Book of God-Fearers

Eliezer ben Samuel

Sefer yire’im (Book of [God-]Fearers), vol. 2, page 6, section 239

1179

Two facing pages containing simple humanoid drawings, one large and two smaller orthogonal to it, each with arms extended and various non-human details, decorations, and protrusions, and Hebrew scattered throughout.
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The Book of God-Fearers (Sefer yire’im), a Hebrew legal and ethical compendium, is organized around the 613 commandments. The laws are organized into seven broader categories, perhaps with the goal of enabling a weekly review. In the introduction, Eliezer writes that he seeks to inculcate the fear of heaven in his readers. The Book of God-Fearers proved immensely popular, attracting several commentaries, and later was printed frequently. This excerpt is concerned with the prohibition against sorcery.

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Creator Bio

Eliezer ben Samuel

ca. 1115–ca. 1198

Eliezer ben Samuel lived in Metz, where he worked as a moneylender and was responsible for charitable distributions in the community. He was a prominent student of Jacob ben Meir (1100–1171; Rabbenu Tam). His own students included Eliezer ben Joel ha-Levi (1140–1220) and Eleazar ben Judah of Worms (1165–ca. 1230). Eliezer ben Samuel is best remembered for his Book of God-Fearers (Sefer yire’im), a work on the 613 commandments. He also wrote Tosafot and responsa, which are largely lost.

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