Joseph Kara

His uncle and teacher was Menachem ben Helbo, whom Ḳara often cites in his commentaries, these quotations being almost the only source of knowledge concerning Menahem's exegesis.

Ḳara frequented Rashi's house; it is even possible that he was Rashi's pupil,[1] though this is denied by A. Epstein. They each quote from the other.[2] In Rashi's house Ḳara also made the acquaintance of Samuel ben Meïr.[3] They likewise quote each other.[4]

Isaac Ḳara, of whose exegesis specimens are given in Monatsschrift, 1864, p. 219; 1865, p. 384,[5] may be Joseph's son.

The surname "Ḳara" is usually taken to be a professional name, meaning "reader" or "interpreter of the Bible".[6] Adolf Jellinek points out, however,[7] that "Ḳara," as contrasted with "Darshan," means the representative of the "Peshaṭ" ("Pashṭan").

He was among the first French exegetes and the forerunner of the French school of exegetes later to come. They were all to some extent influenced by his works, most notably among them, the Rashbam. Rashi too was influenced by R. Yosef who repeated his teacher's comments to him and incorporated several of them in his commentary.[8]

Ḳara was a prolific exegetical writer. When he copied Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch he added numerous glosses and remarks in order to supplement and revise it; and these glosses were inserted by the scribes in the text of Rashi. They have been collected.[9]

The original or independent Bible commentaries of Ḳara are:

• According to Berliner,[10] a commentary on Deuteronomy 1-4[11]
• Commentaries on the Prophets published in Miḳra'ot Gedolot, Lublin, 1897;[12] extracts from these commentaries were published by Wolf;[13] by Littmann[14] (from Isaiah and Ezekiel. Those on Samuel and most of the Minor Prophets are not genuine.[15] The Jeremiah commentary was published separately by Schlossberg;[16] that on Hosea, Breslau, 1861.
• Commentaries on most of the Hagiographa, namely:
  • Proverbs; see the quotation in Ḳara's commentary on Eccl. 7:12.
  • Book of Job, published in Monatsschrift, vols. 5-7[17]
  • Shir HaShirim (1:1-7:13), published by Hübsch[18]
  • Book of Ruth, published by Hübsch, l.c., and by A. Jellinek, l.c.[19]
  • Lamentations, published in Naples in 1486, and by Hübsch (l.c.), Jellinek (l.c.), and E. Ashkenazi,[20] and by S. Buber in two different recensions.[21]
  • Ecclesiastes, published by Hübsch (l.c.) and Einstein[22]
  • Book of Esther, published by Hübsch (l.c.), Jellinek (l.c.), and Berliner[23]

It is quite possible that Ḳara wrote also commentaries on Ezra and Nehemiah, but that the commentaries on these books as contained in MS. Saraval No. 27, and ascribed to Joseph Ḳara, are not genuine.[24] Some comments of Ḳara on Chronicles must have existed, as is proved by the quotations in pseudo-Rashi to those books (see II Chronicles 3:15, 5:9, 25:24). According to Epstein,[25] Ḳara wrote additionally

• glosses to the pseudo-Rashi commentary on Genesis Rabbah, and
• a commentary on the Machzor[26]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Richard Gottheil and Max Schloessinger (1901–1906). "Joseph ben Simeon Kara". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) Its bibliography:

• Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. vi.145;
• Henri Gross, Gallia Judaica, p. 227;
• Einstein, in Berliner's Magazin, xiii.206 et seq.;
• Ernest Renan-Adolf Neubauer, Les Rabbins Français, pp. 435, 438, 441, 488, 558;
• Leopold Zunz, G.V. 2d ed., pp. 313, 410;
• idem, Z.G. Index;
• idem, in Zeitschrift für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums, p. 318;
• Abraham Berliner, Pletath Soferim, pp. 19 et seq.;
• Littmann, Josef ben Simeon Kara, Breslau, 1887;
• A. Geiger, Parschandatha, pp. 18 et seq.; pp. 21 et seq. (Hebr. part);
• Kirchheim, in Orient. Lit. 1848, p. 433.