Moti Benmelech | Herzog College (original) (raw)
Books by Moti Benmelech
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Papers by Moti Benmelech
![Research paper thumbnail of From the Sambatyon to Tiberias: An Unknown Version of ‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ [Heb]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/113629138/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, 2024
‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ is a rescue story of a Jewish community by a savior from the land of the Ten Tr... more ‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ is a rescue story of a Jewish community by a savior from the
land of the Ten Tribes. The hero of the story is Rabbi Meir Shatz, the author of the
piyyut ‘Akdamut Milin’, and the emissary who was sent to the land of the tribes
and did not return. This story was told in Ashkenazi communities in northern Italy
and was even printed there in the mid-sixteenth century.
The article discusses a formerly unknown version of ‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ found
in a manuscript from the early nineteenth century. The absence of the Ten Tribes
is conspicuous in this version, and Rabbi Meir Shatz is replaced by Rabbi Meir
Ba’al Hanness as the savior. This version of the story is similar to other sources
that identify Rabbi Meir BaꜤal Hanness with Rabbi Meir Shatz, and it illustrates
the changes that occurred according to the time and place in which it is told. In
light of this, the article examines the portrayal of the Ten Tribes as saviors in the
original version of ‘MaꜤaseh Akadmut’ from the sixteenth century, suggesting that
it expresses disconnection between Jewish society and the Ten Tribes..
Apocalypse Now Connected Histories of Eschatological Movements from Moscow to Cusco, 15th-18th Centuries, 2022
For a copy contact the author
Masekhet, 2022
The tension between interior and exterior factors, in the interrelationship between the majority ... more The tension between interior and exterior factors, in the interrelationship between the majority non-Jewish society and the minority Jewish one, is one of the outstanding features of Jewish existence in the Middle Ages. The story of the murder of a Jewish maiden who was romantically involved with a gentile, killed by her brother, that took place in Ferrara in the spring of 1577, which is the focal point of this article, clearly exemplifies this tension, and
of an infiltration of outside values (family honor, struggling with an affront to its honor to the point of carrying out murder in order to protect it) into Jewish society. This severe case is appended to other evidence that is indicative of the centrality of the value of honor, which is typical of Mediterranean cultures, including the Jewish Mediterranean one.
The attempts by Azariah Finzi, father of both the murderer and the murder victim, to justify the murder after the fact by attempting to translate the value of honor, which originates in the majority non-Jewish society, into internal Jewish terminology (from “protecting the honor of the family” to “protecting the integrity of the family lineage”), highlight the opposite extreme, namely the great difficulty that Jewish society has in adopting external societal norms, even when they lack distinct religious significance. And thus, we see the attempt to justify this adoption by “converting” or “translating” these concepts into internal Jewish concepts.
The harsh criticism expressed by the Italian Sages to whom the father turned, both regarding the murder and the attempt to justify it, expose the centrality of Ashkenazic custom in matters of halakhic ruling in Northern Italy. Jewish society in Northern Italy is portrayed as a society which is socially Mediterranean, but halakhically Ashkenazic. An analysis of this critique teaches about the possibility of maintaining common anti-ecstatic approaches in Jewish and Christian-Reform religious leadership during the course of the sixteenth century, and brings us back to our starting point – the tension between adopting values from the surrounding society and a desire to maintain value-based and religious exclusivity.
Sephardim and Ashkenazim – Jewish-Jewish Encounters in History and Literature, 2021
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, two communities of Jewish immigrants and exiles set... more During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, two communities of Jewish immigrants and exiles settled in Italy: Ashkenazim fleeing or expelled from the German lands and northern France in the decades following the Black Death and Sephardim departing the Iberian Peninsula after the massacres of 1391 and over the following century until the final expulsion in 1492. Throughout these encounters both communities shaped their own identities as Ashkenazim and Sephardim based, to a great extent, on their mutual images and the differences between them.
