In This Land: Jewish Life and Legal Culture in Late Medieval Provence by Pinchas Roth

Abstract

Reviewed by: In This Land: Jewish Life and Legal Culture in Late Medieval Provence by Pinchas Roth Erika E. Hess Roth, Pinchas. In This Land: Jewish Life and Legal Culture in Late Medieval Provence. Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 2021. ISBN 978-0-88844-223-9. Pp. 168. Drawing primarily from medieval Provençal legal responsa––texts written by rabbinic scholars to answer questions about Jewish law or Halakhah––Roth reveals a colorful portrait of Jewish life in Provence from the twelfth through fourteenth centuries. In contrast to other rabbinic documents such as Talmudic commentaries or legal codes that turn back to older texts, responsa tend to be grounded in the moment––“specific legal questions, asked at a particular point in time by one person (or more) to another person (or group of people),” often practical in nature (4). Roth notes that the “temporal nature” of responsa provides rare glimpses into the culture, conflicts, and identities of Jewish life in medieval Provence (4). Some questions posed to rabbinic scholars centered on marital relations, such as a case in which a man sought guidance in regard to his adulterous wife, asking: “Is my wife forbidden to me or permitted?” (37). In another case, a questioner asked whether a man who suffered from “the black madness” or melancholy could divorce his wife (40). Other questions revolved around Jewish dietary rules, such as the scientific thinking behind kosher meat. Still others questioned components of Jewish liturgy, such as whether it was correct to recite the Kol Nidre on the eve of Yom Kippur. Although a number of responsa consider fabricated questions that were asked to resolve philosophical or legal matters rather than true questions that were cause for concern, Roth notes that they nonetheless underscore the “presence” of Jewish law in their lives (39). Roth additionally compares the rulings of specific rabbinic scholars, for example the rulings of Mordechai Kimhi from Narbonne (later, near Carpentras), and those of Abraham ben Isaac of Montpellier. As Roth notes, although they had a similar “cultural profile” as “recognized rabbinic scholars” and their “attitude toward philosophical rationalism was similarly moderate,” their rulings often differed significantly: “They held very different beliefs about the law and its place in society” (36). Especially after 1306, when Jews were expelled from the Kingdom of France and many migrated to Provence, we also find responsa relating to conflicts resulting from differences between the culture and traditions of Provençal Jewish communities and those of the newly arrived French Jews. As Roth points out, the personality of the rabbi often played an important role in their attitudes toward immigration and multiculturalism. Mordechai Kimhi’s son, Isaac, for example, “advocated a path of compromise and tolerance” both between Provençal and French Jews, and between Jews and Gentiles (119), whereas Isaac of Manosque and Abba Mari of Lunel “staked out confrontational positions” as they strove to hold a firm line within their “deeply divided community” (119). In addition to the vivid and sometimes surprising stories that Roth includes, his own enthusiasm for the subject contributes to the book’s easy readability. This book will be of great interest, not only to scholars of medieval Jewish history and culture, but to anyone interested in the European Middle Ages and in Judaism more broadly. [End Page 194] Erika E. Hess Northern Arizona University Copyright © 2022 American Association of Teachers of French