Denise Hernndez Garca 03/12/2012 HISTORY OF SPANISH LAW ARA(10)

INTRODUCTION
The text that Im going to analyze, is a fragment of the Book of Travels of Benjamin of Tudela, and tells the history of a Jewish man who was on different countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. Benjamin of Tudela is a major figure in the fields of geographic knowledge and Jewish history. On his book of travels, he told all the things that he was learning from other countries and the costumes and habits that were in those countries. On the The Travels of Benjamin, Jewish communities are described in addition to the cultural phenomenon in the Middle Ages. His itinerary is an special of Hebrew introduction. He not only told things about Jews people he also told history about no-Jews community.

EXTERNAL ANALYSIS
The origin of the text is approximately the year 1165 when he left the Peninsula and started his journey, he returned approximately in the year 1173. The source of this text is direct because the text was written in that moment, i.e,the book is the transcription of his travels and the things that happened to him. This text is an historical literature. Another interesting aspect about the source of the law at that, this text has an consequential mode of knowledge, incidental. When talking to the territory that affects not only can designate one as it affects more than one territory trips account for different places. What the recounts, belonging to different cities, are important aspects concerning law and history of different places. Though the book was written originally in Hebrew was translated into Latin and later into the different languages from the Latin, which were present in European countries. This text pertains to the Middle Ages, Spain was occupied by Christians, Jews and Muslims, the Christians were trying to recover what they called their territory, so they were fighting against Muslims. But perhaps the Jewish population at that time was not so persecuted.

Denise Hernndez Garca 03/12/2012 HISTORY OF SPANISH LAW ARA(10)

The text makes reference to the Torah and to the costumes and traditions that werent on the Torah but the Jewish people followed, the Oral Torah, not dissociates from the written. Also makes reference to the Halacha, that is the collective body of religious laws for the Jews. The book of the travel of Rabbi Benjamin, not is proper a legal text, because hasnt the structure of a legal text, but is clearly related with the law. The law on this book has a lot of importance because in the Torah were settle the great parts of the Jewish Law, and the parts that werent written, the sons known through by the father. Certain traditions that could be: literal, formalistic and casuistic. The charge influenced the text is canonical, the Jewish religion. Is important to mention that in that period the religion, was like a very important branch of the society. In that moment a lot of Jewish went to Jerusalem, their Holy Land, in order to improve their faith. The Western Wall is one of the most important places for the Jewish religion; some Jews visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms.1 The nature of the text, it could say that is public, because anyone can access to the Torah, the content of the book also is public, because anyone that want read it, can do it .This book is an public instrument for the people that want to improve her knowledge about Jewish community. This document is an official one, because has an authenticity, all the things that are written about the life and the travels of Benjamin of Tudela are true. The Book of his travel, is a diary and has been god-send for a lot of historiticians. Benjamin of Tudela was deeply interested in Jewish scholarship, and his accounts of intellectual life in Provence and Baghdad are especially important, as is his characterization of the organization of synagogue life in Egypt.2 The text has three different parts. The first part is an short introduction about who was Benjamin of Tudela and his mission with the travel (line 1-12), the second part is when makes reference to the beginning of his travel ( line 13-21) and who he met 4 different Rabbi between Tarragona and Barcelona. The third part is ( line 22-35) when he met another important Rabbis in other different cities of Mediterranean coast.

Book of Psalms. an Old Testament book consisting of a collection of 150 Psalms. Pslams: A sacred song; a hymn.
2

Extract of http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/BenjaminTudelo.html

Denise Hernndez Garca 03/12/2012 HISTORY OF SPANISH LAW ARA(10)

There are a few terms that appear in the text and in some ways explain us the function and the kind of result that the case can have. These words are for example: Sepharads Is a biblical name of an uncertain location but Spanish Jews gave the name "Sepharad" to the Iberian peninsula. The descendants of Iberian Jews refer to themselves as Sephardim and identify Spain as Sepharad in modern Hebrew. Halacha: In Judaism, the body of law regulating all aspects of life, including religious ritual, familial and personal status, civil relations, criminal law, and relations with non-Jews. Halakah is the term used to designate both a particular ordinance and the law in the abstract. Congregation of Jews. One of the most important congregation of Jews established in Spain was in Barcelona, the name of this community was Aljama. Parasangs any of various Persian units of distance; especially : an ancient unit of about four miles (six kilometers).

Internal analyze
Men called Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, told his travelled around different countries of Europe, Asia and Africa, from the land he was born that was Tudela, Navarre. He went distinct countries, and he learned the oral traditions of the Jewish that were shared between the wise man of this religion. He indicates the distances between the various towns he visited, tells who stood at the head of the Jewish communities, and who were the most notable scholars. He gives the number of Jews he found in each place, though it is not clear in many instances whether he is speaking of individuals or of householders.

The way to improve the knowledge to Jewish Law was attending lessons to other Jewish Rabbis. If anyone talked about the Torah, the students have to kept in mind the content of the Torah. The general term that makes reference to the collection of mychnayot or oral teachings of written Torah is the Michna .Also another important term related to the Jewish law is Talmud( a370): Michna and discussions or Gemara. The content related to the discussions of the Rabbis about the Michna.
3

Denise Hernndez Garca 03/12/2012 HISTORY OF SPANISH LAW ARA(10)

The main place for Jewish Community is the Synagogue this word is not accepted for all Jewish community, it depends the branches of Jewish. Three branches (Orthodox, Conservatives, Reform Jews). They use different words to designed Synagogue. Orthodox. Shul- School. The Synagogue is the place for the study of the law. Conservative Synagogue- It means place for the assembly o Beit Tefilah, little pieces of law o Beit of Misdrash. o Social welfare agency, they use to go to the Synagogue to obtain welfare. Reform Jews- Temple There are few authors that wrote about Benjamin Rabbi and tried to interpreted his travel, part of those authors made a kind of theory which is that Benjamin of Tudela wished to find a safe haven for the Jews of Spain.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCE Benjamin of Tudela The" Itinerary" Encyclopedia Information about Jewish places