Treitl, Eliezer: Pirḳe de-Rabi Eli'ezer: nosaḥ, 'arikhah ve-dugmat sinopsis shel kitve ha-yad = Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer. Text, Redaction and a Sample Synopsis. - Jerusalem: Hebrew Univ., Dept. of Talmud and Halakha; Jerusalem: Yad Ben-Zvi, 2012. - XVII, 445 S. (Dissertation series). ISBN 978-965-217-344-7.

RABI-278

By Günter Stemberger

Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer (PRE), a late midrash (8th or early 9th century; a retelling of the biblical history from the creation to Miryam’s leprosy in Numbers 12, where the midrash suddenly breaks off), has always been rather popular, but has attracted increased scholarly attention only during the last decades, with the renewed interest resulting in new translations, several monographs, and many articles on its different aspects. The most serious lacuna has always been the lack of a critical edition in spite of several efforts: Chaim M. Horowitz, for example, died in 1905 without having completed his work. A facsimile edition of his handwritten textual annotations, inserted into a copy of the Venice edition of 1544, was published in 1972, but several pages are missing in the facsimile and the title is somewhat misleading, since it is not “a complete critical edition”; Michael Higger published a collation of three manuscripts from the Biblioteca Casanatense, Rome, that had been prepared by Horowitz; Zeev Gottlieb also died before having completed his edition, in 1985. Thus, the work of Eliezer Treitl, based on his doctoral dissertation (Hebrew University 2011, under the supervision of Menahem Kister) is most welcome.

Based on an analysis of all available textual witnesses, Treitl selected the 24 most important manuscripts, complete or partial, which he groups into three main textual branches. In the present book, Treitl offers a full-line synopsis of these 24 textual witnesses for PRE 26 and a partial synopsis of chapter 14; but at the basis of his research is a full synopsis of PRE, based on seven complete and three partial manuscripts. Such a work would be too voluminous for print publication; however, Treitl offers the prospect of an internet publication. This future synopsis, together with the accompanying studies presented in this book, will be the basis of a full critical edition of PRE. 

From errors common to all textual witnesses as well as from missing passages in all manuscripts (due to homoioteleuton – equal endings of passages), Treitl infers the existence of a common base text.  The latter, however, was not the original manuscript of PRE, which is lost. The stylistic unity of PRE and the common language of the work, including many unique phrases, lead Treitl to the conclusion that PRE is the work of a single author and not a compilation from different sources. As he argues on the basis of style and phraseology, even PRE 1-2 on the beginnings of R. Eliezer, frequently suspected to be a later addition, is actually a reworking of Avot de-R. Natan B 13 by the author of PRE himself. Treitl assumes that the author left his work unfinished; moreover, it might have been written over a longer period. Among the points Treitl makes for this hypothesis are: the weakness of the redaction which fails to completely unify the work; the Eighteen Benedictions and the Ten Descents of God structure several chapters, but are never brought to an end. Treitl even suggests that the author was aware of his shortcoming: the ending of the last chapter with the parable of the lazy worker who receives his wages nevertheless may point to himself.

Treitl’s study is of the greatest value from a number of different perspectives. His detailed linguistic and stylistic analysis of the midrash and its lexicography is an important contribution to the evaluation of PRE: among other things, it certainly helps to distinguish the text from similar literary creations. I am less convinced that it is a safe tool of textual criticism. The decision which rabbinic texts served as sources of PRE and which were influenced by it is not always easy to make, especially since the author of PRE frequently combines and rewrites different midrashic traditions; however, Treitl is rightly cautious in this regard. His comparison of PRE with early piyyut is an innovation; it seems very likely that its author was well acquainted with the work of Yannai, the famous paytan of the 6th century.

As noted already by Leopold Zunz and some recent authors, PRE contributes much more than any other midrash to our knowledge of the halakhah and religious customs practiced at the time and in the community of its author (introduced by phrases like mikan amru or hitqinu). Treitl adds a long list of examples not noted or fully emphasized by earlier authors. Some of these customs are known from other texts (e.g., shaving the head of a prostitute as a punishment; the removal of the hymen with the finger; the blessing of the bride under the ḥuppah by the ḥazzan); others are without earlier parallels (the chair of Elijah for circumcision; the removal of the shoes when entering the synagogue) or even contradict rabbinic halakhah (e.g. leniency in the Sabbath halakhah). Some of the practices mentioned in PRE are close to what is mentioned in Philo, or to Karaite custom, some may be influenced by Islamic custom. The whole chapter is full of interest and deserves close reading. As is to be expected, many of PRE’s peculiarities with regard to halakhah and practice, but also concerning its special style and Hebrew grammar, have been eliminated in parts of the later textual tradition –  Treitl illustrates this with many juxtapositions of  different textual versions. 

A new complete edition of the text will contribute not only to a better understanding of the place of PRE within rabbinic tradition, but also to a clearer picture of the cultural and religious context of this midrash in early medieval Judaism. And it is from Treitl’s full presentation of the rich textual tradition of this midrash, that the difficulties of such an enterprise become obvious. As he underlines, the creation of a clear stemma of the manuscripts is difficult, if not impossible. The selection of a single “best” manuscript as the basis of the edition is also impossible, and even a synoptic edition of the three main textual branches which Treitl identified is fraught with the same difficulties. Thus, an eclectic edition, based on the mature judgment of its editor, who knows the different manuscripts and other textual witnesses better than anybody else, will probably be the best solution, especially if accompanied by an electronic line synopsis. All lovers of this unique midrash will look forward to the promised new edition of PRE, “soon, in our days”. But already now we may congratulate Eliezer Treitl on his achievement: an excellent study of which only a few aspects could be presented here. The whole book deserves closest attention and many readers.

Günter Stemberger is Professor emeritus of Jewish Studies (Rabbinics) at the University of Vienna.