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Q&A Who was Yitzchaki?

He should be identified as Yitschak Hayyisraeli, an early Jewish-Arabic philosopher and commentator. The Ibn Ezra actually quotes him again in the very next verse as יצחק המהביל. Apart from here (I...

posted 4y ago by user8078‭ · edited 4y ago by user8078‭

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user8078‭ · 2020-07-19T10:28:54Z (over 4 years ago)

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He should be identified as [Yitschak Hayyisraeli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Israeli_ben_Solomon), an early Jewish-Arabic philosopher and commentator.
The Ibn Ezra actually quotes him again in the very next verse as יצחק המהביל. These two names (יצחקי and יצחק המהביל) are mentioned two other times in his commentaries, giving four explicit references: Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:31.1, Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:32.1, [Ibn Ezra on Hosea.1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Hosea.1.1.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en), [Ibn Ezra on Job 42.16.1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Job.42.16.1?lang=he). Other references are his [introduction](https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%90_%D7%A2%D7%9C_%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%94) (first approach), Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:12.1, [Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:8 (short)](https://www.mgketer.org/tanach/2/21/8), Ibn Ezra on Numbers 24:17.7, [Ibn Ezra on Daniel 1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Daniel.1.1.2?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he) (possibly), [Tsachut 72a](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=6720&st=&pgnum=154), [Safa Berura 9b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=30702&st=&pgnum=41), [Hashem 3b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=35240&st=&pgnum=49). His introduction is worth quoting from, since it gives some biographical and bibliographical details: This Rav Yitschak (this is the only place in his writings the Ibn Ezra gives him an honorific) is among the sages of the yeshivot in the Arab kingdoms and wrote a lengthy philosophical/scientific commentary on the beginning of the Torah.
The identification was made by Dr. Carmoly in Tziyyon vol. 1, [46-47](https://books.google.co.il/books?id=uxJEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA46#v=onepage&q&f=false) (referred to by [Jewish Encyclopedia](http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8297-israeli-isaac-ben-solomon-abu-ya-kub-ishak-ibn-sulaiman-alisra-ili)) who found a manuscript by [Chasdai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasdai_ibn_Shaprut) explaining Yitschak's philosophical method, who ends by stating:
>היה חכם בתורה ... ולא כדברי אבן עזרא שקראו מבהיל
In other words, the Yitschak that Ibn Ezra called מבהיל (sic; our text is מהביל) - a characterization that Chasdai disagrees with - was Yitschak Hayyisraeli.
Ezra Fleischer, in [an article](https://www.academia.edu/38270103/Ezra_Fleischer_The_Character_of_the_She_elot_Atiqot_Ancient_Questions_and_the_Problem_of_the_Author_s_Identity_Hebrew_Union_College_Annual_vol._38_1967_1-23_Hebrew_) in Hebrew Union College Annual vol. 38, identifies a fragmentary poetic work called She'elot Attikot as by this same author, as many of the comments that the Ibn Ezra criticizes are posed similarly there. I found further helpful references in the commentary Mechokekei Yehuda on Ibn Ezra's introduction, [first approach fn. 8](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39937&pgnum=46).

