Joseph ben Moses of Troyes
JOSEPH BEN MOSES OF TROYES
JOSEPH BEN MOSES OF TROYES (known as Joseph Porat ; 12th century), French scholar of Epernay. Joseph was an older contemporary of Jacob *Tam and a principal pupil of Tam's brother, *Samuel b. Meir, during whose lifetime he wrote tosafot. Many scholars studied his works in order to acquaint themselves with Samuel's teachings. Tam himself, as well as *Eliezer b. Samuel of Metz, and, particularly, *Judah Sir Leon, already made use of his tosafot to tractate Shabbat. His name is frequently mentioned in the printed tosafot, particularly to the tractates Berakhot and Shabbat, and in the Tosafot Yeshanim on tractate Yoma, and it is possible that wherever "Joseph" is mentioned without qualification in these tractates, it is he that is being referred to. Mention is also made of his tosafot to Mo'ed Katan and Ketubbot. Joseph corresponded with Tam and submitted problems to him (Sefer ha-Yashar, section of responsa ed. by F. Rosenthal (1898), 25–28) – even before Tam had left Ramerupt in 1146 – and the latter replied in terms of great respect. Tam's pupil, Aaron, may have been Joseph's son.
bibliography:
Urbach, Tosafot, index.
[Israel Moses Ta-Shma]