Jews in northern Italy who played tennis are mentioned in a book from 1560
- for all episodes of the series
- Chapter MA from the ball to the tennis (XNUMX)
- Chapter XNUMX - The Ball Games - Part XNUMX of the sub-series
The attitude of Jewish spiritual leaders changes for the better starting in the 16th century in Italy - the birthplace of the Renaissance and humanism which reflected well on the Jewish society in northern Italy mainly and on the leaders of the communities. Let's not forget that the Renaissance symbolized the revival of the ancient classical cultures of Greece and Rome, where and when body culture occupied a very important place there.
From this, we would not be surprised to learn that ball-handling on Shabbat was customary in the Jewish ghetto in the city of Venice, and that a prominent phenomenon in the 16th century is the one that indicates many young men who "spend their time playing the ball" (Rabbi Yosef Abli, The Jubilee Book of Levi Ginzberg, p. Reo).
The famous Jewish writer and playwright, Yehuda Leona de-Sumi Forte Leona (1592-1525), told in his comedy - "Tschot Badihuta Dekidushin" - that the students are happy that their rabbi and teacher, Rabbi Hamdan the teacher, is busy with other matters (serving as a lawyer), and thus they are exempt From studying most of the time, and this is what one of the students tells his friends: "All day I see Teacher Tzadaki busy with various businesses, because he needs many, for which reason I will not open a book on most days and I am cheerful and happy, because I have many leisure times to laugh (play) with The rest of the boys (in the ball) ... but now who will I feel? And I will not run to the campaign to buy me another ball, good and beautiful, because it is not worth it to me" (Tschot Bedikhuta Dekidoshin, part one, talk five).
Before us is undoubtedly a stinging satire on the lives of students and teachers in northern Italy. And satire, like satire, reflects, albeit with exaggeration, as is the way of all satire, an honest snapshot of leisure time spent playing ball games.
The boy who is going to buy a new, somewhat upgraded ball, and he rushes to the battle (for the simulated battle game, or perhaps for the next round of the competition), may indicate, perhaps, that game items were bought in stores or stalls, and not made in a primitive way by the owner of the house. And if so, we have before us an interesting testimony about the degree of modernization in this field among the Jewish youth.
In another place, the boy asks the nanny watching over him to give him a certain piece of clothing, and his reasoning is - "so that it will be easier for me to move around today with the laughter of the ball" (ibid., first appendix, two conversations between a baby, XNUMX). Whether it is a special outfit that was used in the ball games, or whether it is to be easy to move, as the game requires, it is impossible to know. In any case, the evidence is interesting.
During this period, two wonderful testimonies concerning the game of tennis among the Jews of Northern Italy are known to us - that of the Ramf and that of Hari Modena.
The composition of the rabbi, Rabbi Moshe Provenzello of Mantua (Mantova) in northern Italy, was written in 1560, only five years after the appearance of Antonioni Scaino's book, which is considered the first printed source on the game of tennis and reviews all the ball games of his time (J. Rivkind, Rabbi Moshe Provenzello's response to the ball game, pp. 376-366). The Duchy of Mantua occupied a very important place in the history of physical education, because about one hundred and fifty years before the time of the RAMF, the great educator, Vittorino da Platre, established there his "House of Joy" (la giocosa) as the first educational institution that revived physical education in practice during the period the renaissance And it is certainly not a coincidence that the culture of the body was developed in Mantua, and that even the Jews of the city were caught up in this action alongside all those cultural, scientific or theatrical activities that were expressed on the Jews of Mantua.
First I will present the question, followed by the answer of the RAMF:
"An NG question about laughing at the ball on Shabbat and Yom Tov." Our rabbi will teach us if it is permissible to laugh (play ball) on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and what about in a house prepared for that, here in Mantova, except for the Lair, because we are afraid of them being sinful. Please come to the word of the cave about all the details and aspects of the prohibition and the permission in this with him and we will ask him for a Torah, because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts" (Adler collection no. 790. Quoted in Y. Rivkind, Rabbi Moshe Provenzalo's answer to the ball game, p. 371 ff. ).
