific writer on Jewish topics. His principal work is "The Jewish Law of Divorce according to Bible and Talmud " (Philadelphia. ISSKi). He has also published a volume of jioems and sketches and has contributed to many of the publications of the day, most of his themes having some bearing on or connection with Jewish law. A. -
AMRAM 5ASIDA
(The Pious)
A
Babylo-
nian aninra of llii> bird ueiination (fourth century), a contemporary of ]{. Nahnian (B. B. l")!"). In addition to hisscruptilousness in ritualistic observances (Suk. llrt). he owes his surname to his action at a moment of great temptation, when, to ssive himself from sin, he called for help by giving an alarm of I
534
When his colleagues complained that he had exposed Ihem to shame, he replied, "It is better that you be put to shame on my ilccouni in this worlil than that you be ashamed of me in the world to ionic. Legend adds thai Amram C(jnju red he lempter within him to depart; whereupon something like a pillar of tire came forth, and Amram. glorying in his victory, exclaimed. " Behold, thou art of lire, and I am of tlesh. yet I am stronger than thou art" (Kid. 81<i). His extreme piety made him the tar.sct of sport for members of tlie hmisehold of the exilarch acid their brutal treatment made him seriously ill but Yalta. Nahnian's wife, herself a member of the exilarch's Arc.
"
t
him
family, cured
AMRAM,
(Gil.
M.
S.
(iTft),
9A"5rYIM
Commentator who
lived the liist half of the nineteenth cen" (Pa.s.sover Oftury. He puljlished " Korban Pesah fering), a commentary on the Passover Haggadah (Legiioru, 183G). ill
Palrstiiie
ill
BiBLio(;RArHY
Stelaschneider, Cat. Bodt. ool. 823.
M. B.
AMRAM.
IBN.
AMRAM BEN SHALIB) and
See Joski-k tun Amu.oi.
ISAAC IBN SHALBIB
Ambassador of
Castile, in the eleventh century.
The
(or
Leon
.lfoiiso VI., of
position
occupied by the Jews in Christian Spain toward the end of the eleventh century may be gathered from a statement made by Alfonso VI. in the presence of his Moslem adversaries. "The Jews," he said, "furnish our viziers, chancellors, and most of the ollicers of the army, and we can not do without them"("Abd alWahid alMairakoshi," ed. Dozy, This statement is substantiated by tin- fact p. 93). that Alfonso actually employed a Jewish diplomatist, to whom Arab authors give the name of Ibn Shalbib (or Shalib). The records relating to his history are defective and divergeni, and agree on one point only, that in H)H~> he acted as Alfonso's ambassador to Almu'tamid, the last Abbasid calif who resided in Seville. Ibn Shalbib is ])robably identical with Amram ben Isaac, whom Leo Afrieaiius (Eabricius. "Bibliotheca Gra'ca. 2d ed., ITilO-lSll, xiii. 295) connects with the .same affair. One aiith(ir(Ibn al-Labbana) relates that Ibn Shalbib came to Seville,
accompanied by a numberof kni.irhts. lo demand the Anothi'r makes him the tribute due to Alfonso. bearer of a nies.sage to the priiie<' asking him for a residence for Alfonso's wife, Al Zalira. who was the Ilin Shalbil) dau.irliter of the Arab prince Amram. had to ]>ay with his life for the arrogant mannc-r in wliicii he delivered his messa.sre. The circumstances While, of his death are, however, very uncertain. according to Ihc first report, he was nailed lo a stake, the second states that Almu'tamid brained him with a heavy inkstand. Ibn al-Alhir ("Chronicoii," X. 93 ct so/.) also mentions the embassy, bul without Concerning ilisclosing the name of the messenger. viz., lliii .'^halbili's diatli he gives a third version that the prince struck his face till his eyes protruded. His companions also, with the exception of three who However uncertain the escaped, were jnit to death. details of the eniba.ssy. it Tindoubtedly had far-reac-hing consequences: for Almu'tamid sent to Yusuf ibn Taslitin. llie founder of the Almoravid dynasty in Africa, askin.ir his assistance against Alfon.so. whoso revenge he feared. This marks the beginning of the Almoravid eoncinest of Spain. Ibn Shalbib's repute as a skilful physician can not be substantiated from Arabic sources, as his name is not to be found in Ibn Abi Oscibia's or similar works.
BiBLiOGRAPUT
(Jratz, (Jtfch. d.
Juden.
vl. 421 ct
mg.
H. HiR.