A discussion of the relationship between Ashkenazim and Sephardim in the early modern period is still a desideratum; however, reviewing how each group approached one specific phenomenon can clarify some of the differences and the similarities between them. In this chapter, I consider one limited aspect of these relationships and examine the attitudes of Ashkenazim and Sephardim in early modern Italy and the Ottoman Empire to messianism, messianic calculations, and expectations and the roles they played in the formation of messianic movements.
From the early 1430's, and during the course of the century that followed, Jewish society was rif... more From the early 1430's, and during the course of the century that followed, Jewish society was rife with tales and reports of the rediscovery of the ten tribes. Rumor had it that the courageous and invincible tribesmen had departed their exilic abode of the previous 2100 years, engaging and conquering their neighbors and adversaries, and were now poised to assume a significant political and military role in the international arena. Since the tribesmen's ultimate objective was the reestablishment of an independent Jewish kingdom in the Land of Israel, these rumors assumed messianic significance. It was further claimed that high ranking political forces in Europe and the Islamic world were aware of this process while attempting to contend with it and that portents observed in various places established and corroborated these reports. These rumors surfaced in an intensive correspondence comprising 30 letters from the 1402 to the 1532, exchanged between Italy and the Land of Israel and also circulated within Italy and dispatched to additional countries, dealing with various reports and rumors of the impending redemption
Based on an analysis of these letters I argue that the Jewish expectations for a redemption led by the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were influenced by European hopes that Prester John would come to their help to eradicate the Ottoman-Islamic threat. These hopes flourished in Italy from the 1430's on due to the political convergence between Italy and Ethiopia, perceived as the land of Prester John, at that time.
I also indicate a shift in the image of the ten tribes, from an image, common between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, of religious piety and complete detachment from what was happening outside their world, to a belligerent military image. This new image is explicitly expressed in the rumors, from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the tribes are on their way to become, once more, an active political and martial factor in the world history.
The new militant image, I claim, stems from a Jewish reading of the German anti-Semite traditions of the "Red Jews". According to these traditions the Ten Tribes are wild and fierce warriors and barbarian cannibals. They were prisoned in a remote and isolated place because they endanger the mere existence of the civilized (Christian) world. The Christian traditions of Prester John and the Red Jews, when read through Jewish eyes, have become a source for consolation and messianic hope.
Sixteenth century Jewish messianism was a historical messianism. It was affected by the international and geo-political situation, and envisioned as the rise of a political and martial Jewish power (the ten tribes) as a new and significant player in world politics.
Zion, 77 (2012), pp. 491-527. ציון, עז (תשע"ב), עמ 527-491
During the first third of the 16th century there was a burst of messianic interest among the Jews... more During the first third of the 16th century there was a burst of messianic interest among the Jews of Italy. The messianic interest was fed by constant rumors suggesting that the ten lost tribes have been found, and are on their way back to their ancient homeland led by a big victorious army. It was also claimed that unnatural signs seen by many people in various places, prove that Jewish redemption is at hand, and that Christian and Muslim kings, Sultans, princes and even the Pope are aware of this process and its inevitable consequences for them.
Based on an analysis of some 30 letters, sent between Italy and Israel in the years 1402-1532, I argue that the Jewish expectations for a redemption led by the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were influenced by European hopes that Prester John would come to their help to eradicate the Ottoman-Islamic threat. These hopes flourished in Italy from the 1430's on due to the political convergence between Italy and Ethiopia, perceived as the land of Prester John, at that time.
I also indicate a shift in the image of the ten tribes, from an image, common between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, of religious piety and complete detachment from what was happening outside their world, to a belligerent military image. This new image is explicitly expressed in the rumors, from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the tribes are on their way to become, once more, an active political and martial factor in the world history.
The new militant image, I claim, stems from a Jewish reading of the German anti-Semite traditions of the "Red Jews". According to these traditions the Ten Tribes are wild and fierce warriors and barbarian cannibals. They were prisoned in a remote and isolated place because they endanger the mere existence of the civilized (Christian) world. The Christian traditions of Prester John and the Red Jews, when read through Jewish eyes, have become a source for consolation and messianic hope.
