Shemariah ben Mordecai was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

and

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 ...

of the first half of the 12th century, who was a pupil of the tosafist Isaac ben Asher. He was considered an especially eminent authority on religious rites ('' ba'al ma'asim''), and seems to have written '' posḳim'' (decisions); no less a person than Jacob b. Meïr Tam consulted him on a difficult question (''Or Zarua' '' on B. B. 199). Those of Shemariah's pupils most deserving mention are Judah b. Kalonymus b. Meïr, author of ''Yiḥuse Tannaim va-Amoraim'', and

Judah ben Kalonymus Judah ben Kalonymus ben Moses of Mainz (died 1200) was a Jewish German scholar, halakhic authority, and kabbalist. In his early years, he studied in Speyer under Shemariah ben Mordecai who taught him mysticism. During the Third Crusade, Judah hel ...

, father of

Eleazar of Worms Eleazar of Worms (אלעזר מוורמייזא - also מגרמייזא of Garmiza or Garmisa) (c. 1176–1238), or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, also sometimes known today as Eleazar Rokeach ("Eleazar the Perfumer" אלעזר רקח) from t ...

. The former usually calls him ''mori ha-yashish'' (my aged teacher), which seems to indicate that Shemariah died at an advanced age. It is, however, not true that Eleazar of Worms also was his pupil, as has been asserted by some.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

* Epstein, ''Das Talmudische Lexicon'', in ''Monatsschrift'', xxxix. 453-454 (also printed separately); * Kohn, ''Mardochai b. Hillel'', p. 15 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shemariah Ben Mordecai 12th-century German rabbis German Tosafists 12th-century German writers