Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Our Illustrious Ancestors: From King David to Rashi to Rabbi Sampson Wertheimer and the Solomon Luria (Maharshal) Family
Nadene Goldfoot
King David lived from1043 BCE to 973 BCE. He was king in 1010 BCE. According to one source, he left 22 sons and one daughter. I remember that he had an abundance of wives, though nothing like his son, Solomon. I have counted the names of 10 wives of David.
We'll skip down to about 900 years later and we find Hillel the Great on our tree who lived from 70 BCE to 10 CE. He was the founder of the school known as the "House of Hillel. (Bet Hillel)." He was also the ancestor of a dynasty of patriarch which held office until the 5th century. Hillel was born in Babylonia and settled in Judah and earned a small living by manual labor while studying with Shemaiah and Avtalyon. Before he knew it, he was appointed president of the Sanhedrin and together with his friend and opponent, Shammai, constituted the last of the pairs (Zugot) of scholars. He was noted for his humility and tendency to leniency. He laid down the 7 rules of bible interpretation. He is known for creating the "Golden Rule." Do not do unto others that which you would not have them do unto you." On university campuses you should find the Hillel House for Jewish students. The Hillel Foundations are organizations founded in 1923 and supported by B'nai B'rith.
Next we come to Simeon Ha-Nasi. Nasi means prince. It's a Talmudic term for the president of the Sanhedrin who was also the spiritual head and later a political representative of the Jewish people. Simeon bar Kokhba in 132 to 135 assumed the title, and it is possible that it was applied as the president of the Sanhedrin only after this period. He was the one who was a General (Aluf) and was the leader of the revolt against Rome from 132 to 135 CE when he was killed. From then on the Romans called Eretz Yisrael "Palestine." His name in Hebrew means son of the star. His real name is Bar or Ben Kosiba. He was the nephew of Rabbi Eleazar of Modiin and also of Davidic descent. Rabbi Akiva acclaimed him as the Messiah, but not all the rabbis accepted this view. He had great personal strength, was autocratic and irascible. The revolt's cause is unclear to us, but it could have been that the Romans were rebuilding Jerusalem as a Roman colony and didn't allow circumcision. The feelings of the people had been fermenting for a while since 70 CE when the Romans had burned down the Temple and city.
Then comes Rashi's tree starting with with Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder. Gamiel was the surname of 6 Palestinian rabbis, descendants of Hillel and the most important was Gamaliel the Elder of the early 1st century. He was president of the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, grandson of Hillel. He corresponded with Jewish communities in Palestine and the Diaspora and framed several regulations directed at social improvements, including the betterment of the legal position of women. He is sympathetically mentioned in the New Testament as a teacher of Paul, found in Acts 22:3. 3 generations later we come to Johanan Ha-Sandalar of Egypt in the 2nd Century CE.
There was Joshua, Jochanan, Nachman, Jose (author of Luleiot Hashor). Then Yanai and Rabbi Manianai Gaon, Rabbi Jose of Constantinople, the Ha-Gaon Rabbi Abraham, Rabbi Aaron (renowned doctor), and Ha-Gaon Rabbi Eliakim.
Somewhere fits in Rabbi Yohanan Ha Sandlar, a 2nd Century famous Palestinian Tanna (Mishaic master) who also claimed to be descended from King David who Rashi claimed to be descended from. The Mishna was compiled by Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi on the basis of previous collections and arranged logically. Johanan HaSandlar means "Johanan the shoemaker" or Johanan the Sandalmaker," aka Johanan the Alexandrian and lived from about 100 CE to 150 CE. He was one of the main students of Rabbi Akiva and a contemporary of Rabbi shimon bar Yochai. He is one of the tannaim whose teachings are quoted in the Mishnah. His name seems to indicate that he earned a living by making sandals, but it could also mean that he was a native of Alexandria Egypt. He was a great-grandson of Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder and also traced his ancestry back to King David. Rashi, the great medieval commentator, was a 33rd-generation descendant of Rabbi Yochanan. His well-known saying found in the Mishnah of Pirkei Avoth (4:14) was, "Every assembly that is for the sake of Heaven will survive; but if it is not for the sake of heaven, it will not survive." He died on the 29th day of Tammu and has the same yahrzeit as that of Rashi, his descendant. He was buried 200 meters from the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, Israel.
