– In Rabbinical Literature: Although Shem is unanimously declared by the Rabbis to have been the youngest son of Noah (comp. JAPHETH IN RABBINICAL LITERATURE), yet he is always named first, being the most important of the three brothers.

Indeed, he was born circumcised; he was the ancestor of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; he was priest and prophet; and he was one of the eight righteous who are mentioned twice in Gen. xi.10 and who were allotted a portion both in this world and in the world to come (Sanh. 69b; Tan., Yelammedenu, Noach; Midr. ha-Gadol on Gen. ix. 18, xi. 10, ed. Schechter, cols. 142, 186). Shem is styled «the great one» («Shem rabba»; Sanh. 108b). According to Gen. R. xxx. 6, it was Shem who offered the sacrifices on the altar after Noah came out of the ark (comp. Gen. viii.20), as the latter, having been crippled by the lion (see NOAH IN RABBINICAL LITERATURE), was unfit for the priestly office.

Noah gave to Shem the priestly garments which he had inherited from Adam (Num.R.iv.6).

Shem is extolled by the Rabbis for his filial devotion in covering his father’s nakedness (Gen. ix.23) Although his brother Japheth assisted in this praiseworthy act, it was Shem who suggested and began it, his brother not arriving on the scene until Shem was already on his way with the garment. Therefore Noah, in blessing these two sons (ib. verse 27), declared, so the Rabbis think, that the Shekinah was to dwell only in the tents of Shem (Yoma 10a; Tan., Noach, 21; Gen. R. xxxvii.9; comp. Jubileees, vii. 9, where it is said that the garment was Shem’s).

Shem’s reward for this deed is seen in the fact that the Jews, his descendants, cover themselves with the tall it and phylacteries, and remained untouched when the Assyrians, who also were descendants of Shem, were destroyed by an angel in the time of Hezekiah (Tan., Yelammedenu, l.c.; Ex. R. xviii.5).

The Rabbis identify Shem with Melchizedek, King of Salem, who is termed «a priest of the Most High,» and who came to meet Abraham after the latter had defeated the four kings led by Chedorlaomer (Gen. xiv.18-20). According to this account, Shem, as a priest, came to Jerusalem (with which Salem is identified by the Rabbis), of which city he became king, it being the proper place for the establishment of the cult of [HASHEM].

He went to meet Abraham to show him that he was not angry with him for having killed the Elamites, his descendants (Midr. Agadah on Gen. l.c.). Shem, however, forfeited the priesthood by mentioning in his blessing Abraham’s name before that of G-d, so that G-d took his office from him and gave it to Abraham (Ned. 32b; Pirke R. El. xxvii.).

According to the Midrash Agadah (l.c.), Shem himself asked G-d to give the priesthood to Abraham, as he, in his prophetic capacity, knew that he (Shem) would have no children eligible for the sacerdotal office. Contrary to the Pirke R. El. and Gen. R. (xliii.10), the Midrash Agadah explains that it was Shem who gave tithes to Abraham, showing that he recognized him as priest (see Gen.R.xliii.7) The Rabbis point out that in certain cases Shem ranked as the equal of Abraham; so that the latter was afraid lest Shem might be angry at him for having slain the Elamites and might curse him (Gen.R.xliv.8; Tan., Lek Leka, 19).

In another instance G-d made a compromise between Shem and Abraham, namely, with regard to the name of the Holy City, the place of the Temple, which Abraham had called «Jireh» (Gen. xxii. 14; see J.-JIREH) and which Shem had called «Salem.» G-d united both names; and thus arose the name «Jerusalem» (Gen.R.lvi.16).

Shem is supposed by the Rabbis to have established a school («bet ha-midrash») in which the Torah was studied, and among the pupils of which was Jacob. Later, Shem was joined by Eber; and the school was called after both of them. Besides, the school was the seat of a regular bet din which promulgated the laws current in those times.

Thus Esau was afraid to kill Jacob, lest he should be condemned by the bet din of Shem and Eber.

The bet din of Shem proclaimed the prohibition of and the punishment for adultery; and according to this law Judah condemned Tamar to be burned (‘Ab. Zarah 36b; Gen. R. lxiii.7, lxvii.8)

Shem’s bet din was one of the three in which the presence of the Shekinah was manifested (Mak.23b)

At Abraham’s death Shem and Eber marched before his bier; and they indicated the place that was suitable for his burial (Gen. R.lxii.6, according to the emendation of the text in Yalk., Gen.110).

At the division of the earth among the three sons of Noah, Shem’s lot consisted of twenty-six countries, thirty-three islands, twenty-six out of seventy-two languages, and six out of sixteen scripts. Thus Shem took one script more than either of his two brothers; and this was the Hebrew script, in which the Torah was written. The other five were Egyptian, Libyan, Assyrian, Chaldean, and Gutazaki (Guzarati ?) (Midr. ha-Gadol on Gen. x. 32, col. 182).

M. Sel [Max Seligsohn]