Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor

French tosafist, exegete and poet

For other people with this surname, see Shor (disambiguation).

Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor

יוֹסֵף בֶּן־יִצחָק בְּכוֹר־שׁוֹר
Born|

Orléans, France

Nationality| French
Occupations| Tosafist, exegete, poet
Relatives| Abraham ben Joseph of Orleans
Saadia Bekhor Shor
(sons)

Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor of Orléans (12th century) (Hebrew: יוֹסֵף בֶּן־יִצחָק בְּכוֹר־שׁוֹר) was a French tosafist, exegete, and poet who flourished in the second half of the 12th century. He was the father of Abraham ben Joseph of Orleans and Saadia Bekhor Shor.

## Biography

[edit]

Joseph was a pupil of Jacob Tam, Joseph Kara, and Rashbam. That "Joseph Bekhor Shor" and the tosafist "Joseph ben Isaac of Orléans" are the same person has been sufficiently demonstrated by Gross, who showed that the same explanations given in the Tosafot[1] in the name of "Joseph ben Isaac", are quoted in the Semak[2] and in Meir of Rothenburg's Responsa[3] as those of "Joseph Bekhor Shor."

Joseph was on very friendly terms with his teacher Jacob Tam, with whom he carried on a learned correspondence.[4]

## Biblical commentary

[edit]

Besides tosafot on the greater part of the Talmud, Joseph wrote a notable Biblical commentary. Even more than Rashi, to whose exegetical school he belonged, he confined himself to literal interpretations (peshat). Anticipating later Biblical criticism, he assumed the presence of duplicate narratives in the Bible,[5] and he strove to give rational explanations to the miraculous stories. Thus he interprets "tree of life" (Genesis 2:9) as "tree of healing", explaining that the fruit of the tree possessed the virtue of healing the sick, without, however, bestowing eternal life. In regard to the transformation of Lot's wife into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26) he explains that, disbelieving in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, she lingered on the road, and was overtaken by the rain of brimstone and fire, which are usually mixed with salt.[6]

Well acquainted with the Vulgate and Christian Biblical exegesis, Joseph, in commenting on Psalm 2, cites Jerome, whose explanation of the word "bar" (in Aramaic: "son") he criticizes.

He was explicitly anti-Christian, as shown by his commentaries on Genesis 1:26 (against the belief in the Trinity), on Numbers 12:8 (against Christian allegorizing) and on Deuteronomy 13 (attempting to connect the magical powers of false prophets with the miracles of Jesus in the New Testament).[7]

His commentary on the Pentateuch is still extant in manuscript in the libraries of Leyden and Munich. Part of it, on Genesis and Exodus, was published by Jellinek[8] Extracts from the remaining books were published by Abraham Berliner in Peleṭat Soferim (1872). The entire commentary was published in Hebrew by Mossad HaRav Kook.

## Selichot

[edit]

Joseph was the author also of a number of liturgical poems (piyyutim). Besides the short hymns in the style of Ibn Ezra with which he concludes each section of the commentary, he wrote the following selihot:

* ד' אליך עיני ישברו, believed by Zunz to have been written on the martyrs of Blois and Bray
* מועד אדון כתקח, fourteen strophes
* אדון רב העלילה, with two refrains – והשב and ושוב
* אין לבנון די בער, fifteen strophes, ending with לה' אלהינו הרחמים והסליחות
* אל אלהי האלהים ואדוני, fourteen strophes
* ממכון שבתך אלהים, twenty-six strophes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Tosafot to Hullin 112b, Yebamoth 25b, 36b
2. ^ No. 205
3. ^ No. 863 (ed. Prague)
4. ^ Sefer ha-Yashar, p. 71a
5. ^ "What Year Are We In? - Bechor Shor". OU Torah. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
6. ^ "What Happened to Lot's Wife?". SOUTHERN TORAH. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
7. ^ Prof. Rabbi Martin Lockshin. "Can a False Prophet Perform Miracles?". thetorah.com. Retrieved Oct 3, 2018.
8. ^ Leipsic, 1855

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor of Orleans". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Its bibliography:

* Eliakim Carmoly, in Univers Israélite, 1852, p. 365;
* Geiger, Parschandatha, pp. 37 et seq.;
* Zunz, Literaturgesch. pp. 282, 285;
* idem, Z. G. p. 74;
* Moritz Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 1446;
* Zadoc Kahn, in R. E. J. iii. 6;
* Gross, in Berliner's Magazin, i. 93;
* idem, Gallia Judaica, p. 34.

* v
* t
* e

Rishonim

North Africa|

* Isaac Alfasi (Rif)
* Chananel ben Chushiel
* Dunash ben Labrat
* Zechariah Aghmati
* Nissim ben Jacob
* Samuel ben Jacob ibn Jam
* Shemariah ben Elhanan

Spain (except Catalonia)|

* Maimonides
* Judah Halevi
* Abraham ibn Ezra
* Yom Tov Asevilli (Ritva)
* Joseph ibn Migash (Ri Migash)
* Meir Abulafia (Ramah)
* Bahya ibn Paquda
* Bahya ben Asher
* David Abudirham
* Joseph Albo
* Isaac ben Moses Arama (Akeidat Yitzchak)
* Rabbenu Yerucham
* Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon (Migdal Oz)
* Meir ben Solomon Abi-Sahula
* Isaac ibn Ghiyyat
* Maimon ben Joseph
* Isaac Aboab I
* Abraham ibn Daud
* Moses ibn Ezra
* Jonah ibn Janah
* Abraham Saba

