In memoriam Jacob J. Rabinowitz (1899-1960)

I N M E M O R I A M J A C O B J . R A B I N O W I T Z

( 1 8 9 9 - 1 9 6 0 )

On J a n u a r y 10, 1960, a f t e r a short illness passed a w a y J a c o b

J . R a b i n o w i t z , Professor of J e w i s h L a w a t t h e H e b r e w U n i v e r s i t y

of J e r u s a l e m . W e h a v e lost one of our p r o m i n e n t associates,

a scholar of o u t s t a n d i n g m e r i t , w h o h a d devoted over t w e n t y y e a r s

t o t h e h i s t o r y of J e w i s h L a w a n d its relation t o o t h e r legal s y s t e m s

of A n t i q u i t y a n d t h e Middle Ages.

Professor R a b i n o w i t z was b o r n in Russia in 1899. H e g r a d u a t e d

f r o m a secondary school in K i e v . I n 1924 he came t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s

a n d p u r s u e d his studies in N e w Y o r k . I n 1930 he received a M. A.

f r o m Columbia U n i v e r s i t y , a n d in 1937 his doctor's degree f r o m

t h e N e w Y o r k L a w School. U n t i l 1942 he h a d been engaged in

p r i v a t e p r a c t i c e of law. I n t h e period 1942 — 1949 professor R a

-binowitz was on t h e legal staff of t h e D e p a r t m e n t of I n v e s t i g a t i o n

of t h e City of New Y o r k . I n 1950 he was a p p o i n t e d l e c t u r e r in J e w i s h

law a t t h e H e b r e w U n i v e r s i t y of J e r u s a l e m a n d t w o y e a r s l a t e r

b e c a m e Associate Professor a t t h e s a m e U n i v e r s i t y .

B o r n i n t o a f a m i l y of r a b b i s he received a t h o r o u g h T a l m u d i c

t r a i n i n g a n d acquired a p e r f e c t knowledge of m a n y oriental l a n g u a

-ges. A f t e r h a v i n g g r a d u a t e d f r o m t h e law school he d e v o t e d himself

entirely t o t h e s t u d y of J e w i s h law. Beginning w i t h t h e y e a r 1941

h e b e g a n t o publish his n u m e r o u s essays in v a r i o u s periodicals.

P r o f e s s o r R a b i n o w i t z also u n d e r t o o k t h e difficult a n d tiresome

t a s k of t h e English t r a n s l a t i o n of t h e Book of Civil Laws b y

Maimo-nides a n d published it in 1949 in t h e Yale Judaica Series. I n 1956

t h e r e a p p e a r e d his m a j o r w o r k : Jewish Law, its Influence on the

Development of Legal Institutions. I n this w o r k R a b i n o w i t z a t t e m

-p t e d t o -p r o v e t h a t t h e J e w i s h law h a d i n f l u e n c e d t h e d e v e l o -p m e n t

of v a r i o u s legal i n s t i t u t i o n s in t h e A n t i q u i t y as well as in t h e Middle

Ages. H e d e v o t e d m u c h a t t e n t i o n t o t h e question of t h e reception of

t h e legal f o r m u l a e f r o m t h e cuneiform a n d Biblical laws b y o t h e r

legal s y s t e m s . According t o his opinion those f o r m u l a e were studied

a n d d e f i n e d b y m a n y specialists. T h e y m o s t certainly d e t e r m i n e d

t h e f o r m u l a r i e s used in d r a w i n g u p v a r i o u s legal acts.

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Professor Rabinowitz placed a special emphasis on juristic

ρapy-rology. His essay Studies in Legal History, and the article

Miscella-nea Papyrologica,

published in the JJP, are devoted to the

problems of this science.

Untimely and unexpected death interrupted his work on

a second book on the history of Jewish law.

[Warsaw] Henryk Kupiszew ski

P u b l i c a t i o n s o f J a c o b J. R a b i n o w i t z

Review, vol. 92 (1943).

3. The Origin of the Common Law Warranty of Real Property and of the Inchoate

Right of Dwoer, Cornell Law Quarterly, vol. 30 (1944).

4. Some Remarks on the Evasion of the Usury Laws in the Middle Ages, The

Har-vard Theological Review, vol. 37 (1944).

5. On the Definition of the Term "Nizqaqim" (Hebrew), Talpioth, vol. 1 (1944). 6. Some Remarks on the Doctrine of "Asmakta" (Hebrew), Talpioth, vol. 2 (1945). 7. The Story of the Mortgage Retold, Univ. of Pa. Law Review, vol. 94 (1945). 8. The Title De Migrantibus of the Lex Salica and the Jeivish Herem Hayishub,

Speculum, vol. 22 (1947).

9. The Influence of Jeivish Law upon the Development of Frankish Law,

Proceed-ings of the American Academy for Jewish Research, vol. 16 (1947).

10. The Influence of Jewish Law on the Development of the Common Law, The

Jews: Their History, Culture and Religion, ed. Louis Finkelstein (New York, 1949).

