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Rabbi Judah ben Isaac ibn Giat
"Son of Rabbi Isaac ibn Giat, Rabbi Judah was also a Talmudist and Hebrew poet. "Amongst poets worthy of record, who also occupied themselves with matters other than poetry, were Judah Ibn-Giat, Judah Ibn-Abbas, Solomon Ibn-Sakbel, and the brothers Ibn-Ezra." Graetz, Heinrich, History of the Jews, Volume III, P. 318 “Moses ibn Ezra says that Judah ("original in poetry, and a very cultivated person," Kitab 42b) was born in Lucena and lived in Granada. He was there among the intimate friends of the Ibn Ezra family and of Judah Halevi, and became one of the prominent members of Granada's community. Halevi corresponded with him even before he went to Granada, and sent him no fewer than nine poems (published in Judah Halevi's Diwan by H. Brody, 1 (1901): 43, 53, 60, 151, 174; 2:191, 263 and, very likely, 2:58–59); Judah ibn Ghayyat is also mentioned in two letters found in the Genizah related to Judah Halevi and his friend Halfon ben Nethanel. Among the few of Judah's extant poems, five secular and nine liturgical compositions, his songs of friendship to Judah Halevi, and his secular girdle poems are noteworthy; his panegyrics, following closely the classical Arabic models, show that he attained a deep knowledge of Arabic poetry. According to Al-Ḥarizi, "the poetry of Judah ben Ghayyat is by Wisdom upon Piety begot; lo, his brother's praise is Judah's lot." Shem Tov ibn Falaqera, Abraham Bedersi, and Menahem de Lonzano mention him among the good poets of their epoch.“ Encyclopedia.com https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ibn-ghayyat "When visiting Granada, Ha-Levi “would invariably pay a visit to the poet Ibn Giat with whom he enjoyed a talk over a cup of wine." Bibliography:
Judah Ha-Levi composed four poems in ibn Giat's honor. On one occasion when ha-Levi came to Cordoba and did not find Ibn Giat at home he wrote a poem, brimming with warm friendship and affection. Another poem, a rejoinder of one of ibn Giat’s poems, shows the high esteem which ha-Levi had for his friend. It also refers to ibn Giat’s poetic activity and talent. R. Judah wrote at least a dozen poems edited mainly by Schirmann: 1936, pp. 186-194; 1946, p. 228). These include liturgical pieces, such as seliḥot (penitential poems). An Arabic version of Ecclesiastes by Judah ibn Ghayyat has been published by J. Löwy, Leyden, 1884 (see Rahmer's "Jüdisches Litteratur-Blatt," May 29, 1884, p. 88)." Jewish Encyclopedia:1906, Vol 3, P: 189. Excerpts from Judah ibn Giat’s Elijah’s Prayer is quoted in Baron, Joseph L. (ed.), A Treasury of Jewish Quotation, South Brunswick, NJ: A. E. Barnes and Co., Inc. P. 124, “Who answers with fires is God.” and P. 521, “Seek where the truth is found—if in the Lord Or in another – be the truth adored.” References & Further Reading
Miriam bat Isaac ibn Giat Miriam, daughter of R. Isaac, and sister of R. Judah, married Haiben (Hai) Michael ibn Daud. The earliest known members of the ibn Daud family lived in Toledo and Navarre in the eighth and ninth centuries. They prospered in Navarre, Cordova, Seville and Lucena. Born in the middle of the eleventh century, Hai lived in Lucena and devoted himself to philosophy and theology. His studies were influenced by R. Judah ibn Giat and his associates included Rabbi Isaac Alfasi and Judah ha-Levi. Hai and Miriam had four sons, Michael, Isaac, Enosh and Joseph, who prospered in Lucena and Cordova until the invasion of the Ahmohades caused them to flee to Tudela in 1146. Their descendents adopted the surname of De Sola toward the latter part of the twelfth century. Members of the family were scattered after the expulsion of 1492 and today live in the Netherlands, England, Canada, Curacao and the United States. For a summary of the history of the ibn Daud/De Sola family see The Jewish Encyclopedia:1906 http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13837-sola-de |
Rabbi Solomon ben Judah ibn Giat
Son of Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Solomon was a Hebrew poet of the twelfth century. He was also member of the Toledo Academy of Translators. Document F. 1v (above) contains a poem, rhymed in -eha, of which the beginning is lost. The first words preserved are היו בני ימי בני אשפה. F. 1v, contains a poetic response to Solomon Ibn Ḡayyāṯ by Judah ha-Levi (see Brody & Habermann, I: 137). Leaf 2 contains unknown piyyuṭim, in a different hand. (T-S Misc. 35.29). Part of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection at the Cambridge University Library. Solomon sent a letter in prose and a poem to Judah Halevi, and received a similar answer, with a section in prose and a beautiful classical qasida. https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ibn-ghayyat The qaṣīda is an ancient Arabic word and form of writing poetry, often translated as ode, passed to other cultures after the Arab Muslim expansion. Judah Ha-Levi’s poetic eulogy composed for ibn Giat presents a splendid poetic description of the southern summer’s night – Ayyin Nedivah – how, at its dying, the beaming, laughing