Sixteenth century Jewish messianism was a historical messianism. It was affected by the international and geo-political situation, and envisioned as the rise of a political and martial Jewish power (the ten tribes) as a new and significant player in world politics.
AJS Review, Apr 1, 2011
In the last weeks of 1523, a colorful traveler arrived in Venice from Alexandria: “Dark in aspect... more In the last weeks of 1523, a colorful traveler arrived in Venice from Alexandria: “Dark in aspect, short in stature, gaunt, his language Hagarish [Arabic] and a little Jewish. … He wore striped silk according to the custom of the Ishmaelites, and on his head a white scarf, with which he covered his head and most of himself.” The traveler presented himself to local Jews and community leaders as “David,” the ambassador of an independent Jewish state on the Arabian peninsula, where he claimed that his brother, King Joseph, ruled over the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half the tribe of Menashe. The “Jewish ambassador” announced that he was on his way to Rome to hold a state meeting with the Pope, as an emissary of the Seventy Elders, the advisers of his brother the king. He added, of course, that he needed money.(Online publication May 06 2011)
Zion, Aug 1, 2008
In a letter from 1524, Avraham ben Eliezer Halevi, a Sephardi kabbalist and messianic herald livi... more In a letter from 1524, Avraham ben Eliezer Halevi, a Sephardi kabbalist and messianic herald living in Jerusalem, described an encounter he had some years earlier in Portugal with a community of conversos and with their rabbi. In this letter, Avraham Halevi described an underground synagogue where members of the community would gather every Saturday for prayer and Torah reading. The conversos, who were all learned, 'rich and notable people', maintained a high level of observance of the Jewish law (Halakha) in the strictest way. Avraham Halevi was impressed, in particular, by the leader or rabbi of the community, and especially in light of his magical-kabbalistic ability. At their first encounter this rabbi was able to tell Halevi all that had happened to him in the past, as well as all that would come upon him in the future. In their next meeting Avraham Halevi, impressed by this prophetic capability, asked the rabbi to inform him when the redemption would occur, and he received a detailed answer. The existence of other kabbalists who used magical-kabbalistic practices for messianic purposes in early sixteenth century Portugal demonstrates that this case was neither unique nor accidental. There were notable similarities, notwithstanding clear differences, between these phenomena and the kabbalistic circles of Sefer Hameshiv which flourished in late fifteenth-century Spain. It seems, therefore, that a magical-kabbalistic school existed among the conversos in Portugal in the early sixteenth century. Members of this school, whether of Spanish or Portuguese origin, were related to some degree to the Spanish circles of Sefer Hameshiv and used magical practices to gather information about the time and nature of the redemption. Echoes of this school were still apparent in the 1520s and are manifested in the character of Shlomo Molcho, the most important and famous Jewish messianic figure of the sixteenth century. Molcho, who was born to a converso family in 1501, emerged as an erudite scholar of Kabbala a very short time after he left Portugal in 1526. His vast knowledge could have been gained only in Portugal, and its kabbalistic, magical and messianic components suggest a proximity to the above mentioned school. The existence of such a school does not necessarily reflect the actual religious atmosphere among the converses. Various attitudes and practices existed among the Portuguese conversos, ranging from a close to total obedience to the Jewish law to a lesser degree of commitment and obedience.
Tov Elem: Memory, Comunity and Gender in medieval and early Modern Jewish Societies - Essays in honor of Robert Bonfil, Elisheva Baumgarten, Amnon Raz-Karkotzkin and Roni weinstein (eds.), Jerusalem 2011
נחם אילן, כרמי הורוביץ וקימי קפלן (עורכים), דורש טוב לעמו; הדרשן, הדרשה וספרות הדרוש בתרבות היהודית, ירושלים תשע"ג, עמ 67- 87.