Catalonia|

* Nachmanides
* Menachem HaMeiri
* Nissim of Gerona (Ran)
* Shlomo ibn Aderet (Rashba)
* Yonah Gerondi (Rabbeinu Yonah)
* Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona (Baal HaMaor)
* Hasdai Crescas
* Aharon HaLevi (Ra'ah)
* Isaac ben Sheshet (Rivash)
* Simeon ben Zemah Duran (Tashbatz)
* Vidal of Tolosa (Maggid Mishneh)
* Joseph ibn Habib (Nimmukei Yosef)
* Azriel of Gerona
* Judah ben Yakar
* Judah ben Barzillai

Provence|

* Hachmei Provence
* Abraham ben David (Raavad)
* Gersonides (Ralbag)
* David Kimhi (Radak)
* Abba Mari
* Isaac ben Abba Mari (HaIttur)
* Abraham ben Nathan (HaManhig)
* David ben Levi of Narbonne (HaMichtam)
* Moses ben Joseph (Rambi)
* Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne (Raavad II, HaEshkol)
* Levi ben Abraham ben Hayyim
* Moshe ha-Darshan
* Meshullam ben Jacob
* Asher ben Meshullam
* Abraham of Montpellier
* Joseph Caspi
* Isaac the Blind
* Samuel ibn Tibbon
* Isaac of Narbonne
* Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen
* Jonathan of Lunel

France (except Provence)|

* Rabbi Abin ha-Gadol
* Rashi
* List of Tosafists
* Rabbeinu Tam
* Rashbam
* Solomon ben Meir
* Samson ben Joseph of Falaise
* Yom Tov of Falaise
* Eliezer ben Samuel (Yereim)
* Isaac ben Samuel (Ri HaZaken)
* Moses ben Jacob of Coucy (Semag)
* Judah ben Nathan (Rivan)
* Bechor Shor
* Abraham ben Joseph of Orleans
* Elijah of Paris
* Judah ben Yom Tov
* Haim ben Hananel HaCohen
* Yechiel of Paris
* Rivam
* Peretz ben Elijah
* Eliezer of Toul
* Chaim Paltiel
* Jacob of Orléans
* Samson of Chinon
* Jacob of Chinon
* Eliezer of Touques
* Isaac ben Abraham of Dampierre
* Elhanan ben Isaac of Dampierre
* Baruch ben Isaac
* Samson ben Abraham of Sens
* Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi
* Meir ben Samuel
* Moses of Évreux
* Samuel of Évreux
* Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise
* Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon
* Joseph ben Samuel Bonfils
* Menahem ben Helbo
* Simeon Kara
* Shemaiah of Soissons
* Elijah ben Menahem HaZaken
* Ephraim ben Samson

Germany|

* Meshullam ben Kalonymus
* Gershom ben Judah (Rabbeinu Gershom)
* Simeon bar Isaac of Mainz
* Asher ben Jehiel (Rosh)
* Jacob ben Asher (Baal HaTurim)
* Mordechai ben Hillel (Mordechai)
* Meir of Rothenburg (Maharam MeRotenberg)
* Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin (Maharil)
* Eliezer ben Nathan (Ra'aven)
* Eliezer ben Joel HaLevi (Raavyah)
* Eleazar of Worms (Rokeach)
* Meir HaKohen (Hagahot Maimuniot)
* Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (Yehudah haHasid)
* Yaakov ben Yakar
* Isaac ben Mordecai of Regensburg
* Ephraim ben Isaac of Regensburg
* Samson ben Eliezer
* Eliezer ben Isaac ha-Gadol
* Judah ben Kalonymus
* Yehuda HaKohen ben Meir
* Meir ben Baruch Halevi
* Israel Bruna
* Israel of Bamberg
* Ephraim of Bonn
* Judah ben Asher
* Joel ben Isaac ha-Levi
* Jacob ben Judah Landau
* Samuel ben Natronai
* Alexander Suslin
* Jacob Weil
* Isaac ben Asher ha-Levi
* Simha of Speyer
* Isaac Asir HaTikvah

England|

* Aaron of Canterbury
* Aaron of York
* Elias of London
* Eliyahu Menachem of London
* Hagin Deulacres
* Jacob ben Judah of London
* Josce of London
* Moses ben Isaac ben ha-Nessiah
* Moses of London
* Yom Tov of Joigny
* Berechiah de Nicole

Austria|

* Israel Isserlein (Terumat HaDeshen)
* Isaac of Vienna (Or Zarua)
* Avigdor Cohen of Vienna
* Isaac Tyrnau

Italy|

* Nathan ben Jehiel (the Aruch)
* Isaiah di Trani (Rid)
* Isaiah di Trani the Younger (Riaz)
* Obadiah of Bertinoro
* Menahem Recanati
* Zedekiah Anaw (Shibbolei HaLeket)
* Benjamin Anaw
* Judah Anav
* Moses ben Meir of Ferrara
* Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona
* Hillel ben Samuel
* Joseph Colon Trabotto
* Isaac ben Melchizedek
* Judah Messer Leon

Elsewhere|

* Isaac Abarbanel
* Elijah Mizrachi
* Tobiah ben Eliezer (Lekach Tov)
* Zerahiah the Greek
* Isaac ben Dorbolo
* Isaac ben Samuel of Acre
* Moses Taku
* Isaac ben Jacob ha-Lavan
* Nathan ben Abraham I
* Hillel ben Eliakim
* Judah Leon ben Moses Mosconi
* Nethanel ben Isaiah‎

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Netherlands
* Israel

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template