11. The Book of Civil Laws, translated from the Code of Maimonides, Yale Uni-versity Press. 1949, xxiv, 345 pp.

12. Jewish and Lombard Laws, Jeivish Social Studies, vol. 12 (1950).

13. Interpretation of Legal Formulae in the Talmud (Hebrew), Tarbitz, vol. 22 (1950—51).

14. Jewish Law and Islamic Law (Hebrew), Praklit, Oct. 1951.

15. Section 7 of the Code of Hammurabi in the Light of a Talmudic Principle (He-brew), Israel Exploration Soc. Bulletin, 16 (1952?).

16. The Legal Papyrus from Auja-al-Hafir (Hebrew), Israel Exploration Soc.

Bulletin, 17 (1952).

17. The Origin of Representation by Attorney in English Law, Law Quarterly Review, vol. 68 (1952).

18. Jewish Origins in Babylonian Legal Formulae of the Persian Period (Hebrew),

Assaf Anniversary Book (Jerusalem, 1953).

19. Marriage Contracts in Ancient Egypt in the Light of Jewish Sources, Harvard

Theological Review, vol. 46 (1953).

I N M E M O R I A M J. J. R A B I N O W I T Z ₃₁ 21. The Legal Document from Murabbaat, Biblica, 35 (1954).

22. A Note on Isa. 46: 4, Journal of Biblical Literature, 73 (1954). 23. Note sur la lettre de Bar Kokhba, Revue Biblique, 61 (1954).

24. Some Notes on an Aramaic Contract from the Dead Sea Region, BASOR 136 (Dec. 1954).

25. A Legal Formula in the Susa Tablets, in an Egyptian Document of the Twelfth

Dynasty, in the Aramaic Papyri, and in the Book of Daniel, Biblica, vol. 36 (1955).

26. The Meaning of^Mahar Yom Ahran" in the Aramaic Papyri, Journal of Near

Eastern Studies (JNES), 14 (1955).

27. A Clue to the Babatean Contract from the Dead Sea Region, BASOR, 139 (Oct. 1955).

28. The Meaning of"Tatab Al Morna" in the Aramaic Papyri, Vetus Testamentům, vol. 6 (1956).

29. The Sermon on the Mount and the School of Shammai, Harvard Theological

Review, vol. 49 (1956).

30. The Origin of the Negotiable Promissory Note, Univ. of Pa. Law Revieu·> vol. 104 (1956.).

31. Jewish Laiv: Its Influence on the Development of Legal Institutions. New Y o r k ' Bloch Publishing Co., 1956, pp. X I V , 386.

32. A Legal Formula in Egyptian, Egyptian-Aramaic and Murabba'at Documents,

BASOR, 145 (Feb. 1957).

33. Demotic Papyri of the Ptolemaic Period and Jewish Sources, Vetus Testamentům vol. 7 (1957).

34. The Aramaic Papyri, The Demotic Papyri from Gebelen and Talmudic Sources,

Biblica, vol. 38 (1957).

35. P. Lond. 1711 and Jewish-Talmudic Sources, Journal of Juristic Papyrology, vol. 11-12 (1957—58).

36. AramaicPapyrus Brooklyn 7 and P. Freib. Ill 29, ibid. 37. A Note on the Praktor Xenikon, ibid.

38. Studies in Legal History. A Monograph. Jerusalem, 1958, 40 pp.

39. Semitic Elements in the Egyptian Adoption Papyrus published by Gardiner,

JNES, vol. 17 (1958).

40. Grecisms and Greek Terms in the Aramaic Papyri, Biblica, vol. 39 (1958). 41. Some Notes on an Aramaic Deed of Sale from the Judean Desert, vol. 39 (1958). 42. Exodus XXII 4 and the Septuagint Version Thereof, Velus Testamentům,

vol. 9 (1959).

43. An Additional Note on " B ' r o s h " , ibid.

44. The "Great Sin" in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts, JNES, vol. 18 (1959).

45. Sections 15-16 of the Laws of Eshnunna and Section 7 of the Code of

Hammu-rabi, Bibliotheca Orientalis, vol. 16 (1959).

46. The Puzzle of the "Tirhatum Bound in the Bride's Girdle", Bibliotheca

Orien-talisvol. 16 (1959).

47. Manumission of Slaves in Roman Law and Oriental Law, vol. 19 (1960). 48. The Susa Tablets, the Bible and the Aramaic Papyri, Vetus Testamentům, vol.

32

49. More on Grecisms in Aramaic Documents, Biblica, vol. 41 (1960). Forth-coming.

50. P. Dura 15 and the Nabatean Contract from the Dead Sea Region, BASOR, Forthcoming.

51. A Marriage Contract from Alalakh and the Marriage Contracts in the Aramaic

Papyri, BASOR, Forthcoming.

52. On the Meaning of " W ' s p y " in the Talmudic Warranty Clause, Bibliotheca

Orientalis, Forthcoming.

53. Neo-Babylonian Legal Documents and Jewish Laiv, JJP. Forthcoming. 54. Divorce, Biblical Encyklopedia (Hebrew), Jerusalem, vol. II (1954). 55. Ownership, Biblical Encyklopedia (Hebrew), Jerusalem, vol. II (1954).