Moses ben Isaac ben ha-Nessiah facts for kids

Moses ben Isaac ben ha-Nessiah was a smart Jewish scholar from London, England. He lived a long time ago, around the late 1100s and early 1200s. He was known for studying the Hebrew language very deeply. He was a grammarian, meaning he studied how language works, and a lexicographer, which means he helped create dictionaries. His mother might have been a Jewish woman known as Comitissa from Cambridge.

Moses's Important Books

Moses wrote important books about the Hebrew language. When he was young, he wrote a book called Leshon Limmudim. This book was about Hebrew grammar, but it has been lost over time.

Later, he wrote his most famous work, Sefer ha-Shoham. This means "Onyx Book" in English. The title "Onyx Book" is a clever play on words, using the letters from his own name. Parts of this book were published in Oxford in 1882. In Sefer ha-Shoham, Moses showed that he knew about the Arabic language and had studied the writings of another important scholar named Joseph Kimhi.

When Did Moses Live?

We think Moses ben Isaac died before the year 1215. This is because a tombstone belonging to a Rabbi Moses, son of Rabbi Isaac, was found in London. It was discovered near Ludgate during the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

A historian named John Stow wrote about this tombstone in his book, "Survey of London." He said it came from the Jewish cemetery in Jewin Street. This cemetery was disturbed during a big fight called the First Barons' War in 1215. This war was a rebellion against King John. If the tombstone truly belonged to Moses ben Isaac, it means he must have passed away before that war began.