Brief overview of the life and works of Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, Andalusian poet, European wanderer, Biblical commentator and noted scientist. Part of the Jews of Sepharad series, more information at jewishhistorylectures.org.
I am an African American of Congolese descent and I love your lectures. I found you while I was researching Josephus about a year ago and I keep coming back. These lectures about great men from your culture is very interesting. Thank you for your work.
Thank you for this introduction to Ibn Ezra. You really helped illuminate the complexity of his life and further my curiosity. I will be listening to more of your lectures.
I’m actually a direct descendant of this guy. My grandfather kept a very organized family tree to keep Ibn Ezra’s lineage alive. Also Avraham’s name stated in our family, and his father’s Meir. My dad is Avraham, his father is Meir, his father is Avraham, his father is Meir, etc..
I did a DNA test last month and found out that I have 75% Sephardic Jewish, 20% Italian, 3% middle eastern and 2% Ashkenazi DNA It means that the Ben Ezra line probably mixed a bit in Italy
Dear prof. Abramson H., shalom. The poems of Abraham Ben Ezdra are fulfilled of high wisdom and magic words, he was a good commentator of Torah and a man /ish/ of the Hebrew life which depends on Adonai, Lord of Universe It is so useful to know details of Ezdra life. That is light /or/ of great Sedardic rav, poet and teacher. Thanks❤
Dr. Henry Abramson such a profound source of of history with richness of details, touching poetry ,and even humor. One more time, thank you for this lecture on the Jews of Sepharad.
Beautiful ! Thank you Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra is difficult to understand as commentator of the 'Humash, although his Hebrew writing is clear and beautiful as is Rashi's. But so hard to comprehend the reasoning. That's why I was interested to know more about him. To think that he was born when Rashi was in his late years and some 1500 km apart is moving. His astrology tables are used by astrologers even now. I find astrology fascinating as a way of better understanding oneself and others. Many things to learn in this world !
It utterly amazes me that the older I get, and the more I learn, the more aware I am of my own ignorance. A lot of the cultural references used, everybody listening seems to take for granted. Whereas, I have either no clue, or just a slight conception or misconception of it.
Well, its nice to see you finally talking about the GORGEOUS GENIUSES from Iberia. Because we all know, if your a Spanish or Portuguese Jew...your basically a Tzadik. 😉
Next cruise? My second trip to Spain was supremely enhanced by a Jewish couple to owned a pocketbook factory in the Holy City of Brooklyn (LOL). THey were doing a sort of roots trip to Spain. They had keys to cities, and things like that including jewelry. They invited me off tour and showed me things about myself that I could never have learned. My mother is Portuguese ...
on mourning the son poem, he could have been hired to write it AND was writing about his son; yes, I very much savor a dialectic approach whenever possible; I just want everyone to be right!
because jews stand high due to their origins...there comes times when nothing they do works anymore. this is the theme of the writer. then, there are plenty of efforts that are taken in pleasure and no subversion. i actually believe this power and reach causes the philosophy of antisemitism. when this pole is played beyond balance, it plays out as hate and the evidence of some kind of failure. a dynamic most can see but not understand. i like the story where no matter what the guy does in a place where 5 centuries have prevailed seems suddenly impossible.
Professor Abramson, I was wondering what the origin of the image that you begin with and how you know that it is Ibn Ezra. I've found some very unreliable sources that make that identification, but I've found others that identify it as Ptolemy.
Rabbi Abrahamson, Ibn Ezra says, "There is a secret to the matter, and the one who understands will be dumbfounded." I do not recall him referring directly to the secret of the 7 or 12. A relative of mine (Aryeh Klopper) and as you said, many others, speak extensively on an alternate explanation of his words. It is worth noting that the 13 Principles of Belief, were not codified as of yet and there were in fact varying opinions on many of them. However, I reject the argument that Ibn Ezra believed that the Torah was edited. If scholars of the last few hundred years disagreed with this traditionalist point of view, they certainly wouldn't have included his text in the Mikraos Gidolos.
with his son converting to Islam at least Islam uses the Torah and Psalms as scripture (Gospels too); when I learned this about Islam I was very surprised, having thought Koran their only scripture. I am also annoyed when Christians talk about Muslims converting to Christianity, 'coming to know Christ for the first time', because Muslims already believe in Jesus as the Messiah but not God, so arguably they're already Unitarian Christians who also accept Mohammed as a prophet. I just feel like all Christians should be aware of this and, more importantly, not gloss over it if they do know.
