The Song of the Muscles XNUMX: Wrestling in Jewish Literature in the Middle Ages

During the periods of instability in the Middle Ages, the Jews had to defend themselves, and one of the ways was to engage in the ancient Greek-Roman sport with the encouragement of the religious leaders

Wrestling in the Middle Ages occupied a prominent place in all body arts during the period of chivalry. In the boy's training for his training as a knight in Britain, in the 12th century, games were played in the schools, as these indicate the influence of education for chivalry, and among them is the branch of wrestling.

During the Renaissance, under the influence of the spirit of the "House of Joy" of Vittorino da Platre, Vergarios listed the types of sports required, and wrestling was not absent among them. The Renaissance tradition that penetrated Northern Europe and was absorbed in Britain, for example, highlighted the fusion of knight training and other Italian influences such as wrestling. During the Reformation, Martin Luther praises the practice of this sport, to teach us how deeply it penetrated among the local population.

Three important reasons joined together and served as a weighty factor for the very practice of wrestling among Jews in the Middle Ages.

First - the medical reason, in terms of the Imol as a preventive medicine, which, following the Rambam and the generations following his teachings, it penetrated the knowledge and awareness of quite a few Jews.

Secondly - the many wars waged between the feudal lords and the nobles, were the hallmarks of the medieval period. This, including the lack of security on the roads, which was fueled by gangs of thieves who harassed passers-by, and in particular traders for their wares. Add to this the fact that the Jews of Europe were subjected to repeated calamities by inciting elements. The Jew was therefore forced to protect his life and property, and because of this he insisted on the importance of the value of self-defense.

Thirdly - as we have already mentioned, the Jews were subject to the laws of the church - "ordil" / "ordalia" (that is, the law of heaven). As a result, there were several confrontations of duels, which were conducted according to the ruling of the ecclesiastical court, condemned to a final decision by way of wrestling between the opposing parties. As a result, a number of Jews were forced to know a proper chapter in the "Wrestling Laws". And perhaps because of this, Rabbi Natan Barbi Yehiel of Rome took the trouble to define the word "gashesh" in his dictionary in this way: "Embrace each other and try to knock each other down" (Aruch Hashem XNUMX p. Shafa), and in the same way as "Tahbol" he explains - "Whoever gathers and sits in the city street, And stand two by two of them and make war to wear out with tricks" (ibid. Riv). There is no doubt that Rabbi Natan saw before him a reality that existed among the Jews of Rome, or one that was known at least to the Jews of Rome at the time.

In the year 993 Rabbi Shmuel Barbi Yosef Halevi Ibn Negrila was born in Córdoba, which is in Spain, this is Shmuel the governor who was appointed commander of the armies of the Muslim Badis and served in this position for 18 years (1056-1038), going out every year to manage many systems. We find an expression of his strength and heroism in his poems. In one of them he talks about breaking ribs and breaking a joint, which may be derived from the world of wrestling. And Shmuel the governor, as commander-in-chief, must have undergone military training, including physical training. An important contribution, literally, for our purpose lies in the writings of Rambam. He saw in the exercise and the practice of sports in general also preventive medicine. In other words, there is, in his opinion, a natural need for "gymnastics to persevere in health, like the law of the ball or wrestling" (Morah Nabukim part 9 Kaha, XNUMX). However, he finds it necessary to warn against "the strong types of gymnastics (which) dry out the body and will make it difficult for the senses to be late (meaning devoid of emotion), late for reason (deprived of reason), and therefore the wrestlers will be ... the failures of reason" (Moshe Chapters in Medicine XNUMX, XNUMX). The Rambam, who was known to be an average person and a follower of the Golden Path, did not disapprove of wrestling, but rather encouraged and even cultivated it. But when this sport required a great deal of effort and was clearly excessive, Rambam disapproved of it and even resorted to humiliating expressions towards the wrestlers.

As we know, Maimonides' writings had a wide circulation among European Jews, and one that also went beyond its time. For example, Rabbi Yehuda Al-Kharizi (1235-1170), who was one of the successors of Maimonides' teachings, recommended light and moderate wrestling before eating, in order to increase the appetite.