Moti Benmelech focuses his analysis on the career of Shlomo Molcho, who was born in Portugal to a... more Moti Benmelech focuses his analysis on the career of Shlomo Molcho, who was born in Portugal to a New-Cristian family, returned to Judaism and was active as a preacher in early modern Italy. Benmelech investigates the reflections of political and social proccesses in his sermons along with their content and the rhetorical methods adopted by the preacher
Conference Presentations by Moti Benmelech
Book Reviews by Moti Benmelech
Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, 2024
‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ is a rescue story of a Jewish community by a savior from the land of the Ten Tr... more ‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ is a rescue story of a Jewish community by a savior from the
land of the Ten Tribes. The hero of the story is Rabbi Meir Shatz, the author of the
piyyut ‘Akdamut Milin’, and the emissary who was sent to the land of the tribes
and did not return. This story was told in Ashkenazi communities in northern Italy
and was even printed there in the mid-sixteenth century.
The article discusses a formerly unknown version of ‘MaꜤaseh Akdamut’ found
in a manuscript from the early nineteenth century. The absence of the Ten Tribes
is conspicuous in this version, and Rabbi Meir Shatz is replaced by Rabbi Meir
Ba’al Hanness as the savior. This version of the story is similar to other sources
that identify Rabbi Meir BaꜤal Hanness with Rabbi Meir Shatz, and it illustrates
the changes that occurred according to the time and place in which it is told. In
light of this, the article examines the portrayal of the Ten Tribes as saviors in the
original version of ‘MaꜤaseh Akadmut’ from the sixteenth century, suggesting that
it expresses disconnection between Jewish society and the Ten Tribes..
Apocalypse Now Connected Histories of Eschatological Movements from Moscow to Cusco, 15th-18th Centuries, 2022
For a copy contact the author
Masekhet, 2022
The tension between interior and exterior factors, in the interrelationship between the majority ... more The tension between interior and exterior factors, in the interrelationship between the majority non-Jewish society and the minority Jewish one, is one of the outstanding features of Jewish existence in the Middle Ages. The story of the murder of a Jewish maiden who was romantically involved with a gentile, killed by her brother, that took place in Ferrara in the spring of 1577, which is the focal point of this article, clearly exemplifies this tension, and
of an infiltration of outside values (family honor, struggling with an affront to its honor to the point of carrying out murder in order to protect it) into Jewish society. This severe case is appended to other evidence that is indicative of the centrality of the value of honor, which is typical of Mediterranean cultures, including the Jewish Mediterranean one.
The attempts by Azariah Finzi, father of both the murderer and the murder victim, to justify the murder after the fact by attempting to translate the value of honor, which originates in the majority non-Jewish society, into internal Jewish terminology (from “protecting the honor of the family” to “protecting the integrity of the family lineage”), highlight the opposite extreme, namely the great difficulty that Jewish society has in adopting external societal norms, even when they lack distinct religious significance. And thus, we see the attempt to justify this adoption by “converting” or “translating” these concepts into internal Jewish concepts.
The harsh criticism expressed by the Italian Sages to whom the father turned, both regarding the murder and the attempt to justify it, expose the centrality of Ashkenazic custom in matters of halakhic ruling in Northern Italy. Jewish society in Northern Italy is portrayed as a society which is socially Mediterranean, but halakhically Ashkenazic. An analysis of this critique teaches about the possibility of maintaining common anti-ecstatic approaches in Jewish and Christian-Reform religious leadership during the course of the sixteenth century, and brings us back to our starting point – the tension between adopting values from the surrounding society and a desire to maintain value-based and religious exclusivity.
Sephardim and Ashkenazim – Jewish-Jewish Encounters in History and Literature, 2021
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, two communities of Jewish immigrants and exiles set... more During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, two communities of Jewish immigrants and exiles settled in Italy: Ashkenazim fleeing or expelled from the German lands and northern France in the decades following the Black Death and Sephardim departing the Iberian Peninsula after the massacres of 1391 and over the following century until the final expulsion in 1492. Throughout these encounters both communities shaped their own identities as Ashkenazim and Sephardim based, to a great extent, on their mutual images and the differences between them.
A discussion of the relationship between Ashkenazim and Sephardim in the early modern period is still a desideratum; however, reviewing how each group approached one specific phenomenon can clarify some of the differences and the similarities between them. In this chapter, I consider one limited aspect of these relationships and examine the attitudes of Ashkenazim and Sephardim in early modern Italy and the Ottoman Empire to messianism, messianic calculations, and expectations and the roles they played in the formation of messianic movements.
