Jewish folklore

Last updated November 05, 2024

Jewish folklore are legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales, stories, tall tales, and customs that are the traditions of Judaism. Folktales are characterized by the presence of unusual personages, by the sudden transformation of men into beasts and vice versa, or by other unnatural incidents. A number of aggadic stories bear folktale characteristics, especially those relating to Og, King of Bashan, which have the same exaggerations as have the lügenmärchen of modern German folktales.^[1]

Middle Ages

There is considerable evidence of Jewish people bringing and helping the spread of Eastern folktales in Europe.^[2] Besides these tales from foreign sources, Jews either collected or composed others which were told throughout the European ghettos, and were collected in Yiddish in the "Maasebücher".^[2] Numbers of the folktales contained in these collections were also published separately.^[3] It is, however, difficult to call many of them folktales in the sense given above, since nothing fairy-like or supernormal occurs in them.^[2]

Legends

There are a few definitely Jewish legends of the Middle Ages which partake of the character of folktales, such as those of the Jewish pope Andreas and of the golem, or that relating to the wall of the Rashi chapel, which moved backward in order to save the life of a poor woman who was in danger of being crushed by a passing carriage in the narrow way. Several of these legends were collected by Abraham Moses Tendlau [ de ] (Sagen und Legenden der Jüdischen Vorzeit).^[4]

In the late 19th century many folktales were gathered among Jews or published from Hebrew manuscripts by Israël Lévi [ fr ] in the Revue des Etudes Juives, in the Revue des Traditions Populaires, and in Melusine; by Moses Gaster in Folk-Lore and in the reports of Montefiore College; and by Max Grunwald in Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Jüdische Volkskunde;^[5] by L. Wiener in the same periodical; and by F. S. Krauss in Urquell, both series.

Aggadah and folklore compilations

The Legends of the Jews ^[6] by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, is an original synthesis of a vast amount of aggadah from the Mishnah, the two Talmuds and Midrash. Ginzberg had an encyclopedic knowledge of all rabbinic literature, and his masterwork included a massive array of aggadot. However he did not create an anthology which showed these aggadot distinctly. Rather, he paraphrased them and rewrote them into one continuous narrative that covered five volumes, followed by two volumes of footnotes that give specific sources.
The Ein Yaakov is a compilation of the aggadic material in the Babylonian Talmud together with commentary.
Sefer Ha-Aggadah, "The Book of Legends" is a classic compilation of aggadah from the Mishnah, the two Talmuds and the Midrash literature. It was edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Rawnitzki. Bialik and Ravnitzky worked to compile a comprehensive and representative overview of aggadah; they spent three years compiling their work. When they found the same aggadah in multiple versions, from multiple sources, they usually selected the later form, the one found in the Babylonian Talmud. However they also presented a great some aggadot sequentially, giving the early form from the Jerusalem Talmud, and later versions from the Babylonian Talmud, and from a classic midrash compilation. In each case each every aggadah is given with its original source. In their original edition, they translated the Aramaic aggadot into modern Hebrew. Sefer Ha-Aggadah was first published in 1908–11 in Odessa, Russia, then reprinted numerous times in Israel. In 1992 it was translated into English as "The Book of Legends", by William G, Braude.
Mimekor Yisrael, by Micha Josef (bin Gorion) Berdyczewski. Berdyczewski was interested in compiling the folklore and legends of the Jewish people, from the earliest times up until the dawn of the modern era. His collection included a large array of aggadot, although they were limited to those he considered within the domain of folklore.

In art

Jewish folklore has been a theme of Jewish painting. Notable painters who used themes from Jewish folklore include Marc Chagall, Yitzhak Frenkel, Meer Akselrod and others.^[7]^[8] Themes painted by such artists include scenes from ordinary Jewish life, infused with folkloric elements and themes.^[9] Jewish folklore showcased itself through Hebrew micrography, papercutting, woodwork, artisanal works and more.^[10]^[11] In Eastern Europe, the shtetl was often a major theme in the work of Jewish artists, who infused fantasy with reality in their works.^[8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Ginzberg</span> Russian-born American Conservative rabbi and Talmudic scholar (1873-1953)

Louis Ginzberg was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, contributing editor to numerous articles of The Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), and leading figure in the Conservative movement of Judaism during the early 20th century.

Etana was the thirteenth king of the first dynasty of Kish, according to the Sumerian King List. He is listed as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd, who ascended to heaven and consolidated all the foreign countries", and states that he ruled 1,560 years before being succeeded by his son Balih, said to have ruled 400 years. The kings on the early part of the SKL are usually not considered historical, except when they are mentioned in contemporary Early Dynastic documents. Etana is one of them.

Elisha ben Abuyah was a rabbi and Jewish religious authority born in Jerusalem sometime before 70 CE. After he adopted a worldview considered heretical by his fellow Tannaim, the rabbis of the Talmud refrained from relating teachings in his name and referred to him as the "Other One". In the writings of the Geonim this name appears as "Achor" ("backwards"), because Elisha was considered to have "turned backwards" by embracing heresy.

Aggadah is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporates folklore, historical anecdotes, moral exhortations, and practical advice in various spheres, from business to medicine.

The Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index is a catalogue of folktale types used in folklore studies. The ATU index is the product of a series of revisions and expansions by an international group of scholars: Originally published in German by Finnish folklorist Antti Aarne (1910), the index was translated into English, revised, and expanded by American folklorist Stith Thompson, and later further revised and expanded by German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther (2004). The ATU index is an essential tool for folklorists, used along with the Thompson (1932)Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.