The next 20 generations go by and we come to a Solomon, Isaac and finally, Rabbi Solomon Yitzhaki (Rashi) of Troyes, France, born in 1040 and died in 1105. His father was Isaac. Rashi is the abbreviation for Rabbi Solomon. He was a French rabbinical scholar. After studying in the Rhineland, he returned to his native Troyes where his school rapidly earned a wide reputation. He earned his livelihood from his vineyard. His decisions on the law have been preserved in the works of his pupils. He also composed hymns. His chief contribution was his lucid commentary on the bible and Babylonian Talmud. One has only to open our prayer books and see his name besides them with commentary. Jews who will be known as the Ashkenazis are now in Europe and Rashi will be studying in Germany.
Rashi's children were 1. Jochebed married to Meir ben Samuel (1065-1135)., 2. Rachel married to Eliezer and 3. Miriam married to Judah ben Nathan.
1. From Jochebed and Meir were the descendants:Isaac Ribam who had 7 children.
From them came Samuel Spira and his daughter who married into the Treves family. This family came from Trier (Treves) in Germany. Mattathias ben Joseph Treves was born about 1325 and died in 1387. He was an author of a work on talmudic methodology and was chief rabbi of France by royal appointment from 1360 on the return of the Jews to the country. He was succeeded by his son, Johanan Treves who died in 1429 who continued in office in the face of fierce opposition from Isaiah ben Abba Mari and Meir ben Baruch of Vienna until the final expulsion of the Jews from France in 1396, after which he settled in Italy. Many members of the family were prominent in Italy.
Another descendant of Isaac Ribam was Solomon Spira in the 14th century. From Solomon came the Luria family. From these were the descendants of the Meir Katzenbogen family aka Meir Padua. also known as the "Maharam Padua" (1482-1565). He was a Talmudist. He was born in Germany but studied in Poland, and officiated as rabbi in Padua. An outstanding codifier, he was extensively consulted on halakhic problems. Also, the Jehiel Heilprin family and others, of course. Jehiel ben Solomon Heilprin (1660-1746) was a scholar. He was rabbi at Glusk, White Russia and from 1711 at Minsk. His best known work was Seder ha-Dorot comprising a chronology down to 1696, an alphabetical list of tannaim and amoraim, and a catalog of post-talmudic Hebrew authors and books. Besides his rabbinical knowledge, Heilprin had a wide secular education and was a student of Kabbalah as well.
3. Miriam and Judah's children were Yomtov and Miriam. Yomtov's children were Judah, Isaac, and then Judah Sir Leon of Paris (1166-1224)aka Judah ben Isaac. He was a French tosaphist; grandson of Rashi. He refounded the Paris yeshivah when Jews returned to the city in 1198 after a 16 year ban. His main literary work was the composition of tosaphot to nearly all the Talmud, based on the teachings of his master, Isaac ben Samuel of Dampierre. . His descendants were Rabbi Joseph Treves of Marseilles, France in the 14th century. His descendant was Mattithiah Treves of Provence (1325-1387). Here's where the daughter of a relative, Samuel Spira, married his son, Abraham Treves who died after 1384. His next son was Johanan Treves who died in 1439 with descendants of the Treves family and then the Dreyfus family, famous from the Captain of the Dreyfus Affair in France who was accused of something he didn't do and was punished for it nevertheless. This started the ball rolling to realize that Jews needed their ancient home back.
This brings us to the Luria family which has an unbroken line almost back to Rashi.
It starts with Solomon Spira listed in #1 of the of the 14th century who were descendants of Rashi. From this Solomon descended Miriam who married Samson Luria of the 14th century, then Jehiel Luria, Nathaniel Luria and Aharon Luria who died in 1456. "Solomon Spira:
From Aharon Luria descended 2 important lines; Jochanan and Jehiel. Jochanan Luria of Alsace lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. From him came Aharon Luria of Elsass, Schlomo Luria, Joshua Moses Luria who died in 1591 at Worms and then Aharon Luria who died in 1611 at Frankfort.
From the other son, Jehiel Luria who died in 1470, came Abraham Luria, Jehiel Luria, Rabbi Solomon Luria (born in Lublin in 1510-died in Brest Litovsk in 1573), He came to be known as the Maharshal, and was a rabbi and codifier. He officiated in several Lithuanian and Polish communities. We could have connected with him as our family came from both places. . He regarded the Talmud as the sole halakhic authority. His independent and critical views made him many opponents, but the greatness of his learning was undisputed.
Solomon Luria's descendants were Zeev Wolf Luria, then Abraham Luria and Jehiel Luria.
Jehiel Luria's descendants were Yakov Luria who had Asher Luria and Asher had Pinhas Selig Luria, Isaac Eisie Luria, Abraham Luria, Zeev Wolf Luria and Aaron Luria.
****Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Luria may be the Isaac Eisie Luria listed above. He was born in 1534 in Jerusalem and was known as the Ashkenazi, and was a Jewish Safed kabbalist. His education happened in Egypt. He lived in Safed from 1570 on, and became renowned for his ascetic life and saintly character. (I lived in Safed from 1981 to the end of 1985. It gives me the goose-bumps to think that he could have been the one who passed on these special genes discovered in a recent DNA test who connects me to all these people, especially to Rabbi Wertheimer. I wrote a play that we produced in Safed and used James Mitchener's chapter in "THE SOURCE" called, THE SAINTLY MEN OF SAFED. My husband and I produced it and also acted in it. We could have been starring Isaac Luria! Instead, I called him Mitchener's name of Rabbi Zaki. ) Isaac in real life identified ancient graves in the Galilee and conferred on them sanctity which has persisted to the present day among the Orthodox. His teachings were done orally and were recorded by his pupil, Hayyim Vital. His teachings deeply influenced subsequent mystical thought. He had launched a neo-kabbalistic movement which he launched that had a vast impact on Jewish life, particularly in the Mediterranean area and in Europe.
Aaron Luria had Moses Luria who had David Luria of Mogileve who had Yehuda Idel Luria of Sychow who had Zevi Hirsch Luria of Bychow, Jacob Aaron Luria of Minsk who had David Luria of Minsk, and the 3rd son of Yehuda was David Luria of Bychow (1798-1855).
David Luria of Mogilev's 2nd son was Jacob Aaron Luria who died in 1783 in Mogilev. His son was Israel Isser Luria of Mogilev and his son was Aaron Luria who died in 1835 in Pinsk. One can see the family had moved from France-Germany's area on up to eastern Europe now into Pinsk.
From Aaron Luria came Moses Luria who died in Wiesbaden 1824-1906), Samuel Luria who was born in 1826 in Pinsk, and David Luria of Pinsk (1838-1883.)
Moses Luria of Wiesbaden had many descendants. Aaron Lourie of Pinsk (1841-1910, Bele who married Idel Lurie of Wiesbaden, Selde who married Elias Eliasberg of Pinsk, Rachel who married Moses Chaim Eliasberg of Berlin, Samuel Lourie (born in Pinsk1850-died in Wiesbaden1888), Isidor Louris of Libau (1851-1920), Leopold Lourie of Vienna (born Pinsk 1850-?) and Alex Lourie of Vienna born in Pinsk (1861-?).
"Rashi, the acronym of Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki of Troyes (1040-1105), has been, by tradition, considered a descendant of King David. The earliest source accessible to us for that is the genealogy prepared by Johanan Luria who lived in Germany in the last half of the 15th century, and reported by the shtadlan Joselman of Rosheim (1478-1554). There is a detailed discussion of this matter in Mishpachat Luria, by Abraham Epstein (Vienna, 1901). One important passage relates that there was a genealogical record of the Luria family going back to the Tanna Johanan Ha-Sandler (2nd century, who was a descendant of King David). This record was lost in the "Swiss War" of 1499, and "Johanan Luria mourned the loss of his genealogy more than the material goods he was robbed of.""
I don't know where Goldfoot connected except it is a German name as spelled Goldfuss, and Yiddish as spelled Goldfus. It had to be in Germany with some of these people. It could have been as far back as in Worms, Germany.
Resource: finding Our Fathers-A guidebook to Jewish genealogy by Dan Rottenberg-with charts of genealogy.
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://nimetseker.wordpress.com/english/jewish-and-muslim-mysticism/
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11912-paris
book: Apprentice in Budapest by Raphael Patai on Rashi's descent from Ha Sandlar.
Wikipedia on Johanan HaSandlar
http://www.jewishgen.org/rabbinic/journal/kdavid.htm Descendants of King David
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13965-spira-spiro#anchor25
King David lived from1043 BCE to 973 BCE. He was king in 1010 BCE. According to one source, he left 22 sons and one daughter. I remember that he had an abundance of wives, though nothing like his son, Solomon. I have counted the names of 10 wives of David.
There was Joshua, Jochanan, Nachman, Jose (author of Luleiot Hashor). Then Yanai and Rabbi Manianai Gaon, Rabbi Jose of Constantinople, the Ha-Gaon Rabbi Abraham, Rabbi Aaron (renowned doctor), and Ha-Gaon Rabbi Eliakim.
