Anan ben Marinus Ha-Kohen

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ANAN BEN MARINUS HA-KOHEN

ANAN BEN MARINUS HA-KOHEN (first half of 11th century), rabbi and poet. He lived in Siponto in southern Italy. According to Zedekiah b. Abraham *Anav, Anan handed down decisions concerning the order in which people should be called to the reading of the Torah, and ruled that a kohen might be called when there was no Levite, and a Levite when there was no kohen (Shibbolei ha-Leket ha-Shalem, ed. S.K. Mirsky (Section 34:233)), and concerning the laws of *shofar (Shibbolei ha-Leket, 34:292).

He is known as the composer of a poem to be recited at the termination of the Sabbath. This was a lyrical appeal to Elijah to come without delay, since the appointed time of the coming of the Messiah, 1,000 years after the destruction of the Temple, had already passed, and the enemy was oppressive.

bibliography:

Luzzatto, in: Oẓar Tov, 2 (1878), 37; Schirmann, Italyah, 68 ff.; A.M. Habermann, Ha-Piyyut (1968), 33 ff.; Zunz, Geseh, 163; Vogelstein-Rieger, 2 (1896), 224, 355; in Idelson, Jewish Liturgy (1930), 115; Davidson, Oẓar, 4 (1933), 460.

[Yonah David]