Some time ago, “Moznaim,” published a beautiful new edition of Toledot Yitzhak, Rabbi Yitzhak Caro’s commentary on the Torah, which was first printed in Constantinople in 1518.
Rabbi Yitzhak Caro, who was an uncle of Rabbi Yosef Caro, the author of the Shulhan Arukh, served as Rosh Yeshiva in Castille, Spain and later in Portugal. When the Jews were expelled from that country (1496-1497) he went to Constantinople.
At the end of his book he writes that he was not able to thoroughly proofread the volume, because he was in a hurry to depart for the Land of Israel. We do not know whether he reached the Holy Land, or died on the way there.
Toledot Yitzhak, which reflects the wide general knowledge of its author, abounds in novel interpretations. Needless to say that R. Yitzhak Caro’s exegesis, rests to a large extent on the Talmud and the Midrashim. He quotes the early commentators, particularly Nahmanides, as well as Albo and Maimonides’ Moreh, and cites his father and his brother Ephraim (the father of the Shulhan Arukh).
One of the main features of his commentary are the “questions” and “problems” (Sefekot) which – like Abarbanel’s “problems” – pave the way for the author’s exegesis. At times he provides more than one answer to his questions. Thus he gives 10 different answers to his question as to why the priests were commanded to bless the people with the three fold blessing (BaMidbar 6, 24-26) and not with any of the other blessings mentioned in the Torah.
Like some early commentators, R. Yitzhak Caro shows that the Mitzvot are arranged in the Torah in a logical order.
R. Yitzhak Caro points out 30 differences between the Kellalot in Torat Kohanim and those in Mishne Torah and he explains, basing himself on Nahmanides that the two passages of “curses” relate to two different eras. The sins forecast in the first list of “curses” are those committed by our people in the period of the First Temple; the punishment predicted was the Babylonian exile. The second list of “curses” foreshadows the behavior of our people during the period of the Second Temple, the subsequent dispersion — the present exile – and our ultimate redemption.
Following are some of R. Yitzhak Caro’s shorter comments.
“When Lavan heard… and he brought him (Jacob) into his house and he (Jacob) told Lavan all these things. And Lavan said to him: You are my own bone and flesh…” (Bereshit 29: 13-14)
Lavan throught, at first, that Jacob was a simple guileless man, a Tam and Yoshev Ohel. But when Jacob told him that he had to flee his parental home because he had taken away the blessings which were destined by Esau, he called out: You are my own blood and flesh! You are made from the same stuff as I am. You are a swindler like myself.
When Moses was approaching the burning bush, he was told: “Don’t get near. Take off your shoes” (Shemot 2:5).
Joshua was however told by the L-rd messenger “Take your shoe (singular ) off your foot….” (Joshua 5:15).
What is the reason for the differences between the commands?
Explains R. Yitzhak Caro. Moses Originally had a two fold task: To bring the Jews out from Egypt, the exit of which was closed to those who wanted to get out and to lead the Jews into the Land of Canaan, the borders of which were closed to those who wanted to enter. The word Na’al (shoe) is related to the words Na’ul (locked) and Man’ul (lack). Moshe’s task was to break two locks, the lock of Egypt and that of Canaan. Joshua had only one assignment: To break the lock of the Land of Canaan.
“Honor your father and mother in order that you may live long…” (Shemot 20:12)
The L-rd rewards us “measure for measure” shouldn’t it, therefore, read: Honor your father and mother in order that you may be honored?
Says R. Yitzhak Caro: The reward of a long life includes the bestowal of honor. Whoever lives long and grows old is being honored, as we are commanded: Rise before an old man (VaYikra 19:32).
(Continued next week)
The Jewish Press, Friday June 16, 1995
Continued from last week
Occasionally, one reads that people ask: where is it stated in the writings of early authorities that should open one’s letters with the mention of the L-rd (Beshem Hashem, B’ezrat Hashem)?
