Gerschom ben Yehuda

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Gerschom ben Jehuda (or: Juda [h]), also known as Rabbeinu Gerschom ( Hebrew רבנו גרשום"Our teacher Gerschom)" or Rabbeinu Gerschom Me'Or Hagolah "our teacher Gerschom, lamp of exile" (born around 960 probably in Metz , therefore often referred to as Gershom ben Jehuda Mettensis to avoid misunderstandings ; died 1028 or 1040 in Mainz ) was a Jewish Talmud scholar . He is particularly known among Jews for the decree ( takkanah , plural takkanot ) attributed to him , with which polygamy was abolished in Ashkenazi Judaism.

Gershom was a student of Yehuda ben Meir . After studying the Talmud, he opened a Talmud Academy in Mainz , which attracted students from many countries. Mainz thus became the religious and cultural center of the so-called ShUM cities of Speyer ( Schin (SCH) for Spira), Worms ( Waw (U) for Warmaisa) and Mainz ( Mem (M) for Magenza ), which are the birthplaces of the German- Askenazi religious culture apply. The Lehrhaus in Mainz as well as that in Worms were destroyed in the massacres of the Jews during the persecution of the Jews at the time of the First Crusade and in later persecutions. These persecutions are thought of as Gezerot Tatnu in the Jewish liturgy .

The general view that at Meir of Rothenburg back, Gershom has abolished all year 1000 in a decree polygamy, which no longer met and the conditions in Christian countries with the spell occupied. He is also said to have ordered that a husband cannot divorce her without his wife's consent. Other sources refer to the edicts as municipal decrees. They may have been attributed to Gerschom because of the high reputation he enjoyed. The controversy stems from the fact that no original texts of the edicts have survived; nor are they quoted by the scholars of his generation. The decrees were generally recognized in the Askenazi communities in Europe and largely followed.

Gerschom ben Jehuda died in Mainz in 1028 or 1040. On the old Jewish cemetery in Mainz, the Judensand , there is a tombstone that contains the words in memoriam: R. Gerschom ben R , which is considered his tombstone and is often visited.

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Shlomo Eidelberg, David Derovan: Gershom ben Judah Me'or Ha-Golah . In: Encyclopaedia Judaica . tape 7 . Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit 2007, pp. 551-552 .
personal data
SURNAME Gerschom ben Yehuda
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gershom bar Yehuda
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jewish Talmudic scholar
DATE OF BIRTH around 960
PLACE OF BIRTH Metz
DATE OF DEATH 1028 or 1040
Place of death Mainz