Responsum: On Excommunication

Paltoy Ga’on

Mid-9th Century

As to what you asked, is an excommunication the same as an ostracism and, if not, what is an excommunication and what is an ostracism?

[Answer:] an excommunication is an ostracism [nidui] in which the individual is ostracized and a warrant to obey the penalty of excommunication has been written regarding him. [This occurs] after [the culpable] has…

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This short, mostly theoretical, Hebrew responsum ostensibly responds to a simple linguistic query about the meaning of two apparently overlapping institutions in Jewish law, excommunication [ḥerem] and ostracism [nidui]. Paltoy Ga’on uses this opportunity to describe two stages in communal punishment. Tellingly, the formal proclamation that he composed relied on accepting the community’s decision, a process that would inevitably involve personal relationships and negotiations between competing parties.

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Early Medieval Law and Religious Observance

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Paltoy Ga’on

Mid-9th Century

Mid-9th CenturyPaltoy bar Abbaye Ga’on, head of the Pumbedita academy (at the time located on the Euphrates, in Iraq) from 842 to 857, is one of the earliest geonic figures for whom we have reliable biographical information. Paltoy’s long tenure as gaon enabled him to shore up the weaker standing of his academy relative to the Sura academy and to develop connections with far-flung Jewish communities. He reportedly sent copies of the Talmud with “its explanation” to Spain. Paltoy is also known for encouraging the study of Talmud over relying on newer collections of legal decisions.

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