dawn is born in gold and purple. “Ayin Nediwah (‘Generous Eye’): Qasida for Solomon Ibn Ghiyyat," translated by Joseph Davis, is reproduced below: Ayin Nedivah ('Generous Eye'): Qasida for Solomon Ibn Ghiyyat I can’t stop crying. My eyes are like peddler women. What they buy is: you are gone. What they sell is: tears, And business is good: Enough tears for a jeweled necklace. I am weeping here in the ruins Where lovers used to live. I can’t hear a thing. I can’t say a word. Wasn’t it enough for you To break our home when you left? Why did you break my heart? The place doesn’t even look the same. I don’t even recognize it. Only my heart tells me if I am in the right place; My eyes deny it. Good luck on your journey. You take with you the tears that I gave you And my sleep that you stole. I could forget my lover Were it not for the stars Which remind me. The moon is conspiring against the sun, her king. She thinks he has gone traveling in the Western Sea And drowned. Unsheathing her swords of lightning She strikes the earth’s back with her staffs of fire. The lightning bolts dance, Swirl their golden skirts and sway. The earth joins battle in its armor of darkness; The stars hurl their javelins of light. The moon flees and grows dim, But now she stands on the face of the sky Like a golden brooch on a cloak, Her face red with the dust of battle Like the face of a queen leading her armies. I am a shepherd. My flock is the stars; I herd them, leading them home. They move as slowly as if they were sick or lame. I weep for the Twins, who are always apart. I am jealous of the Pleiades, who are together for eternity. Does Orion reach out his hand to touch his neighbor? Or to measure the distance between the spheres? Where is the sun? Has its chariot broken a wheel? Has the road it travels been cut off? The gates of the East—are they locked? When will ebony turn to pearls? When will this black veil be lifted and the white cheek revealed? I hate this night. The moon looks to me Like a scab on the skin of an African. When I see the first tongues of fire, I shall rejoice. A night like an African. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin?” A sky like a leopard, Spotted with stars. Dark forevermore. I give up. My eyes will never see the warm sun. Too late. A breeze is stealing between the trees, Whispering to the willows a rumor of a secret love. The birds are twittering. Far away, a pigeon-dove murmurs a poem. As the night folds her wings, A light rain of beauty is falling, Raining down the dew of love like manna. There is a fragrance like incense or myrrh. Has Solomon sent me a poem, perfumed, wrapped to a pigeon-dove’s leg? From the poem’s lines of black letters, greetings break forth like the dawn, Light amid the grey morning, Letters ink-black as night, but words bright as the dawn, Like a girl who hides her cheeks behind her dark hair. A poem not just perfumed but mined from the hills of perfume! “Comely am I and black,” Pitch-black letters like the black tents of Kedar On paper like the white tents of Solomon. Marvels never seen: letters carved from fiery rock. Shall these pages contain the flame of his words Or will they feed the fire? When did fire not conquer straw? These words are locked now within my heart, Engraved there letter for letter Placed there forever. His poem is like a tapestry woven by the hands of thought, Framed with beauty, Worn like a crown. His poem is like a song of jeweled fruit, A song, a poem for the reader to taste. My tongue shall sing it on a glass of wine. Here, for you, are the fruits of my poetry Ripe after months of waiting. But for my love you need never wait. A poem from your friend, Whose fame has waited Until after his best days. Now he is so well known That what he does not write May be an oral tradition. He follows generous friends And seeks out their company. He is never far away. If they are a hand, he is their thumb. Men sleep until the dawn awakes them, But his soul is awake and his heart wakes the dawn, To seek the love of his friend, Pure love, inside and out. Take from my clumsy lips these golden words of poetry; Place them around your neck. Wear them like a bracelet. For they are daughters of love, mined from the hill of love, Given to you for your love like a dowry. The morning breeze warms the face of every lover, But to me it shall always say: All is well with Solomon. Shalom. ben Gayat Family in Toledo 1248-1382 Pilar Leon Tello, author of Judios de Toledo (1979) gathered two volumes of legal documents originally written in Arabic with Hebrew characters and translated them into Spanish. Rabbi Jacob ben Gayat and several of his descendants are recorded living in Toledo from 1248 until the persecutions of 1382. Additional Ancestor in Aragon 1258-1492 Sephardic archives in northern Spain reveal 24 documents concerning 12 Ben Ghiat individuals. The final documents dated October 1492 concerning the properties the Jews of Borja left because of the expulsion show that some houses that had formerly belonged to Abraham Gayat were sold by the procurators of the cathedral chapter of Tarazona |