The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael is midrash halakha to the Book of Exodus. The Aramaic title Mekhilta corresponds to the Mishnaic Hebrew term מדה middā "measure," "rule", and is used to denote a compilation of exegesis. Other important mekhiltas were those of Shimon bar Yochai and on Book of Deuteronomy. The latter work was also associated with Rabbi Ishmael's teachings.

Jacob ben Solomon ibn Habib was a rabbi and talmudist, best known as the author of Ein Yaakov, a compilation of all the Aggadic material in the Talmud together with commentaries.

Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah is an aggadic midrash on Song of Songs, quoted by Rashi under the title "Midrash Shir ha-Shirim". It is also called Aggadat Hazita, from its initial word "Hazita", or Midrash Hazita.

Rabbi Shila of Kefar Tamarta was a Jewish Talmudist from the Land of Israel, who lived in the 3rd century.

Midrash Tehillim, also known as Midrash Psalms or Midrash Shocher Tov, is an aggadic midrash to the Psalms.

Tanhuma bar Abba was a Jewish amora of the 5th generation, one of the foremost aggadists of his time.

Ruth Rabbah is an haggadic and homiletic interpretation of the Book of Ruth. Like the midrash on the four other "megillot", it is included in the Midrash Rabbot.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Judaism:

Hiyya, or Hiyya the Great, was a Jewish sage in the Land of Israel during the transitional generation between the Tannaic and Amoraic eras. Active in Tiberias, Hiyya was the primary compiler of the Tosefta. His full name is Hiyya bar Abba, also the name of the 3rd generation Amora of the Land of Israel, Hiyya bar Abba. He was a student of Judah haNasi, and uncle and teacher of Rav.

Kabbalah, the central system in Jewish mysticism, uses anthropomorphic mythic symbols to metaphorically describe manifestations of God in Judaism. Based on the verses "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" and "from my flesh shall I see God", Kabbalah uses the form of the human body to describe the structure of the human soul, and the nature of supernal Divine emanations. A particular concern of Kabbalah is sexual unity between male and female potencies in Divinity on high, depicted as interaction of the two sides in the sephiroth, Adam Kadmon the divine Anthropos, between archetypal partzufim or divine personas, and the redemption of the exiled Shekhinah, feminine divine presence, from captivity among the impure forces called qlippoth "husks" below.

Sefer HaAggadah is a compilation of Aggadot that was compiled and edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Rawnitzki starting from 1903. Most of the sources included in Sefer HaAggadah come from the period of the Tannaim and the Amoraim. Bialik and Ravnitzky include aggadot from the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud, Avot of Rabbi Natan, Mekhilta, Sifra, Sifre, Tosefta, Midrash Rabba, Midrash Tanhuma, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, Sefer Yetzirah, Yalkut Shimoni, Alphabet of Sirach and others. Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Jewish literary scholar, theologian, and editor writes that Bialik's goal in compiling the Sefer HaAggadah was "…part of his attempt to popularize Hebrew classics." This mission is very much evident in Bialik's essay, Halakah and Aggadah where he expands on the roles of Halakah and Aggadah in reinventing or renewing a society's culture.

The Legends of the Jews is a chronological compilation of aggadah from hundreds of biblical legends in Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash. The compilation consists of seven volumes synthesized by Louis Ginzberg in a manuscript written in the German language. In 1913, it was translated by Henrietta Szold. It was published in Philadelphia by the Jewish Publication Society of America from 1909 to 1938.

The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature is a six volume catalogue of motifs, granular elements of folklore, composed by American folklorist Stith Thompson. Often referred to as Thompson's motif-index, the catalogue has been extensively used in folklore studies, where folklorists commonly use it in tandem with the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index (ATU), an index used for folktale type analysis.

"The Forgotten Bride" or "The Forgotten Fiancée" is a motif of folktales recognized in several folktale motif indices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dov Noy</span> Israeli folklorist (1920–2013)

Dov Noy was an Israeli folklorist. He is considered one of the most important researchers in the field of Jewish folk tales.

References

↑ G. Dennis, "Og," The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism
1 2 3 Joseph Jacobs. "Folk-Tales" entry. In: The Jewish Encyclopedia . Vol. 5. New York and London: Funk & Wagnalls company, 1902. pp. 427-428.
↑ See the earlier ones given by Moritz Steinschneider in Hebrew Books in the Bodleian Library, Oxford (Catalogus Librorum Hebræorum in Bibliotheca Bodleiana), Berlin, 1852-60), Nos. 3869-3942
↑ Frankfurt a.M.: Kauffman, 1873
↑ see Index to part vi., s.v. "Erzählungen"
↑ "The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg". Philologos.org. 2001-04-13. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
↑ "Frenel, Yitzhak". Oxford art online - Benezit dictionary of artists. 31 October 2011. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00068047 . Retrieved 2024-10-19.
1 2 "Representation of the Shtetl in Jewish Art: Reality and Fantasy". www.yadvashem.org. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
↑ McAloon, Jonathan (2018-06-28). "Marc Chagall's Jewish Identity Was Crucial to His Best Work". Artsy. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
↑ "Jewish Folk Art". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
↑ "Exploring Jewish Art – Jewish Museum of Maryland" . Retrieved 2024-10-19.