One of the greatest arbitrators of his time was the Rabbi (Rabbi Asher ben Yehiel, 1327-1250). And in one of the questions sent to him, an interesting problem related to the subject of our issue arose in this language: "Two who wrestled together and one of them knocked his friend to the ground and fell on him, and when he fell, his friend's eye was blinded..." (The Chief Rabbi's Report, XNUMX). And the obvious question was - is the shipowner liable for damages. The President's answer was decisive: "...exemption... (because) we wrestle with each other (not out of malice). Their main intention is for one to knock down his friend, and when one gives in to his friend (struggles with him), it is impossible for him to reduce and aim for him to fall easily, so that they do not harm, because they wrestle with all their might, and each aims to knock down his friend. If they harm us, we will fight together" (ibid.).
Several conclusions can be drawn from this section as follows:
First - wrestling as a sport was known to the Jews and was even practiced practically by them;
Second - the wrestling match is different from mere brawling, in that it is said: "Let us wrestle with each other willingly." And it is clear "because it is known that they both wrestled". That is, the public was present at the time of the sporting event, which was probably announced ahead of time, and as Rabbi Natan told above about the custom of gathering on the city street to watch the business couples "wear tricks";
Thirdly - there are rules and laws for the game of wrestling, to teach us that this sport went through a phase of organization and order, and the winner was the one who managed to knock his friend to the ground, and as the Rash said: "... their main intention is for one to knock down his friend...". Which is reminiscent of the elite style of wrestling competitions in ancient Greece.
Fourthly - the wrestling was not free of violence at all, as the President replies with a somewhat ironic hint: "And when one gives up on his friend, it is not possible for him to reduce (embrace him gently) and aim for him to fall lightly, so that they do not harm, because they wrestle with all their might, and each Aiming to overthrow his friend...". And lest in the phrase "and when one gives over his friend" there is a hint about the form of grasping or hugging - in the waist, shoulders or head in order to stagger the opponent and knock him to the ground. We were the throwing technique.
Fifth - the President's ruling is also interesting from the legal point of view. We have already seen and will see more in the future similar to it, in the ball games, which may have deadly elements. The President could easily disqualify the wrestling branch, and at least in the same community that sent the question in question to us, due to the physical dangers involved, or at least compel the opponent who injured his friend's eye during the fight. But not. On the contrary, the Rasheed completely acquitted the offending opponent, and this ruling embodies three conclusions: one - the Rasheed wanted to encourage the practice of sports, and remove any doubt from the hearts of all those who are afraid to engage in this industry, and he completely separated wrestling from brawling; The second - many halakhic judges in the person and status of the President acted according to the well-known rule - one does not impose on the public a decree that it cannot comply with. That is, there are no restrictions on the public in view of a common practice among them, which may indicate the spread of sports activities among the Jewish audience; The third - the President was revealed to be knowledgeable in the field of wrestling, which may reflect the Jewish public in Paris and beyond, and whether he tried to institutionalize the activity in question to a certain extent.

A Chassidim book that described part of the life of the Jews in Ashkenaz in the 12th and 13th centuries, tells, among other things, about guys eager for a "fight", or about cases where a small group managed to prevail over another that was larger in number. It is difficult to draw an unequivocal conclusion from this, but to assume that this is also an activity other than social violence for its own sake.
This will be evidenced by the answer of Mahari Bruna, who lived in Ashkenaz in the middle of the 14th century, who discussed the case of "two little ones who hurt each other" (Report of Mahari Bruna Siman XNUMX). This section does not seem to say anything, but in the continuation of his answer Mary Bruna finds it necessary to quote the aforementioned words of the Chief regarding the necessity of exempting from punishment the wrestling opponent who blackened his friend's eye during the sports match, then there is no doubt that the case dealt with those two boys who Hurt each other" is about wrestling.

In the authors of the 13th century Tosafs we find an instruction that "a man should not push his friend when they are hitting each other, but he should let him go lightly" (Mordechai, Baba Kama, Chapter XNUMX, Mark XNUMX). It can be assumed that this instruction comes in the background of the desire to prevent injury during the fall or throw.

Even Emanuel the Roman (1336-1261) recounts in one of his notebooks: "For my heart is a fortress of flint and it is hard to raise a voice in rejoicing... unless his stakes travel forever (Isaiah 14:XNUMX), his prohibitions will not be fulfilled (Judges XNUMX:XNUMX). Time will fight with those who desire and all its ropes will not be broken" (from the third book, p. Feb. And in another place Emanuel tells about a man who tried to provoke "those who want to fight" (ibid., p. Ked). It is true that we have militia metaphors, but they reflect, it seems, an existing reality, as appears from quite a few sources. Similarly, Klonimus ben Klonimus tells in the Purim Tract in the XNUMXs, that the boys are trained to fight with each other and are taught "war values". If it is about formal education, we have before us a very interesting and unique testimony.

