LIFE IN ERETS ISRAEL in THE 16th CENTURY
Rabbi Yosef of Terani (or “Miterani” רבי יוסף מטראני) was born in Safed, Israel, in 1569. He is considered one of the leading Talmudists of his generation. He is also known by the initials of his name “Maharit” (Hebrew: מהרי”ט). His father was the famous rabbi Moshe de Terani, author of Beth Eloqim. He died when Yosef was 12. From that young age Rabbi Yosef was adopted, and he became the favorite student, of the great sage Ribbi Shelomo Sagis. Rab Yosef married in 1586 and that year a great plague broke out in Safed that claimed the lives of many Yehudim and among them Rabbi Sagis. Rabbi Yosef left the land of Israel and escaped to Egypt, where he lived with his brother Shelomo, who was a community rabbi in Egypt. He spent 15 years in Egypt devoting himself to intensive Talmudic studies. When he returned to the land of Israel, he lived in Safed and then in Yerushalayim, where he wrote the book “Tsurat haBayit”, describing the design and architecture of the Bet HaMiqdash. This book, unfortunately, has been lost, and we only know about it because it was quoted in the book of one of his students, Rabbi Hayim Alfandari. Rabbi Yosef was already famous at this time. He received and answered numerous Halakhic questions which were coming from all over the Jewish world. But living in Erets Israel then, was becoming very difficult and Rabbi Yosef and his family suffered poverty, disease and persecution.
FROM SAFED TO CONSTANTINOPLA
After a few years Rabbi Yosef moved to the city of Constantinople, in Turkey, where he found a large Jewish community established by the Jews expelled from Spain, known as Sepharadim. In Constantinople, Rabbi Yosef was welcomed enthusiastically by the Ben Ya’ish brothers, who were very kind benefactors and Jewish patrons. The Ben Ya’ish brothers hosted Rabbi Yosef at their state and offered to maintain him and his family with dignity while he dedicates himself to teach Tora and to write his books. From that moment all the hardships of Rabbi Yosef came to an end, and without serious material concerns he dedicated fully to teach Tora. Under the wings of the Ben Ya’ish brothers Rabbi Yosef established a Yeshiba, or rabbinic academy, which he called “Qahal Qadosh Gerush”, the holy congregation of refugees from Spain. This Yeshiba became a magnet for young Tora scholars who came from all over the world to study with Rabbi Yosef. According to the testimony of his children Rabbi Yosef had more than 80 students studying directly under him.
CHIEF RABBI OF TURKEY
After 20 years of arriving in Turkey, Rabbi Yosef was also chosen as the head rabbi of Constantinople. As such, he was granted the title of Hakham Bashi, the chief rabbi of Turkey, which at the time was the most prosperous Jewish community in the Jewish world. Apart from continuing teaching, Rabbi Yosef decided to improved the community’s system of social assistance, training and using his own Rabbinical students for this important task. He sent his students to visit the sick, console the mourners, assist the brides and grooms, and to distribute food, clothing and everything necessary for the poor, the widows and the orphans. Among his students we can mention for example: Ribbi Hayim Alghazi, Ribbi Aharon DeLapapa and Ribbi Hayim Benveniste, all of them became very famous rabbis and served in different communities.
HIS LAST WISHES
Rabbi Yosef was blessed with many children, all of them became great Tora scholars. Before dying he asked two things from his children. 1. That they publish his books, which were in manuscripts. And 2. to take his remains to the land of Israel, so that he could be buried close to his father. Shortly after his death, in 1639, his children faithfully fulfilled his two wishes.
HIS BOOKS
Among the books of Rabbi Yosef Miterani stands out his collection of 152 questions and answers that were published in Constantinople in 1641.
In this link you can get another book of Rabbi Yosef, Tsafnat Pa’aneah, (Frankfurt, 1694) a commentary on the Tora. One illustration: In the first pages of this book Rabbi Yosef exposes 15 different ways, opinions and insights about the nature of Adam’s first sin —eating the fruits of the forbidden tree. How is it that this sin caused man to perceive himself naked; why the Creator dressed him with a garment of leather (or “light”, according to Ribbi Meir), etc.
HIS GRAVE
His children took his remains to Safed, and buried their father there. For some reason the exact place of his grave was not known for centuries. However, in 2008 his resting place was identified in the old cemetery of Safed, next to the grave of rabbi Moshe Alshekh, by Rabbi Shelomo Epstein.