Somewhere fits in Rabbi Yohanan Ha Sandlar, a 2nd Century famous Palestinian Tanna (Mishaic master) who also claimed to be descended from King David who Rashi claimed to be descended from. The Mishna was compiled by Rabbi Judah Ha-Nasi on the basis of previous collections and arranged logically. Johanan HaSandlar means "Johanan the shoemaker" or Johanan the Sandalmaker," aka Johanan the Alexandrian and lived from about 100 CE to 150 CE. He was one of the main students of Rabbi Akiva and a contemporary of Rabbi shimon bar Yochai. He is one of the tannaim whose teachings are quoted in the Mishnah. His name seems to indicate that he earned a living by making sandals, but it could also mean that he was a native of Alexandria Egypt. He was a great-grandson of Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder and also traced his ancestry back to King David. Rashi, the great medieval commentator, was a 33rd-generation descendant of Rabbi Yochanan. His well-known saying found in the Mishnah of Pirkei Avoth (4:14) was, "Every assembly that is for the sake of Heaven will survive; but if it is not for the sake of heaven, it will not survive." He died on the 29th day of Tammu and has the same yahrzeit as that of Rashi, his descendant. He was buried 200 meters from the tomb of Shimon bar Yochai in Meron, Israel.
 |
| Rashi |
Rashi's children were 1. Jochebed married to Meir ben Samuel (1065-1135)., 2. Rachel married to Eliezer and 3. Miriam married to Judah ben Nathan.
1. From Jochebed and Meir were the descendants:Isaac Ribam who had 7 children.
From them came Samuel Spira and his daughter who married into the Treves family. This family came from Trier (Treves) in Germany. Mattathias ben Joseph Treves was born about 1325 and died in 1387. He was an author of a work on talmudic methodology and was chief rabbi of France by royal appointment from 1360 on the return of the Jews to the country. He was succeeded by his son, Johanan Treves who died in 1429 who continued in office in the face of fierce opposition from Isaiah ben Abba Mari and Meir ben Baruch of Vienna until the final expulsion of the Jews from France in 1396, after which he settled in Italy. Many members of the family were prominent in Italy.
Another descendant of Isaac Ribam was Solomon Spira in the 14th century. From Solomon came the Luria family. From these were the descendants of the Meir Katzenbogen family aka Meir Padua. also known as the "Maharam Padua" (1482-1565). He was a Talmudist. He was born in Germany but studied in Poland, and officiated as rabbi in Padua. An outstanding codifier, he was extensively consulted on halakhic problems. Also, the Jehiel Heilprin family and others, of course. Jehiel ben Solomon Heilprin (1660-1746) was a scholar. He was rabbi at Glusk, White Russia and from 1711 at Minsk. His best known work was Seder ha-Dorot comprising a chronology down to 1696, an alphabetical list of tannaim and amoraim, and a catalog of post-talmudic Hebrew authors and books. Besides his rabbinical knowledge, Heilprin had a wide secular education and was a student of Kabbalah as well.
3. Miriam and Judah's children were Yomtov and Miriam. Yomtov's children were Judah, Isaac, and then Judah Sir Leon of Paris (1166-1224)aka Judah ben Isaac. He was a French tosaphist; grandson of Rashi. He refounded the Paris yeshivah when Jews returned to the city in 1198 after a 16 year ban. His main literary work was the composition of tosaphot to nearly all the Talmud, based on the teachings of his master, Isaac ben Samuel of Dampierre. . His descendants were Rabbi Joseph Treves of Marseilles, France in the 14th century. His descendant was Mattithiah Treves of Provence (1325-1387). Here's where the daughter of a relative, Samuel Spira, married his son, Abraham Treves who died after 1384. His next son was Johanan Treves who died in 1439 with descendants of the Treves family and then the Dreyfus family, famous from the Captain of the Dreyfus Affair in France who was accused of something he didn't do and was punished for it nevertheless. This started the ball rolling to realize that Jews needed their ancient home back.
This brings us to the Luria family which has an unbroken line almost back to Rashi.
 |
| Rashi |
Son of Nathan Nata Spira ); born in 1616; slain by the Cossacks under Chmielnicki in 1648. He was rabbi of Satanow, and edited, together with his brother Moses, the work "Megalleh 'Amuḳḳot," to which he wrote additions and a preface.
From Aharon Luria descended 2 important lines; Jochanan and Jehiel. Jochanan Luria of Alsace lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. From him came Aharon Luria of Elsass, Schlomo Luria, Joshua Moses Luria who died in 1591 at Worms and then Aharon Luria who died in 1611 at Frankfort.
From the other son, Jehiel Luria who died in 1470, came Abraham Luria, Jehiel Luria, Rabbi Solomon Luria (born in Lublin in 1510-died in Brest Litovsk in 1573), He came to be known as the Maharshal, and was a rabbi and codifier. He officiated in several Lithuanian and Polish communities. We could have connected with him as our family came from both places. . He regarded the Talmud as the sole halakhic authority. His independent and critical views made him many opponents, but the greatness of his learning was undisputed.
