<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 2:48 PM, Eli Turkel <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:eliturkel@gmail.com">eliturkel@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
from a review of Haym Soloveitchik's recent book on<br>
Yayin Nesech<br>
<br>
Historians commonly think that the early Jewish community in Ashkenaz<br>
received its traditions from the Land of Israel. Soloveitchik<br>
questions this assumption and demonstrates that halakhic traditions<br>
also reached Ashkenaz from Babylonia. But there is still no serious<br>
question about the fact that the liturgy of the Land of Israel had a<br>
decisive influence on the prayers and blessings. If one asks how the<br>
traditions made their way to Germany - whether originally from Babylon<br>
or from Palestine - the answer is, via international trade. From the<br>
palaces of the German emperors (in Aachen and Ingleheim), merchants<br>
and emissaries were dispatched to every part of the world, from China<br>
and India to Byzantium and Babylonia, the Land of Israel, Libya,<br>
Alexandria and Yemen. Perhaps of particular interest is the fact that<br>
the oldest known copy of Rashi?s commentaries is a Yemenite manuscript<br>
from 1192, commentary on the Talmudic tractate of Baba Metzi'a.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1044713.html" target="_blank">http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1044713.html</a><br>
</blockquote></div><br>Professor Irving Agus makes the point quite clearly. R. Meshullan ben Klonymous of Lucca, Italy migrated to Ashkenzz and brought the EY litrugy with him, This is obviosu from the fact that this family dominates the piyyutim on the High Holidays. The rest of Core ASehkanzic Piyyutim include a heavy dose of Kallir who was embraced by Ashkenazim and largely rejected by Sephardim. Kallir is consiered w/o a dbout from EY and a big influence upon the liturgy, although Yosi Ben Yosi and others did preceded him.<br>
<br>In general, Ashkenazim looked up to the Northern Italian community which as ostensibly rooted in EY not Bavel. <br><br>There is no doubt that there was a also heavy Bavilonian Influence, [e.g. Yekum Purkan]. And from what I can tell it centered upon Rashi. The School of Rashi produced both Siddur Rashi and Machzor Vitri. Rashi was AISI heavily influenced by The Babylonian Tradition in General. E.G. he opposes a bracha on Hallel on Rosh Chodesh, just like Sephardim. <br>
<br>See I. Ta Shma's quote of Or Zaru'a in his hakdam to Minhag Ashekanz Hakadmon.<br><br>Parenthetically we can now date Kallir to have lived circa 580 CE, but this is another thread.<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Kol Tuv - Best Regards,<br>
RabbiRichWolpoe@Gmail.com<br>see: <a href="http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/">http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/</a><br><br>