@@glendathegoodwitch6987 The Study Quran with Sufi, Sunni and Shia Commentary, for 5:51 says: This verse is assessed to Muslims forbids them to take Jews and Christians as protectors (awliya) Awliya (sing. wali) can also mean "friends" or "allies" (see also 3:28c; 4:139c) but here more likely denotes those whom one would turn to as a protector or dominant authority. This term and the verbal noun from the same root, walayah, are used in the Quran to denote the bonds of loyalty, mutual protection, and friendship that ideally mark the relationship between members of the same religious community (see 8:72; 9:71) Although this is the only verse in the Quran in which believers are urged not to take Jews and Christians, specifically, as protectors, believers are urged elsewhere to avoid taking as protectors those who disbelieve (3:28; 4:89; 139; 144) those who mock their religion (5:57), God's enemies (60:1), an even close relatives who 'prefer disbelief to belief' (9:23) ... There's there's 3 more paragraphs elaborating. All religions have divine truth but also pick up negative cultural acretions and distortions along the way as culture evolves; but that my doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater, saying there's no value to a jewel encrusted sword or meteoric iron just because it is a little rusty.
@@davidsavage6324 Islam is actually god promise to Ishmael to make his progeny a great nation that believes in god, Islam is like big brother of Judaism more like Ishmael being bigger brother of Isaac. The Ishmaelite Arabs didn't become a great nation only until the arrival of Muhammad the proclaimed messenger of God of Abraham, who came to assert and stress oneness & individuality of God, and acknowledge the Truth of scriptures before him notably as you mentioned, and Muhammad died unifying tribes impossible to unify and they set out with religious zeal actualized the promise of god to ishmael but Islam is not nationalistic at all maintains that god(Absolute Truth) transcend all fictional boundaries of tribe, race, lineage, or any identity. God's promise whom many Jews and Christians observe the scriptures still ignorant of this promise, and nature and content of Islam. Sad, even alot of Muslims dont know about Judaism, and even though Moses and Children of Israel are mentioned throughout almost all passeges of qur'an more than Muhammad. This blind misunderstanding cause religious intolerance.
Again thank you for the enriching video. however, I would doubt it very much, to say the least, then אבן עזרא has more supercommentators then רש"י. I think the accepted number for the super commentators on Rashi exceeds 100.
And one more thing, I enjoy you reciting these poems in English. I always try to retrovert them back to Hebrew and to find the rhyme... There is so much that is lost in the translation though, naturally. It's a little bit of a typical Jewish-Israeli חוצפה, but I would like you to see my videos (don't worry they're short, two minutes each) If you want to collaborate and do something together, I think it would be fun. ru-vid.com/group/PLX4jtlJBqtffb0wpKx47ExZdwoFbeK3Oh
on human involvement in writing the Torah, I think it makes sense because we have free will and being inspired to write something, even conveying what is intended by Spirit, I think unconsciously some of our personality will come through and this is as intended so we find humanity and Spirit in the Torah. and I bet this original Written Torah was written by Moses in the heart of the Great Pyramid Sinai (proper translation in exodus, Moses went INTO Sinai after ascending the plateau of the Pyramid) in Hieroglyphics as I'm not sure ancient pictographic Hebrew was invented yet. I also wonder if Adam and his progenies' mummies were still there as mentioned in the Lost Books of Adam and Eve (and (the chief prosecutor of heaven), Satan, unless that was a different Satan).
Henry Abramson I'm sure you have go to people for any Hebrew need that you might have. However, I am humbled to offer my help in any way, if and when needed. I'm a teacher of Biblical Hebrew, but I deal with all historical layers of the Hebrew.
it is sad that Americans have a deplorable appreciation of poetry (like in the movie about the housing market collapse 'everyone hates poetry') at least the ones that do love poetry have good taste; Rumi is the most popular poet in Columbia (uhm not ohm) as I understand.
Sorry, but that joke can be analyzed in terms intelligible to individuals of non-Jewish culture. The themes involved appear to be God petitioning, God as author of life's testing sketches, lack of gratitude, and pettiness. it's funny or an actual joke only because of the final turn in the plot where the expectations of the hearer are reversed and the relieving realization of what the character involved. At least, that's the point of view of me, a goyeshekopf.