Solomon Luria's descendants were Zeev Wolf Luria, then Abraham Luria and Jehiel Luria.
Jehiel Luria's descendants were Yakov Luria who had Asher Luria and Asher had Pinhas Selig Luria, Isaac Eisie Luria, Abraham Luria, Zeev Wolf Luria and Aaron Luria.
****Rabbi Isaac ben Solomon Luria may be the Isaac Eisie Luria listed above. He was born in 1534 in Jerusalem and was known as the Ashkenazi, and was a Jewish Safed kabbalist. His education happened in Egypt. He lived in Safed from 1570 on, and became renowned for his ascetic life and saintly character. (I lived in Safed from 1981 to the end of 1985. It gives me the goose-bumps to think that he could have been the one who passed on these special genes discovered in a recent DNA test who connects me to all these people, especially to Rabbi Wertheimer. I wrote a play that we produced in Safed and used James Mitchener's chapter in "THE SOURCE" called, THE SAINTLY MEN OF SAFED. My husband and I produced it and also acted in it. We could have been starring Isaac Luria! Instead, I called him Mitchener's name of Rabbi Zaki. ) Isaac in real life identified ancient graves in the Galilee and conferred on them sanctity which has persisted to the present day among the Orthodox. His teachings were done orally and were recorded by his pupil, Hayyim Vital. His teachings deeply influenced subsequent mystical thought. He had launched a neo-kabbalistic movement which he launched that had a vast impact on Jewish life, particularly in the Mediterranean area and in Europe.
Aaron Luria had Moses Luria who had David Luria of Mogileve who had Yehuda Idel Luria of Sychow who had Zevi Hirsch Luria of Bychow, Jacob Aaron Luria of Minsk who had David Luria of Minsk, and the 3rd son of Yehuda was David Luria of Bychow (1798-1855).
David Luria of Mogilev's 2nd son was Jacob Aaron Luria who died in 1783 in Mogilev. His son was Israel Isser Luria of Mogilev and his son was Aaron Luria who died in 1835 in Pinsk. One can see the family had moved from France-Germany's area on up to eastern Europe now into Pinsk.
From Aaron Luria came Moses Luria who died in Wiesbaden 1824-1906), Samuel Luria who was born in 1826 in Pinsk, and David Luria of Pinsk (1838-1883.)
Moses Luria of Wiesbaden had many descendants. Aaron Lourie of Pinsk (1841-1910, Bele who married Idel Lurie of Wiesbaden, Selde who married Elias Eliasberg of Pinsk, Rachel who married Moses Chaim Eliasberg of Berlin, Samuel Lourie (born in Pinsk1850-died in Wiesbaden1888), Isidor Louris of Libau (1851-1920), Leopold Lourie of Vienna (born Pinsk 1850-?) and Alex Lourie of Vienna born in Pinsk (1861-?).
"Rashi, the acronym of Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki of Troyes (1040-1105), has been, by tradition, considered a descendant of King David. The earliest source accessible to us for that is the genealogy prepared by Johanan Luria who lived in Germany in the last half of the 15th century, and reported by the shtadlan Joselman of Rosheim (1478-1554). There is a detailed discussion of this matter in Mishpachat Luria, by Abraham Epstein (Vienna, 1901). One important passage relates that there was a genealogical record of the Luria family going back to the Tanna Johanan Ha-Sandler (2nd century, who was a descendant of King David). This record was lost in the "Swiss War" of 1499, and "Johanan Luria mourned the loss of his genealogy more than the material goods he was robbed of.""
I don't know where Goldfoot connected except it is a German name as spelled Goldfuss, and Yiddish as spelled Goldfus. It had to be in Germany with some of these people. It could have been as far back as in Worms, Germany.
Resource: finding Our Fathers-A guidebook to Jewish genealogy by Dan Rottenberg-with charts of genealogy.
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://nimetseker.wordpress.com/english/jewish-and-muslim-mysticism/
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11912-paris
book: Apprentice in Budapest by Raphael Patai on Rashi's descent from Ha Sandlar.
Wikipedia on Johanan HaSandlar
http://www.jewishgen.org/rabbinic/journal/kdavid.htm Descendants of King David
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13965-spira-spiro#anchor25
Labels: bar Kokhba, dna, Gamaliel the Elder, genealogy, Goldfoot, Hillel, kabbalah, King David, Luria, Rabbi Wertheimer, Rashi
