Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer

Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer is an ancient Jewish commentary on various passages of the Torah. This book is attributed to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, who lived in the 1st century CE. Yet most scholars do not see a direct connection between the contents of this volume and the early sage. Ascribing texts to famous people of the past is an ancient Jewish cultural practice, and this is probably what we have in this case. Yet even if the author is unknown, many interpretations in the book are quite old, possibly as old as the 1st century CE. Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, as a collection of rabbinic exegetical insights on the Torah, was assembled into a single composition sometime around the 9th century CE.