Isaac ben Moses Arama facts for kids

Isaac ben Moses Arama (born around 1420 – died 1494) was an important rabbi and writer from Spain. He first led a special school for rabbis in Zamora, which was probably his hometown. Later, he became a rabbi and speaker in the communities of Tarragona and then Fraga in Aragon. His last role was in Calatayud, where he was a rabbi and led a school for studying the Talmud. When Jewish people were forced to leave Spain in 1492, Arama moved to Naples, where he passed away in 1494.

Isaac Arama's Books and Ideas

Isaac Arama wrote several important books. His most famous work is called Aḳedat Yitzchaḳ, which means Binding of Isaac. This book is a long and thoughtful explanation of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), written in a sermon-like style. Because of this book, people often called him the "Ba'al 'Aḳedah," meaning "the author of the Aḳedah."

He also wrote:

• A commentary (explanation) on the Five Scrolls.
• Ḥazut Ḳashah (A Difficult Vision), which explored how philosophy (deep thinking about life) and theology (religious beliefs) are connected.
• Yad Abshalom (The Hand of Absalom), an explanation of the Book of Proverbs. He wrote this book to remember his son-in-law, Absalom, who died soon after getting married.

Arama as a Scholar

Isaac Arama was a great example of a Spanish-Jewish scholar in the late 1400s. He was skilled in three main areas:

Talmudic Studies

First, he was a dedicated Talmudist. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish laws and traditions. Studying the Talmud was extremely important to him. He was very sad when his students couldn't follow him from Zamora to Tarragona because the new community couldn't support them.

Philosophical Thinking

Second, he was a philosopher. At that time in Spain, studying philosophy was very common. It was hard to get a public position if you hadn't studied it. Arama had paid special attention to the ideas of Maimonides, another famous Jewish philosopher. While he studied others, his own new philosophical ideas were not as common in his writings. He did have interesting thoughts about the nature of the soul. He believed that the first part of the soul, which everyone shares, starts with the body. He found support for this idea in both the Talmud and Kabbalah.

Kabbalah and Mysticism

Third, Arama was interested in Kabbalah, especially as explained in the Zohar. He believed the Zohar was written by Simeon bar Yohai. However, he focused more on the philosophical side of Kabbalah rather than its mystical (spiritual and hidden) aspects.

His Book Ḥazut Ḳashah

His earliest book, Ḥazut Ḳashah, shared many of Arama's religious ideas. It also included interesting details about the history of Jewish people in Spain before they were expelled. One main goal of this book was to respond to missionary sermons from the Church. At that time, Jewish people were often forced by law to listen to these sermons. Arama used his book to explain and defend Jewish beliefs against these challenges. He also discussed how his understanding of God's fairness meant that people had free will.

A large part of Ḥazut Ḳashah also argued against philosophies that did not accept Jewish religious teachings, or only accepted them if they matched philosophical ideas.

See also

In Spanish: Isaac Arama para niños