Editing Chananel ben Chushiel

{{Short description|Late-Geonic/Early-Rishonic Talmudist}}
'''Chananel ben Chushiel''' or '''Ḥananel ben Ḥushiel''' ({{langx|he|חננאל בן חושיאל}}), an 11th-century [[Kairouan]]an [[rabbi]] and [[Talmud]]ist, was in close contact with the last [[Geonim]]. He is best known for his commentary on the [[Talmud]]. Chananel is often referred to as '''Rabbeinu Chananel''' – [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] for "our teacher, Chananel" (in Hebrew, רבנו חננאל, or abbreviated, ר"ח).

==Biography==
Rabbeinu Chananel (c. 980–1055) was probably born in Southern Italy,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gil |first=Moshe |title=In the Kingdom of Ishmael |year=1997 |edition=4 vol. |location=Tel Aviv |pages=doc. 30 |language=Hebrew}}</ref> likely [[Bari]],<ref>According to Abraham Ibn Daud's ''Sefer ha-Kabbalah'' (12th century), Rabbeinu Chananel was born in Kairouan; he gives Bari as the point of origin for his father, R. Chushiel ben Elchanan. See Gerson Cohen, ed., ''Sefer ha-Qabbalah'' (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1967), English, p. 64, Hebrew, p. 47.</ref> an important rabbinic center in the late [[geonic period]]. Around the year 1005, his father [[Chushiel]] travelled to North Africa with the intention of making his way to Egypt.<ref>Ta-Shma, Israel Meir (1999). "הספרות הפרשנית לתלמוד". Vol. 1, p. 123</ref> While waiting for his son to join him, Chushiel settled instead in [[Kairouan]] (modern Tunisia), at the time under the rule of [[Zirid dynasty|Zirid Emirs]] on behalf of the Fatimids. R. Chananel studied under his father, who became head of the Kairouan [[yeshiva]], and through correspondence with [[Hai Gaon]]. He is closely associated with [[Nissim Ben Jacob]] in the capacity of rabbi and [[Rosh yeshiva]] of Kairouan. His most famous student is [[Isaac Alfasi]]. According to [[Abraham ibn Daud|R. Abraham Ibn Daud]], R. Chananel was also successful in business and was said to be very wealthy and had nine daughters.<ref>Cohen, ed., ''Sefer ha-Qabbalah,'' Eng. pp. 77-78, Heb. pp. 57-58.</ref>

==Works==
R. Chananel wrote the first extant systematic commentary on the [[Talmud]], today included in the [[Vilna edition]] Talmud page on certain [[Masekhet|tractate]]s. The commentary, only parts of which survive, addresses sections of the Talmud relevant to legal practice at the time of writing: the orders [[Moed]], [[Nashim]], and [[Nezikin]]. Some fragments have been recovered from the [[Cairo Geniza]]h and are published in B. M. Levin's ''Otzar ha-Geonim'', though certain fragments may in fact represent geonic material from which R. Chananel copied,<ref>Ta-Shma, Israel Meir (1999). "הספרות הפרשנית לתלמוד". Vol. 1</ref> in particular the work of [[Hai ben Sherira|Hai Gaon]]. R. Chananel's commentary presents a paraphrased summary and explanation of the main arguments in the [[gemara]], omitting most of the non-legal sections ([[Aggada]]) as well as sections that R. Chananel considered too simple to warrant further explanation. A distinctive feature of the commentary is the presentation of the parallel passages from the [[Jerusalem Talmud]]. He is one of the most widely quoted commentaries by all the rishonim including [[Rashi]], [[Tosafot]] and the [[Isaac Alfasi|Rif]]. His opinion is highly regarded in halacha and correct versions of the texts which is used as a basis for Maimonides and many other later halachic authorities. In places where we don't have his commentary, his opinion is usually known from other sources due to mass quotation from all the ''[[Rishonim]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} An edition of the commentary published by Vagshal covers tractate Berachot and order Moed, which also includes the ''Sefer ha-Mafteaḥ'' of his colleague [[Nissim Ben Jacob|Nissim Gaon]].

R. Chananel also authored a [[Rabbinic literature#Meforshim|commentary]] on the [[Torah]], cited by many later Biblical commentators, chiefly [[Bahya ben Asher]]. This commentary is to some extent directed against the [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]]s.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} While no full copy of this work survives, we possess many fragments of it; it has recently been published by the  ''Mosad Ha-Rav Kook'' as a separate work, as well as in the ''Torat Hayyim'' [[Mikraot Gedolot|Torah edition with commentaries]].

Other works by Rabbeinu Chananel include [[responsa]]; a number of  [[Rishonim]] attribute to him the anonymous "Sefer ha-Miktzo'ot," [[posek|decisions]] on [[halakha|ritual law]].{{chart/start}}
{{chart|boxstyle=background:lightgreen;|Chushiel|Chushiel=[[Chushiel|רבנו חושיאל]]}}
{{chart| |!|}}
{{chart|Chananel | |Chananel ='''חננאל בן חושיאל'''}}
{{chart| |!|}}
{{chart|boxstyle=background:lightblue;|Alfasi|Alfasi=[[Isaac Alfasi|רי"ף]]}}
{{chart/end}}
<br>
{{legend|lightgreen|Teachers}}
{{legend|lightblue|Students}}

==See also==
* [[History of the Jews in Tunisia]]
* [[History of the Jews in Kairouan]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=210&letter=H&search=Hananeel Hananeel Ben Hushiel], ''Jewish Encyclopedia''
* [http://www.jewishhistory.org.il/history.php?anchor=900Hushiel Hananel Ben Hushiel], jewishhistory.org
* [https://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/OtherComs.html#Hananel Rabbenu Hananel], Prof. Eliezer Segal
* [https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rishonim/episodes/R-Hananel-I-The-Man-and-His-Methods-e25n082#Rishonim Podcast: R. Hananel], Podcast about Rabbi Hananel


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{{s-rel | [[Rosh Yeshiva]] }}
{{succession box
| before=[[Chushiel|Chushiel ben Elchanan]]
| title=Rosh Yeshiva of [[History_of_the_Jews_in_Kairouan#Kairouan_yeshiva|Kairouan]]
| with=[[Nissim ben Jacob]]
| after=None
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Rishonim}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chananel Ben Chushiel}}
[[Category:990 births]]
[[Category:1053 deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century rabbis]]
[[Category:Jews from Ifriqiya]]
[[Category:Geonim]]
[[Category:People from Kairouan]]
[[Category:Maghrebi Jews]]
[[Category:11th-century people from Ifriqiya]]
[[Category:10th-century people from Ifriqiya]]
[[Category:Authors of books on Jewish law]]