hernandez denise textualanalysis2

7/29/2019 Hernandez Denise Textualanalysis2

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Denise Hernndez Garca

03/12/2012

HISTORY OF SPANISH LAW

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INTRODUCTION

The text that Im going to analyze, is a fragment of the Book of Travels of

Benjamin of Tudela, and tells the history of a Jewish man who was on different

countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Benjamin of Tudela is a major figure in

the fields of geographic knowledge and Jewish history. On his book of travels,

he told all the things that he was learning from other countries and thecostumes and habits that were in those countries.

On the The Travels of Benjamin, Jewish communities are described in

addition to the cultural phenomenon in the Middle Ages. His itinerary is an

special of Hebrew introduction. He not only told things about Jews people he

also told history about no-Jews community.

EXTERNAL ANALYSISThe origin of the text is approximately the year 1165 when he left the Peninsula

and started his journey, he returned approximately in the year 1173. The

source of this text is direct because the text was written in that moment, i.e,the

book is the transcription of his travels and the things that happened to him. This

text is an historical literature.

Another interesting aspect about the source of the law at that, this text has an

consequential mode of knowledge, incidental.When talking to the territory that

affects not only can designate one as it affects more than one territory trips

account for different places.What the recounts, belonging to different cities, are

important aspects concerning law and history of different places. Though the

book was written originally in Hebrew was translated into Latin and later into the

different languages from the Latin, which were present in European countries.

This text pertains to the Middle Ages, Spain was occupied by Christians, Jews

and Muslims, the Christians were trying to recover what they called their

territory, so they were fighting against Muslims. But perhaps the Jewish

population at that time was not so persecuted.


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The text makes reference to the Torah and to the costumes and traditions that

werent on the Torah but the Jewish people followed, the Oral Torah, not

dissociates from the written. Also makes reference to the Halacha, that is the

collective body of religious laws for the Jews.

The book of the travel of Rabbi Benjamin, not is proper a legal text, because

hasnt the structure of a legal text, but is clearly related with the law. The law on

this book has a lot of importance because in the Torah were settle the great

parts of the Jewish Law, and the parts that werent written, the sons known

through by the father. Certain traditions that could be: literal, formalistic and

casuistic.

The charge influenced the text is canonical, the Jewish religion. Is important to

mention that in that period the religion, was like a very important branch of the

society. In that moment a lot of Jewish went to Jerusalem, their Holy Land, in

order to improve their faith. The Western Wall is one of the most important

places for the Jewish religion; some Jews visit the wall daily to recite the entire

Book of Psalms.1

The nature of the text, it could say that is public, because anyone can access to

the Torah, the content of the book also is public, because anyone that want

read it, can do it .This book is an public instrument for the people that want toimprove her knowledge about Jewish community.

This document is an official one, because has an authenticity, all the things that

are written about the life and the travels of Benjamin of Tudela are true. The

Book of his travel, is a diary and has been god-send for a lot of historiticians.

Benjamin of Tudela was deeply interested in Jewish scholarship, and his

accounts of intellectual life in Provence and Baghdad are especially important,

as is his characterization of the organization of synagogue life in Egypt.2

The text has three different parts. The first part is an short introduction aboutwho was Benjamin of Tudela and his mission with the travel (line 1-12), the

second part is when makes reference to the beginning of his travel ( line 13-21)

and who he met 4 different Rabbi between Tarragona and Barcelona. The third

part is ( line 22-35) when he met another important Rabbis in other different

cities of Mediterranean coast.

1 Book of Psalms. an Old Testament book consisting of a collection of 150 Psalms. Pslams: A sacredsong; a hymn.2

Extract of http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/BenjaminTudelo.html


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There are a few terms that appear in the text and in some ways explain us the

function and the kind of result that the case can have. These words are for

example:

Sepharads Is a biblical name of an uncertain location but Spanish Jews gave

the name "Sepharad" to the Iberian peninsula. The descendants of Iberian Jews

refer to themselves as Sephardim and identify Spain as Sepharad in modern

Hebrew.

Halacha: In Judaism, the body of law regulating all aspects of life, including

religious ritual, familial and personal status, civil relations, criminal law, and

relations with non-Jews. Halakah is the term used to designate both a particular

ordinance and the law in the abstract.

Congregation of Jews. One of the most important congregation of Jews

established in Spain was in Barcelona, the name of this community was Aljama.

Parasangs any of various Persian units of distance; especially : an ancient unit

of about four miles (six kilometers).

Internal analyze

Men called Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, told his travelled around different

countries of Europe, Asia and Africa, from the land he was born that was

Tudela, Navarre.

He went distinct countries, and he learned the oral traditions of the Jewish that

were shared between the wise man of this religion. He indicates the distances

between the various towns he visited, tells who stood at the head of the Jewish

communities, and who were the most notable scholars.He gives the number of

Jews he found in each place, though it is not clear in many instances whether

he is speaking of individuals or of householders.

The way to improve the knowledge to Jewish Law was attending lessons to

other Jewish Rabbis. If anyone talked about the Torah, the students have to

kept in mind the content of the Torah.The general term that makes reference to

the collection of mychnayot or oral teachings of written Torah is the Michna

.Also another important term related to the Jewish law is Talmud( a370): Michna

and discussions or Gemara. The content related to the discussions of the

Rabbis about the Michna.


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The main place for Jewish Community is the Synagogue this word is notaccepted for all Jewish community, it depends the branches of Jewish. Three

branches (Orthodox, Conservatives, Reform Jews). They use different words todesigned Synagogue.

Orthodox. Shul- School. The Synagogue is the place for the study of thelaw.

Conservative Synagogue- It means place for the assemblyo Beit Tefilah, little pieces of lawo Beit of Misdrash.o Social welfare agency, they use to go to the Synagogue to obtain

welfare.

Reform Jews- Temple

There are few authors that wrote about Benjamin Rabbi and tried to interpreted

his travel, part of those authors made a kind of theory which is that Benjamin of

Tudela wished to find a safe haven for the Jews of Spain.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCE

Benjamin of Tudela

The" Itinerary"

Encyclopedia

Information about Jewish places
http://mcohen02.tripod.com/benjamin.pdfhttp://mcohen02.tripod.com/benjamin.pdfhttp://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wallhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wallhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-western-wallhttp://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/http://mcohen02.tripod.com/benjamin.pdf

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