In 1443, Hans Talhofer wrote a valuable swordsmanship book containing two parts, the first of which is devoted to wrestling. In the introduction to this part there is a small inscription and his language: "Here begins the description of all forms of wrestling, penned by Ott, a converted Jew".
This part of the book includes 90 different wrestling positions performed by pairs of wrestlers, and these remind quite a bit of the style of "grab as you can", which allows the grasp of every organ and organ of the body (F. Pinchober, Jews among the sports teachers in the Middle Ages, Physical Education, April/May 1947, p. 4).
Ott points out the most sensitive places to press and hit, and explains how to defend against the catches. Among the exercises we find grips that can cause a bone fracture.
The unification of fencing and wrestling, Finchuber explains, originates from the fact that several duels, which were held according to the court verdict, were decided by wrestling after one of the swords was badly damaged.
Ott was an artist by trade and served as a wrestling teacher at the court of the Austrian princes. At a certain time, he developed a lively activity in the city of Vienna, and since he took away from the wrestling held as an end to the fencing, Ott knew how to equate this sport with a pure sporting tone and raise it to the level of a sport accepted in the courts of the princes and was a favorite of the youth.
Ott was the first to define the essence of wrestling as a discipline for himself and established a method for it which was named after him - "Ott's method", and thus, there is no doubt in the fact that Ott is considered the most important source on wrestling in the Middle Ages.

Eliyahu Khoru, who arrived in Padua from Venice in the mid-90s of the 15th century, referred to himself as "a kind of wrestlers", as a nickname that characterizes a reality prevalent in northern Italy.

Rabbi Moshe Provenzello, who lived in Mantua, Italy, made the following comment in his answer dated 1560, which deals with ball games, comparing the ball games in his day with the wrestling of the first generations in this language: "Yes, we saw asking two sides to discuss them (the ) to the right. We said, maybe old men were watching and were in her eyes as holding the deed of their ancestors in their hands. That's how they were the first to do in those days, from the Holy Bible, for pleasure and joy, battle against battle as laughter (as a game) of catching and pollination (that is, wrestling). They run and jump to each other, until the ones who are bigger than them are defeated (win) to the part opposite them. Nothing about eating matters... these did not resemble the first ones at all, because they (that is, the first ones), the people of the dust (the wrestlers) were in many, each part came with their laughter (in their play, in their competition) to delight in the business of eating and drinking only, and they do them after the Sabbath, and rejoice in them with the joy of pastures , their conquest (victory) will not be considered for the victors (winners) to have gained any money at all, because there was little before them..." (Ramf report Shala Neg).
The "elders" mentioned in the Ramf, and later referred to as "the first", are probably members of the previous generation of the Ramf, that is, the late 15th or early 16th century, and may even mean earlier generations. In any case, we are dealing with the Middle Ages.

The conclusions that emerge from the above text are these:

First, "the catch and wrestling", that is, wrestling was seen as one of the sports and the game, and perhaps it is even about two similar sports.
Secondly, the purpose of the sport was fun and enjoyment, and this was during the "Holy Scriptures", when the opinion of the rabbis was comfortable with engaging in this sport.
Thirdly, it is not clear from the language of the text whether it is a fight between couples, when one couple finished the other couple came after him and so on, or whether it is a fight between couples at the same time in the same arena. In any case, before the signal for the start of wrestling was heard, the opponents stood facing each other at a certain distance, and when the signal was heard, they would "run and jump at each other, until the stronger ones are defeated (winners) in the part opposite them (the opponents) as the text says.
Fourthly, from the language of the text - "the people of Havika in the plural" it can be learned that this sport was held in front of an audience of spectators, as a kind of public show.
Fifth, the battles were completely friendly and were held in a sporting atmosphere for its own sake, with the prize of victory expressed in food and drink.
Sixth, to show the explosiveness of the phenomenon, the description appears, that they held the battles every evening of Shabbat, as an integral part of the joy of Shabbat.

We will end with the Maharil's testimony, that the custom was on the day of the XNUMXrd day of Omar, when the young men would go out into the field and the forest and hold wrestling competitions.