The Ramaf's answer: "When we heard the rumor, we conveyed the word of God and the sound of their thunder in the Calvary which always repeats on Shabbats and good days within the city and across it, even in a house in the field, there was a ball to a vast land (Isaiah 18:XNUMX). The lads will chase him away, they will catch him with a spoon or a small bow wrapped in nimin, braided with ropes, and this is in a place they hired them for those days for a fixed salary or to share in the daily profit. They laugh (play) in it at a certain thing to kill the laughter at first and play on it with iniuti in the XNUMXth, as is the custom of the dice, and beat each other, whether a little or whether a lot, eat and drink and the rest of the things and everyone becomes dinars when they come to account for their laughter (game) among themselves after a while. Yes, we have seen to ask the parties to discuss them on the merits. We said, perhaps elders were watching and were among them as holding the deeds of their ancestors in their hands. That is how they were the first to do in those days, from the Holy Bible, for pleasure and joy, battle against battle, as a joke (as a game/as a competition) the catch and the pollination (wrestling). They run and jump, one to the other until the stronger of them defeats the part that opposes them in matters of eating something... and these guys in our generation are found to delight in the laughter of the ball, like the first ones in the laughter of the abuka (wrestling or juggling with torches), because everyone who delights in his own will delights even in crying like Rabbi Akiva. But this apology did not go down well with us, that the subject is not similar to the evidence. And there is an advantage to the first of them in the difference between them introduction, between what is forbidden and what is allowed. And as we have already explained, those predecessors who would not desecrate Shabbat in their running and are somewhat similar to Rabbi Darhati's permit in Firka (that is, they ran in "Firka") and those who play ball in the well-known place in the field there, will often throw it out of the windows, and we find that the holy Shabbat is profaned by that exit from the individual's permission to the field , which is a Carmelite (a spacious place, which is not the authority of the individual and not the authority of the many), and when they bring him from there into the house where they are playing, it is a second desecration of income from a Carmelite to the individual's possession. And if too many brought it (the ball) they will stand in the field there, except for D'Amot from the place of its displacement, then it is a third desecration during the walk of D'Amot in Carmelit. Is it true that this prohibition is there only on Shabbat and not on Yom Tov, nor in other places, even on Shabbat, in which the ball does not come from a single authority. But there is another prohibition that includes them from any place and at any time, and it is the laughing with that instrument (that is, the spoon or the bow made of a barbed net) that does not differ from a musical instrument (the bow resembles a kind of miniature harp, or any similar frita instrument) which the sages forbade to be played, lest it spoil And he will come to fix (on Shabbat) and the rent of the place for those days, as well as to divide the profit of that day, all or part of it is forbidden, since it is Shabbat and a good day. Even in the thing that is laughed at (played at) these did not resemble the first ones at all, because they, the people of the abika (wrestling) in the plural were for each part come to enjoy it with their laughter only on the business of eating and drinking and they do them after the Sabbath and rejoice in them with a joyous joy, their victory will not be considered among the victorious Money in general, because there was little in front of them... not so these are the owners of the ball, because the victor and the vanquished of them lose and gain something that they are careful about... the rule that emerges from the words - there is no permission to play the ball on Shabbat and Yom Tov except by hand, and not with the tools mentioned, and in a place that is not rented to them for those days only And he did not leave the authority of the individual on Shabbat and matters of eating and drinking. And little of it will come to strictness until the loser does not lose more than four or R. dinars in his share, solidi Blazaz not only. Even with the observance of all these conditions, it is not allowed in them except - not - at the time of marriage, which is the plural sermon...".
A well-known and famous researcher in the field of sports history, Dr. Uri Zamri, believes that the RMF is talking about a game from which the modern tennis branch grew, what is known today as court tennis (Rivkind above p. 369). And there is the point in his research that this is a distinctly church game that takes place in a hall with a sloping roof, a bleacher and projections on the wall (RW Henderson, Ball, Bat and Bishop, p.47).
The RMP's answer therefore indicates that already from the middle of the 16th century, the ball game reached a stage of distinct secularization.
Right from the beginning of the RMF's answer, he made it clear that within the framework of such a diverse life in Italy and the active and creative environment in the days of political peace, economic prosperity and cultural flourishing, and without a doubt the fruits of the Renaissance - the revival of classical Greek culture, the desire to develop topics from different subjects was manifested and revealed , including sports activities. Those young Jews in Mantua devoted a significant amount of time to hard work and sports life, until they began to see the existence of a sports institution as a permanent thing, and probably especially for the Sabbath and the holiday, as the RMF said above - "He always returns on Saturdays and good days within the city and crosses it". And we will return to that later.
