| RAHAB – Biblical Data: A woman of Jericho who sheltered the spies sent by Joshua to search out the land. Having arrived at Jericho, the two spies remained at Rahab's house, situated in the wall of the city and having a window on the... |
| RAHABI, DAVID – Indian calendar-maker; born in the state of Cochin about the middle of the eighteenth century. His father, Ezekiel Rahabi, was one of the wealthiest merchants there; and when he died (1771) David took over the management of his... |
| RAḤAMIM, NISSIM – Turkish rabbinical writer; lived at Smyrna; died there 1828. He was the author of a Hebrew work entitled "Har ha-Mor" (Salonica, 1835), consisting of sermons and dissertations on Maimonides (Hazan, "Ha-Ma'alot li-Shelomoh," p.... |
| RAḤEM NA 'ALAW – A dirge of the Sephardim, chanted by those taking part in the sevenfold processional circuit around the bier before interment (see Haḳḳafot), as depicted in the print by Picart, 1723, reproduced in Jew. Encyc. iii. 433 (see also... |
| RAHMER, MORITZ – German rabbi; born Dec. 12, 1837, at Rybnik, Prussian Silesia; died at Magdeburg March 2, 1904. After studying at the seminary of Breslau (1854-62) he was called to Thorn (1862) as preacher and rabbi; subsequently he went to... |
| RAIMUCH (REMOCH), ASTRUC – Physician of Fraga in the fourteenth century. As an Orthodox Jew he visited Benveniste ibn Labi of Saragossa and other prominent Jews; but in 1391 he renounced his religion, taking the name of Francisco Dias-Corni, and... |
| RAIN – Biblical Data: Palestine did not require such laborious artificial irrigation as Egypt; Yhwh supplied it with, "water of the rain of heaven" (Deut. xi. 11). The harvests were regarded as the gift of Yhwh, since they depended on... |
| RAINBOW – Biblical Data: This phenomenon of nature is mentioned but rarely in the Old Testament. The beauty of the rainbow is dwelt upon (Ecclus. [Sirach] xliii. 11 et seq., 1. 7), and the glory surrounding Yhwh is compared to the... |
| RA'IS – Until the time of Maḥmud II., the title of the presiding officer or head of a community in Egypt. Each Judæo-Egyptian community had its own ra'is, who was recognized by the calif and who exercised both spiritual and judicial... |
| RAKOWER (BLOCH), JOSEPH B. DAVID TEBELE – Polish rabbi and Hebraist; died in Eibenschütz, Moravia, Nov., 1707. He was rabbi of Eibenschütz, whither he had removed from Cracow. He is chiefly known as the author of "Leshon Naḳi," one of the best Hebrew "letter-writers" of... |
| RAKOWSKI, ABRAHAM ABEL – Austrian author; born at Maryampol, Austrian Galicia, Dec., 1855. He studied Talmud under his father (who was a rabbi) and was educated privately in Hebrew and modern languages. Since 1872 Rakowski has been a frequent... |
| RAM – See Meïr ben Samuel. |
| RAM – See Sheep. |
| RAMAH – Word (meaning "height") of frequent occurrence as an element in the place-names of the mountain districts of Palestine; as, Ramath-lehi; Ramath-or Ramothnegeb; Ramathor Ramoth-gilead; and Ramathmizpeh. It occurs also in the form... |
| RAMATH-LEHI – Place on the frontier between Judah and Philistia; mentioned only in the story of Samson (Judges xv. 9, 14, 17). The name, (= "Jaw-Bone Height"), is explained by the tradition that Samson slew there 1,000 Philistines with the... |
| RAMATHAIM-ZOPHIM – Birthplace of Samuel according to the present text of I Sam. i. 1, which, however, is corrupt. The usual interpretation, "Ramathaim of the Zophites," is an impossible one, since it would be contrary to Hebrew linguistic usage to... |
| RAMBAM – See Moses b. Maimon. |
| RAMBAN – See Moses b. Naḥman. |
| RAMESES – 1. Egyptian city; one of the "treasure cities" built by the Israelites in their servitude (Ex. i. 11: "Raamses"); the point from which they started on their journey through the wilderness (Ex. xii. 37). Further, the northeast... |