From the early 1430's, and during the course of the century that followed, Jewish society was rif... more From the early 1430's, and during the course of the century that followed, Jewish society was rife with tales and reports of the rediscovery of the ten tribes. Rumor had it that the courageous and invincible tribesmen had departed their exilic abode of the previous 2100 years, engaging and conquering their neighbors and adversaries, and were now poised to assume a significant political and military role in the international arena. Since the tribesmen's ultimate objective was the reestablishment of an independent Jewish kingdom in the Land of Israel, these rumors assumed messianic significance. It was further claimed that high ranking political forces in Europe and the Islamic world were aware of this process while attempting to contend with it and that portents observed in various places established and corroborated these reports. These rumors surfaced in an intensive correspondence comprising 30 letters from the 1402 to the 1532, exchanged between Italy and the Land of Israel and also circulated within Italy and dispatched to additional countries, dealing with various reports and rumors of the impending redemption
Based on an analysis of these letters I argue that the Jewish expectations for a redemption led by the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were influenced by European hopes that Prester John would come to their help to eradicate the Ottoman-Islamic threat. These hopes flourished in Italy from the 1430's on due to the political convergence between Italy and Ethiopia, perceived as the land of Prester John, at that time.
I also indicate a shift in the image of the ten tribes, from an image, common between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, of religious piety and complete detachment from what was happening outside their world, to a belligerent military image. This new image is explicitly expressed in the rumors, from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the tribes are on their way to become, once more, an active political and martial factor in the world history.
The new militant image, I claim, stems from a Jewish reading of the German anti-Semite traditions of the "Red Jews". According to these traditions the Ten Tribes are wild and fierce warriors and barbarian cannibals. They were prisoned in a remote and isolated place because they endanger the mere existence of the civilized (Christian) world. The Christian traditions of Prester John and the Red Jews, when read through Jewish eyes, have become a source for consolation and messianic hope.
Sixteenth century Jewish messianism was a historical messianism. It was affected by the international and geo-political situation, and envisioned as the rise of a political and martial Jewish power (the ten tribes) as a new and significant player in world politics.
Zion, 77 (2012), pp. 491-527. ציון, עז (תשע"ב), עמ 527-491
During the first third of the 16th century there was a burst of messianic interest among the Jews... more During the first third of the 16th century there was a burst of messianic interest among the Jews of Italy. The messianic interest was fed by constant rumors suggesting that the ten lost tribes have been found, and are on their way back to their ancient homeland led by a big victorious army. It was also claimed that unnatural signs seen by many people in various places, prove that Jewish redemption is at hand, and that Christian and Muslim kings, Sultans, princes and even the Pope are aware of this process and its inevitable consequences for them.
Based on an analysis of some 30 letters, sent between Italy and Israel in the years 1402-1532, I argue that the Jewish expectations for a redemption led by the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were influenced by European hopes that Prester John would come to their help to eradicate the Ottoman-Islamic threat. These hopes flourished in Italy from the 1430's on due to the political convergence between Italy and Ethiopia, perceived as the land of Prester John, at that time.
I also indicate a shift in the image of the ten tribes, from an image, common between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, of religious piety and complete detachment from what was happening outside their world, to a belligerent military image. This new image is explicitly expressed in the rumors, from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the tribes are on their way to become, once more, an active political and martial factor in the world history.
The new militant image, I claim, stems from a Jewish reading of the German anti-Semite traditions of the "Red Jews". According to these traditions the Ten Tribes are wild and fierce warriors and barbarian cannibals. They were prisoned in a remote and isolated place because they endanger the mere existence of the civilized (Christian) world. The Christian traditions of Prester John and the Red Jews, when read through Jewish eyes, have become a source for consolation and messianic hope.
Sixteenth century Jewish messianism was a historical messianism. It was affected by the international and geo-political situation, and envisioned as the rise of a political and martial Jewish power (the ten tribes) as a new and significant player in world politics.