By the way, a rumor spread that Jesus played ball instead of studying Torah, and thanks to it, the recognition penetrated among certain circles of the public that since it is the "hanging game" (the cross), the ball game should be banned. However, the RMF's answer must completely rule out this claim, and the very fact that the question is directed to the RMF in relation to Shabbat and High Holidays alone is also completely supportive.
Conclusions from the answer:
First - the question addressed contains a basic premise, that they did play ball in those days,
Second - the question about renting the venue for games only on Shabbat days also shows accepted customs and the fact that the RMF invalidated this procedure leaves room for the permission to rent on other days.
Thirdly - the RMF permits the hand game (and we will immediately understand why) and disallows it only if the game is conducted during the public sermon period, on Shabbat. That means before and after her the game is allowed.
Fourth - the ref's reservation that sometimes compares the game to the game of dice is to a certain extent similar to the testimony regarding the ban that the French authorities applied against the game jeu de paume (the hand game from which the well-known game of tennis developed). The reason was the desire to limit the bets that accompanied this game. It is also possible that Catholic Italy had reservations about holding games on Sundays, and chose Saturday instead.
In 1612, a regulation was published on behalf of the Hegemon of Mantua prohibiting, among other things, Christians from playing against Jews. Is it because of the fear of the Jews winning? In any case, this can be understood in light of sports events that took place on Saturdays.
An interesting picture emerges from the RMP's answer above in relation to the play equipment and its facilities. The sentence - "The boys will kick it (the ball). They will catch him with a palm or a small bow wrapped in nymin, braided with ropes" - proves in the opinion of the researcher Uriel Zamri, that that period was an important transitional period in the development of the game of tennis, a game that developed from the French palm game, which began in the first half of the 13th century, and continued to use a wooden racket, One that developed throughout the 15th century (the above-mentioned singers, p. 16). According to the researcher Henderson, the racket came into widespread use in the XNUMXth century, although from the answer of the RAMF it appears that, at least in Italy, the stage of using the racket had not yet arrived in this century.
From the response of the Rabbinical Rabbi and the glossary of his grandson, Rabbi Eliezer, which is attached to it, it turns out that the racket at that time tended to break or crack, and as the Rabbinical text says - "But there is another prohibition that is included in any place and at any time of them, and that is laughing at that instrument (the racket) without a grain (which is not different) from a musical instrument (such as a small harp), which sages forbade to be played in case it breaks down and comes to repair it". Due to this fact the players had to prepare in their possession a sufficient stock of rackets for each game. These facts also prove that the racket was still in its infancy during this period. And in any case, the halachic position against the fear of doing work on Shabbat for the repair of rackets has no reason to disqualify the very existence of the competition, Darshani says. And perhaps also the limited experience regarding the ban on correction indicates the success of the game among the boys.
The question arises: what did the Ramf mean when he spoke about the game outside the city? And he himself replies, because they played with a wooden spoon. This game was known by its French name longue paume (long palm), which is now the traditional game of the Basque people, and is even accepted in Latin countries as pelota (ball in Spanish). Henderson believes that it is possible that the reference is to the chistera game which is a variation of the aforementioned flute and the hi-li game that is played in understanding in Cuba, when the ball is not thrown by hand, but is contained in a slingshot or a kind of long and narrow basket like a basket tied tightly to the wrist and thrown towards the wall.
In his conditional permit, the RMF mentions a third game that is played indoors, but without a bat, which, according to Zamri, is the jeu de paue and is the condition that the RMF gave for allowing the ball game on Shabbat.
From the RMF's answer, it turns out that the ball-playhouse stands in the field. In countries outside of France, such as Great Britain or Austria, the first lots were built in or near the royal courts. The fact that there was a playhouse outside the city of Mantua may testify to the following: the population imitated the aristocracy and built them such houses outside the city; The Jews wanted to adopt the customs of the area and built similar buildings and the same game that was so popular was also common outside the city.
Later on in his answer it appears that the balls would sometimes pass through "windows", telling us that this was a game hall, and Aliba Dzmeri up to five bumps were installed in the walls of the court and a ball that was hit and fell into one of the bumps in the walls or ceiling robbed the batsman of a point.
And as for the gambling, it will be said that this was a strong enough reason to prohibit the game from being held on Saturday, but they found a way around this obstacle by publishing the results the next day, or converting the money into tokens. The RMF's use of the phrase "and put on it with an inuity in B'z according to the custom of the Cubans" is taken from the Italian invito which means to raise the horn during the game.
