Yehudi ben Sheshet
YEHUDI BEN SHESHET
YEHUDI BEN SHESHET (or Sheshat ; second half of tenth century), Spanish Hebrew grammarian and poet. A student of *Dunash b. Labrat, Yehudi wrote, between 970 and 990, a work against the responsa of the students of *Menaḥem b. Saruk written in reply to Dunash's criticism of their teacher (the only manuscript of the work was published by S.G. Stern in 1870, and again by M.E. Varela in 1981). Yehudi's work is composed like the responsa of Dunash and those of the students of Menaḥem: the first part is in metric form (154 verses in the same meter and rhyme of Dunash's panegyric to Ḥisdai and of the answer of the disciples of Menaḥem, attacking the adversaries directly), and is followed by rhymed prose serving as introduction to the second part, which contains explanations of metalinguistic subjects in the poem. From this work, the names of several of Menaḥem's students are known: Ibn *Kapron, Judah b. David *Ḥayyuj, and Isaac b. *Gikatilla.
Yehudi deals with 42 questions, answering the greater part of the objections which Menaḥem's students had made against Dunash. In 21 responsa, explanations are given for some biblical terms. In ten responsa Yehudi deals with roots of several words and lexical units to which they belong. In one responsum, Yehudi replies to the objection voiced by Menaḥem's students concerning the introduction of Arabic metric patterns into Hebrew poetry. In four responsa he deals with objections against Dunash's usage of several words. Yehudi defends his teacher by citing biblical usage. Three responsa object to some usages of Menahem and his students. Another deals with the position of dalet and tet in the classification of the letters of the alphabet into "root" letters and "servile" letters (prefixed, infixed, suffixed), defending Dunash's point of view against all the other medieval grammarians. In the last responsum, Yehudi admits that one objection made by Dunash was based on a misunderstanding.
While discussing the meaning of specific terms, Yehudi also comments on general questions of grammar that go beyond the specific problem, e.g., dealing with the meaning of the word kemaḥ ("flour," Gen. 18:6). Yehudi deals also with the meaning of the term ke-mashma'o ("as its meaning"), which had been used by Menaḥem 161 times in his Maḥberet. A matter of principle, such as to what extent Aramaic is to be relied upon when explaining a Hebrew term in the Bible, is dealt with in the discussion on the meaning of the word piggeru, interpreted by Menaḥem as "they stayed behind" and by Dunash, basing himself on the Targum, as "they were destroyed; they were weakened" (i Sam. 30:10). In dealing with the word lo (Ex. 21:8), he also explores the general problem of keri and ketiv. Generally, Yehudi does not bring new opinions but repeats those of Dunash, adding intricate arguments which border sometimes on insult and abuse. Nevertheless, Yehudi does make some original contributions; in the discussion of the term חוֹנָךְ (ḥonakh, Ps. 53:6), for example, he remarks that there are grammatical forms impossible in the Bible, but possible in post-biblical (paytanic) usage. On other occasions he maintains that the Hebrew language in his time has reduced to a very sorry state, and there are forms that might have been found in it had we known the language in its fullness. Like Dunash, he defends linguistic comparatism, known at least in the work of Saadiah, against the anti-comparatist attitude of Menaḥem and his disciples.
bibliography:
N. Allony, Torat ha-Mishkalim (1951), 194 (index); W. Bacher, Die hebraeische Sprachwissenschaft vom x bis zum xvi Jahrhundert (1892), 34f., 39; H. Hirschfeld, Literary History of Hebrew Grammarians… (1926), 31; S. Pinsker, Likkutei Kadmoniyyot (1860), 159 (third pag.); S.G. Stern (ed.), Sefer Teshuvot (1870), lxxvi, 1–44; D. Yellin, Toledot Hitpatteḥut ha-Dikduk ha-Ivri (1945), 107–12. add. bibliography: E. Varela, Teshuvot Talmid Dunash ha-Leṿi ben Labrat (1981); A. Sáenz-Badillos, in: Sefarad, 46 (1986), 421–31; C. del Valle, Historia de la gramática hebrea en España. Vol. i: Los Orígenes (2002), 365–70.
[David Tene /
Angel Sáenz-Badillos (2nd ed.)]