AJS Review, Apr 1, 2011
In the last weeks of 1523, a colorful traveler arrived in Venice from Alexandria: “Dark in aspect... more In the last weeks of 1523, a colorful traveler arrived in Venice from Alexandria: “Dark in aspect, short in stature, gaunt, his language Hagarish [Arabic] and a little Jewish. … He wore striped silk according to the custom of the Ishmaelites, and on his head a white scarf, with which he covered his head and most of himself.” The traveler presented himself to local Jews and community leaders as “David,” the ambassador of an independent Jewish state on the Arabian peninsula, where he claimed that his brother, King Joseph, ruled over the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half the tribe of Menashe. The “Jewish ambassador” announced that he was on his way to Rome to hold a state meeting with the Pope, as an emissary of the Seventy Elders, the advisers of his brother the king. He added, of course, that he needed money.(Online publication May 06 2011)
Zion, Aug 1, 2008
In a letter from 1524, Avraham ben Eliezer Halevi, a Sephardi kabbalist and messianic herald livi... more In a letter from 1524, Avraham ben Eliezer Halevi, a Sephardi kabbalist and messianic herald living in Jerusalem, described an encounter he had some years earlier in Portugal with a community of conversos and with their rabbi. In this letter, Avraham Halevi described an underground synagogue where members of the community would gather every Saturday for prayer and Torah reading. The conversos, who were all learned, 'rich and notable people', maintained a high level of observance of the Jewish law (Halakha) in the strictest way. Avraham Halevi was impressed, in particular, by the leader or rabbi of the community, and especially in light of his magical-kabbalistic ability. At their first encounter this rabbi was able to tell Halevi all that had happened to him in the past, as well as all that would come upon him in the future. In their next meeting Avraham Halevi, impressed by this prophetic capability, asked the rabbi to inform him when the redemption would occur, and he received a detailed answer. The existence of other kabbalists who used magical-kabbalistic practices for messianic purposes in early sixteenth century Portugal demonstrates that this case was neither unique nor accidental. There were notable similarities, notwithstanding clear differences, between these phenomena and the kabbalistic circles of Sefer Hameshiv which flourished in late fifteenth-century Spain. It seems, therefore, that a magical-kabbalistic school existed among the conversos in Portugal in the early sixteenth century. Members of this school, whether of Spanish or Portuguese origin, were related to some degree to the Spanish circles of Sefer Hameshiv and used magical practices to gather information about the time and nature of the redemption. Echoes of this school were still apparent in the 1520s and are manifested in the character of Shlomo Molcho, the most important and famous Jewish messianic figure of the sixteenth century. Molcho, who was born to a converso family in 1501, emerged as an erudite scholar of Kabbala a very short time after he left Portugal in 1526. His vast knowledge could have been gained only in Portugal, and its kabbalistic, magical and messianic components suggest a proximity to the above mentioned school. The existence of such a school does not necessarily reflect the actual religious atmosphere among the converses. Various attitudes and practices existed among the Portuguese conversos, ranging from a close to total obedience to the Jewish law to a lesser degree of commitment and obedience.
Tov Elem: Memory, Comunity and Gender in medieval and early Modern Jewish Societies - Essays in honor of Robert Bonfil, Elisheva Baumgarten, Amnon Raz-Karkotzkin and Roni weinstein (eds.), Jerusalem 2011
נחם אילן, כרמי הורוביץ וקימי קפלן (עורכים), דורש טוב לעמו; הדרשן, הדרשה וספרות הדרוש בתרבות היהודית, ירושלים תשע"ג, עמ 67- 87.
Moti Benmelech focuses his analysis on the career of Shlomo Molcho, who was born in Portugal to a... more Moti Benmelech focuses his analysis on the career of Shlomo Molcho, who was born in Portugal to a New-Cristian family, returned to Judaism and was active as a preacher in early modern Italy. Benmelech investigates the reflections of political and social proccesses in his sermons along with their content and the rhetorical methods adopted by the preacher