Along with his parents,
Moses ben Hanoch and his wife (name unknown), Hanoch was captured by the
Moorish pirate
ibn Rumahis and brought to
Córdoba. R. Hanoch eventually succeeded his father as
rabbi and
rosh yeshiva there, although for a time he faced opposition by
Joseph ibn Abitur and by the latter's patron,
Jacob ibn Jau, the lay leader of the Jewish community of the
Caliphate of Cordoba. Hanoch was respectable by everyone that even his bitter adversary ibn Abitur (who has been exiled because of the ban issued by R. Hanoch on the latter) couldn't help but express his admiration for him, "I bring the heavens and earth as my witnesses that there is none equal to R. Hanoch, from Spain to the academies of Babylon." His best-known student was
Samuel ibn Naghrela. Ibn Daud reports that relations between Hanoch and
Hai ben Sherira were strained since the increasing stature of the Spanish
yeshivot led to a lessening of their communities' financial contributions to the
Talmudic academies in Babylonia. Indeed, Hanoch seems to have corresponded only rarely with the Babylonian
geonim. However, Hai demonstrated his respect for Hanoch by honoring his
excommunion of Joseph ibn Abitur and refusing the latter an audience. R. Hanoch left no written works, although there are some extant
responsa between him and Hai, as well as between him and the then-gaon in the
Land of Israel,
Samuel ben Hofni. == Death ==