Rabbi Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, also known as Moses Mikkotsi ( he, משה בן יעקב מקוצי; la, Moses Kotsensis), was a
French Tosafist
The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes.
The auth ...
and authority on
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
(Jewish law). He is best known as the author of one of the earliest
codifications of Halakha, the ''
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol ( he, ספר מצוות גדול; in english: "The Great Book of Commandments"; abbreviated: , "SeMaG") work of halakha by Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, containing an enumeration of the 613 commandments.
Description
The work was ...
''.
Biography
Moses of Coucy lived in the first half of the thirteenth century. His name suggests he was born or raised in
Coucy in Northern France. He was a descendant of a family of distinguished scholars. He was the brother-in-law of Tosafist
Shimshon of Sens and
Shimshon of Coucy Samson ben Samson of Coucy ( he, שמשון בן שמשון מקוצי), known as the Count (or Prince) of Coucy (Hebrew: ), was a French rabbi and Tosafist who flourished at the end of the twelfth and in the first half of the thirteenth century. (A ...
(HaSar MiCoucy).
He studied under
Judah of Paris, and
Yehudah HaChasid. Following in the latter's footsteps he traveled through Provence and Spain to strengthen religiosity among the Jews and teaching them the way to serve God.
In 1240 he was one of the four rabbis who were required to defend the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
, in a public
disputation in Paris, and it is likely that the need for a work like the ''Sefer Mitzvot Gadol'' was driven by the
decrees against the Talmud which had been promulgated in France, and had led to the confiscation and burning of all Talmud manuscripts in 1242.
Works
The ''Sefer Mitzvot Gadol'' ( he, ספר מצוות גדול) (in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: ''The Great Book of
Commandments''; abbreviated "SeMaG"), completed in 1247,
deals with the 365 negative
commandments and the 248 positive commandments, separately discussing each of them according to the Talmud and the
decisions of the Rabbis. "SeMaG" also contains much non-legal, moralistic teaching. References to the "SeMaG" are by section (positive or negative commandments) and a number for each commandment within its section.
Rabbi Moses' arrangement and presentation are heavily influenced by
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
' discussion of the commandments in the ''
Sefer Hamitzvot
''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", Hebrew: ספר המצוות ) is a work by the 12th century rabbi, philosopher and physician Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modi ...
'' and by his codification of the
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
in the ''
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...
''. However, unlike Maimonides, Rabbi Moses presents lengthy discussions of the different interpretations and legal opinions. He also makes extensive use of other
codes
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
, and particularly of the commentaries of
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...
and the
Tosafot
The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes.
The auth ...
, usually favouring these
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
traditions
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
over Maimonides.
He was also the author of Old Tosafot () to Yoma and of some published in the collection "Sugyot HaShas" (Berlin, 1736).
References
*
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol Prof. Eliezer Segal
Semag bnainoachnews.com
French Tosafists
13th-century deaths
13th-century French rabbis
Jewish apologists
Year of birth unknown
Exponents of Jewish law
Authors of books on Jewish law
{{Judaism-bio-stub