He should be identified as [Yitschak Hayyisraeli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Israeli_ben_Solomon), an early Jewish-Arabic philosopher and commentator.
The Ibn Ezra actually quotes him again in the very next verse as יצחק המהביל. Apart from here (Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:31.1 and Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:32.1), these two names (יצחקי and יצחק המהביל) are mentioned explicitly a few more times: Ibn Ezra on Numbers 24:17.7, [Ibn Ezra on Hosea.1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Hosea.1.1.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en), [Ibn Ezra on Job 42.16.1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Job.42.16.1?lang=he). Other references are his [introduction](https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%90_%D7%A2%D7%9C_%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%94) (first approach), Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:12.1, [Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:8 (short)](https://www.mgketer.org/tanach/2/21/8), [Ibn Ezra on Daniel 1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Daniel.1.1.2?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he) (possibly), [Tsachut 72a](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=6720&st=&pgnum=154), [Safa Berura 9b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=30702&st=&pgnum=41), [Hashem 3b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=35240&st=&pgnum=49). His introduction is worth quoting from, since it gives some biographical and bibliographical details: This Rav Yitschak (this is the only place in his writings the Ibn Ezra gives him an honorific) is among the sages of the yeshivot in the Arab kingdoms and wrote a lengthy philosophical/scientific commentary on the beginning of the Torah.
The identification was made by Dr. Carmoly in Tziyyon vol. 1, [46-47](https://books.google.co.il/books?id=uxJEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA46#v=onepage&q&f=false) (referred to by [Jewish Encyclopedia](http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8297-israeli-isaac-ben-solomon-abu-ya-kub-ishak-ibn-sulaiman-alisra-ili)) who found a manuscript by [Chasdai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasdai_ibn_Shaprut) explaining Yitschak's philosophical method, who ends by stating:
>היה חכם בתורה ... ולא כדברי אבן עזרא שקראו מבהיל
In other words, the Yitschak that Ibn Ezra called מבהיל (sic; our text is מהביל) - a characterization that Chasdai disagrees with - was Yitschak Hayyisraeli.
Ezra Fleischer, in [an article](https://www.academia.edu/38270103/Ezra_Fleischer_The_Character_of_the_She_elot_Atiqot_Ancient_Questions_and_the_Problem_of_the_Author_s_Identity_Hebrew_Union_College_Annual_vol._38_1967_1-23_Hebrew_) in Hebrew Union College Annual vol. 38, identifies a fragmentary poetic work called She'elot Attikot as by this same author, as many of the comments that the Ibn Ezra criticizes are posed similarly there. I found further helpful references in the commentary Mechokekei Yehuda on Ibn Ezra's introduction, [first approach fn. 8](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39937&pgnum=46).

#1: Initial revision by

user8078‭ · 2020-07-19T00:28:52Z (over 4 years ago)

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He should be identified as [Yitschak Hayyisraeli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Israeli_ben_Solomon), an early Jewish-Arabic philosopher and commentator.

The Ibn Ezra actually quotes him again in the very next verse as יצחק המהביל. These two names (יצחקי and יצחק המהביל) are mentioned two other times in his commentaries, giving four explicit references: Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:31.1, Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:32.1, [Ibn Ezra on Hosea.1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Hosea.1.1.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en), [Ibn Ezra on Job 42.16.1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Job.42.16.1?lang=he). Other references are his [introduction](https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8%D7%90_%D7%A2%D7%9C_%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94_%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%9E%D7%94) (first approach), Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:12.1, [Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:8 (short)](https://www.mgketer.org/tanach/2/21/8), Ibn Ezra on Numbers 24:17.7, [Ibn Ezra on Daniel 1:1](https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Daniel.1.1.2?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he) (possibly), [Tsachut 72a](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=6720&st=&pgnum=154), [Safa Berura 9b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=30702&st=&pgnum=41), [Hashem 3b](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=35240&st=&pgnum=49). His introduction is worth quoting from, since it gives some biographical and bibliographical details: This Rav Yitschak (this is the only place in his writings the Ibn Ezra gives him an honorific) is among the sages of the yeshivot in the Arab kingdoms and wrote a lengthy philosophical/scientific commentary on the beginning of the Torah.

The identification was made by Dr. Carmoly in Tziyyon vol. 1, [46-47](https://books.google.co.il/books?id=uxJEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA46#v=onepage&q&f=false) (referred to by [Jewish Encyclopedia](http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8297-israeli-isaac-ben-solomon-abu-ya-kub-ishak-ibn-sulaiman-alisra-ili)) who found a manuscript by [Chasdai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasdai_ibn_Shaprut) explaining Yitschak's philosophical method, who ends by stating:

>היה חכם בתורה ... ולא כדברי אבן עזרא שקראו מבהיל

In other words, the Yitschak that Ibn Ezra called מבהיל (sic; our text is מהביל) - a characterization that Chasdai disagrees with - was Yitschak Hayyisraeli.

Ezra Fleischer, in [an article](https://www.academia.edu/38270103/Ezra_Fleischer_The_Character_of_the_She_elot_Atiqot_Ancient_Questions_and_the_Problem_of_the_Author_s_Identity_Hebrew_Union_College_Annual_vol._38_1967_1-23_Hebrew_) in Hebrew Union College Annual vol. 38, identifies a fragmentary poetic work called She'elot Attikot as by this same author, as many of the comments that the Ibn Ezra criticizes are posed similarly there. I found further helpful references in the commentary Mechokekei Yehuda on Ibn Ezra's introduction, [first approach fn. 8](https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=39937&pgnum=46).

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