Draft:The Seven Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer

The Seven Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer is a short Midrashic text comprising seven chapters that include discourses attributed to Rabbi Eliezer, hence its name.

This Midrash found its place as an appendix to another composition, printed as chapters 19-25 of the Midrash "Seder Eliyahu Zuta." For many generations, prominent scholars and researchers such as Rabbi David Luria (RDL) and Chanoch Albeck considered it part of "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer," and in the databases of the Academy of the Hebrew Language, it is referred to as "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (additional chapters)," implying additional chapters to the well-known Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer. However, some questioned this attribution. Recently, it has been established that "The Seven Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer" is an independent and separate work, with no connection to "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer."

The Composition and Its Research History

As mentioned, the seven chapters of Rabbi Eliezer were printed as an integral part of Seder Eliyahu, and no manuscript has been found that refers to the work as "Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer." Rabbi David Luria, in the first half of the 19th century, was the first to note that these chapters are not an integral part of Seder Eliyahu. He also found that Rabbi Eleazar of Worms (the Rokeach) and the Yalkut Shimoni cite discourses from this work, referring to it as "PRA," meaning "Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer." Meir Ish-Shalom, in the second half of the 19th century, also recognized this and, in his edition of Seder Eliyahu, first referred to these chapters as "Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer." However, Rabbi David Luria went further, suggesting that these seven chapters originated from the well-known "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" but were separated from it and incorporated into Seder Eliyahu.

A comprehensive examination of all manuscripts of "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer" and a detailed linguistic analysis of both compositions have shown that they are entirely different works.

Content and Naming of the Composition

The discourses in the work are presented as dialogues between Rabbi Eliezer and his disciples, with this format introduced at the beginning of each chapter, hence the name of the composition. Here is an example from the beginning of Chapter 1: "His disciples asked Rabbi Eliezer: From where...? Immediately, he opened and said... This is what is stated in the Holy Spirit... Regarding whom was this scripture said... This scripture was said only regarding...."

These phrases and similar ones appear at the beginning of each of the seven chapters but are not found even once in "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer," which is a strong indication that they are different compositions.

The following expression, found in the first chapter of the Midrash, may indicate the place of its compilation: "But our Rabbis in the Land of Israel...," suggesting that these chapters were not composed in the Land of Israel. Although the work frequently quotes the names of Tannaim, Meir Ish-Shalom believed that it is a later work, not from the time of the Tannaim.

Editions of the Composition

The composition was first printed (within Seder Eliyahu) in Venice in 1598, reprinted in Prague in 1676 by Rabbi Shmuel Haida, and subsequently reprinted many times. Haida emended, completed, and sometimes altered the work significantly. In his preface, Haida enthusiastically recounts his weeping, prayers, fasts, and prostrations on the graves of the righteous to understand the work properly. For this, he was subjected to harsh criticism and ridicule by Meir Ish-Shalom. Ish-Shalom demonstrated the light hand of Haida in editing the work, to the point of rewriting it at times, and after several examples of Haida's work, he mockingly concluded: "These examples suffice to see the results of his prayers, weeping, fasting, and seeking the graves."

The composition is included in the databases of the Academy of the Hebrew Language under the name: Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer: Additional Chapters.

Meir Ish-Shalom's Edition

Meir Ish-Shalom edited the seven chapters of Rabbi Eliezer based on the first printing and a Parma manuscript (which includes other works under the general title "Appendices to Seder Eliyahu") in Vienna in 1902. The basis for the edition was the first print, and Ish-Shalom used the manuscript at his discretion. He noted: "The manuscript is also much corrupted, and I will use it only when its version seems correct to me. Any variations will be noted here in the comments."

According to his testimony, Ish-Shalom used a transcription made for him rather than a photograph that was in front of him. This edition, therefore, does not meet the standards accepted today.

Further Reading

• Meir Ish-Shalom, "Appendices to Seder Eliyahu Zuta," Vienna, 1904, p. 20.
• Eliezer Treitl, "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer: Text, Editing, and Synopsis of the Manuscripts," Jerusalem, 2013, pp. 28-29.
• Anat Reizel, "Introduction to Midrashim," Alon Shvut, 2011, pp. 336-337.