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Description:
In the tenth century, in Jewish Spain, a fierce and public debate took place between two of the first linguists - Menaḥem ben Saruq and Dunash ben Labrat. The bitter debate, which also had interpretative implications for the Bible, spilled over and reached the point of accusing Menaḥem of Karaism. About two hundred years after the outbreak of the debate, Rabbenu Tam, the Talmudic giant, was called upon to decide between them on issues of language. According to him, his duty was to correct the ongoing injustice caused to Menaḥem both by Dunash in his wrong answers about Maḥberet Menahem, and by sages who over the generations did not stand by Menaḥem's side. The rulings of Rabbenu Tam are grouped together in a collection that was named 'The Rulings of Rabbi Tam', and they are distinctly inclined to Menaḥem's side. The essay reveals, among other things, the unique root method of Rabbenu Tam that has not yet been properly diagnosed in research, his method on various topics in the theory of language and his way of interpreting the Bible. Even though Rabbenu Tam was born in the twelfth century, he was not familiar with the theory of the three-letter root of the Hebrew verb, as Judah Hayyuj recognized it at the end of the tenth century.

For the first time, all the elements of the subject are collected in one volume: relevant quotations from Maḥberet Menahem, Dunash's answers to Menaḥem, an annotated and illustrated scientific edition of the composition of decisions with a formula exchange mechanism based on four manuscripts known today and an attached commentary explaining the obscure and enigmatic language of Rabbenu Tam. The edition is preceded by an extensive introduction examining, among other things, the interpretive and linguistic way of Rabbenu Tam.

Dr. Gedalia Lasser has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Technion in Haifa, and a master's and doctorate in Bible Studies from Bar-Ilan University.

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