| Rabbinical Eras |
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Simeon Shezuri (or R. Simeon of Shezur, Hebrew: שמעון שזורי, read as Shimon Shazuri) was a Jewish Tanna sage of the fourth generation. His surname Shezuri, is either a variant of the Hebrew word Shezirah (שזירה), and thus stands for the Hebrew meaning of it and his livelihood: Spinning Fibers,[1] or for the village he resided at: Shezor. His work is recorded all across the Mishnah and Talmud.[2] As for his Halakhaic rulings in accordance with Halakha, the Amora sages are divided;
Some were in the opinion that:
"wherever R. Simeon of Shezur stated his view, the halachah is in accordance with it"
—B. Talmud, Tractate Menachoth, 30b
That is, for some practises, and only when his opinion on it is recorded in the Mishnah, and for some other practises, whenever his opinion is also cited in the Baraita.
Other Amora sages, such as R. Jonathan, have ruled that his views are in accordance with the halachah only in two references: Wrtining a gittin (divorce document) for the dangerously ill,[3] and Terumat hamaaser (a tithe on produce grown [given to the priests on the temple]) that belong to the "`Am ha-aretz" - a "Demai Tithes",[4] and so was ruled by the Rishonim sages.[5] Nonetheless, R. Shabbatai ha-Kohen has revealed inconsistency in the rulings of the Rishonim sages, because there are additional references where the Rishonim have ruled in the same manner as Simeon Shezuri have, yet not in all of their references.[6]
He was a pupil of R. Tarfon, and in one of the disputes over the 'Demai Tithes', he even cites his own ruling given on the basis of an event that had occurred to him.[7]
The Talmud did not record anything on his personal life, except for one reference [8] where, according to a version noted in "Dikdukei Soferim", it is storied that the family of R. Simeon Shezuri were "House proprietors in the Upper Galilee", until they went bankrupt as a heavenly punishment over their heedlessness on "Dinei Mamon" (halachahic Property rights), by herding their sheeps on other people's territory, and by giving rulings on "Dinei Mamon" in the presence of only one "Dayan" (halachahic Judge).
The name of the village "Shezor" echoes in the name of the nearby Druze community "Sajur", where a tomb site attributed to Simeon Shezuri is located, and in the name of a modern "Shezor" Moshav community that was established nearby as well.
The written tradition concerning this tomb site has started in early 13th century era commence, noted by Menachem ben Peretz of Hebron who visited the area in 1215 (ד'תתקע"ה, Hebrew calendar).
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