The statement is found in Toledot Yitzhak towards the end of Parashat Metzora! We will quote only the words connected directly to this topc: Whatever work in which we engage, we should say that it is done for the sake of the L-rd so that the Holy Spirit will rest upon it… and for this reason it is customary to start any writing with the letters B”H beshem Hashem as it is written, “in all your ways acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:6)..,,” (More than thirty years ago I drew attention to this passage in the Hebrew periodical Hadoar.)
In Toldot Yitzchak is also mentioned an old custom of comforting mourners. I heard about it first from the late Rabbi Yehuda Leib Zlotnick during a conversation we had in Jerusalem in the 1950s.
“I was once asked about the wording of a saying found in Hebrew sources, was it ‘What reason can’t accomplish, time will accomplish’ or ‘What time accomplishes, reason can accomplish,”’ Rabbi Zlotnick told me. “I explained to the questioner that the last pages of the book Hut HaShani- which includes writings by Rabbi Yair Hayyim Bacharach, his father and his
grandfather — are devoted to mathematics. The author states there: Mah SheYa’ase HaZeman Ya’ase HaSekhel — What time accomplishes, reason can accomplish; i.e. if you have to spend a lot of time on a mathematical calculation, ” you might save some time by using your Sekhel. If you apply mathematical shortcuts, you might accomplish your task in a very short time. Ergo: What time accomplishes, reason can accomplish.”
“The same saying is mentioned in Rabbi Yitzhak Caro’s Toledot Yitzhak (in Parashat VaYeshev) with
regard to a custom of comforting mourners,” Rabbi Zlotnick continued. “They used to say to mourner: What
time accomplishes, reason can accomplish; meaning: With the passing of much time the dead person is forgotten (and the grief is mitigated). By using his Sekhel. by making a conscious effort to forget the loss, the mourner can alleviate his pain earlier. What time accomplishes, reason can accomplish!”
The custom mentioned by Rabbi Yitzhak Caro seems to have existed in Spain.
Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulhan Arukb, mentions Rabbi Yitzhak Caro in his writings and calls him “my teacher.’’ Rabbi Yitzhak Caro wrote other works in addition to Toledot Yitzhak, but with the exception of several responsa they were never printed
Rabbi Shemuel Uceda quotes in his Midrash Shemuel from Rabbi Yitzchok Caro’s (now lost) commentary on Pirkei Avot.
On the title pages of some editions, Rabbi Yitzhak Caro is erroneously described as the grandfather of Rabbi Yosef Caro. Rabbi Mattityahu Strashun (see his Mivhar Ketavim, Mossad HaRav Kook, 1969) explains the origin of this error.
In some countries the word Nehed, which we translate as “grandson,” was interpreted to mean “nephew”. R. Strashun mentions Rashbam, Bava Bathra, 108a, and other sources (see also Ben Yehuda’s dictionary, entry: Nehed. Not long ago I came across in R. Abraham Menahem Porto’s Minha Bellula, end of Beshalah: “Hur was a Nehed — nephew — of
Moses”). Some people referred to Rabbi Yosef Caro as a Nehed — nephew — of Rabbi Yitzhak Caro. This was understood by others to mean that he was a grandson of Rabbi Yitzhak Caro. Thus was born the erroneous belief
that R. Yitzhak was the grandfather of Rabbi Yosef Caro.
In the new Moznaim edition, the entire text has been reset, the sources of Biblical verses and of sayings
of the Sages have been indicated and indexes of sources (Bible, Talmud and Midrashim) have been added.
Following the author’s preface, there is a passage in praise of R. Yizhak Caro “which appears in some
early editions in the beginning of the book.”
May we remark that this passage appears in the first edition (Constantinople, 1518) at the end of the
book and was written, as stated in the last lines, by R Shelomo ben R. Mazal Tov, who printed the volume. R
Shelomo ben R Mazal Tov, was not only a printer, but a fine scholar, author and poet.
It seems that later printers moved the passage to the beginning of the book and left out the last lines
where R. Shelomo ben R. Mazal Tov is mentioned as the writer.
The Moznaim edition carries an introduction by R.Yitzhak Yudlov. ■
June 23.1995 THE JEWISH PRESS