What Does Halakhah Say about Music?: Two Early Rabbinic Writings on Music by Hai b. Sherira
Though rulings on music are implicit in the sources (the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud), Hai b. Sherira, the last of the geonim of the Babylonian academy at Pumbedita, appears to be the earliest rabbi to establish systematic halakhic rulings for its practice. His two responses to questions put to h...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
HUC
2015
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
Year: 2013, Volume: 84/85, Pages: 49-87 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Though rulings on music are implicit in the sources (the Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud), Hai b. Sherira, the last of the geonim of the Babylonian academy at Pumbedita, appears to be the earliest rabbi to establish systematic halakhic rulings for its practice. His two responses to questions put to him by communities in Kairouan and Gabès stand at the foundation of all later halakhic decisions. Beyond introductory biographical and bibliographical data on Hai, this study discusses the various rulings in both responses: the first, where Hai approaches music from a largely positive point of view, then the second, where he turns the tables, displaying a patently negative attitude toward music. The study proceeds with a consideration of how Hai's rulings on music, positive and negative, relate to those in earlier sources and traces their influence on the ordinances formulated by later adjudicators - Isaac Alfasi, Maimonides, Jacob b. Asher, and Joseph Karo. As a final question, it ponders the relevance of Hai's code to halakhic decisions on music today. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
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