Recommended classic Jewish books



Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro (1525-1612) and the Jewish community of Egypt

FROM SEPHARAD TO EGYPT

Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro was a Tora scholar, a rabbinical judge, an author  and a leading lawmaker (poseq) in the Cairo Jewish community. 

The Castro or “de Castro” family was originally from southern Spain. At the time of the expulsion they escaped to Portugal and from there, many members of that family arrived in Turkey, North Africa, Egypt, etc.

The father of Rabbi Castro (some historians say he was his uncle) was the famous Abraham de Castro (died in 1520, see here). Abraham de Castro was one of the most prominent Jews of his time. He was the manager of the Royal Mint of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the most powerful man in the world in those years. In his honor, the Sultan agreed to reinforce the walls of Jerusalem adding several rows of solid rock to the original wall. This stones are still there to this day.

HIS TEACHERS

Rabbi Ya’aqob de Castro belonged to a wealthy family. Apart from being a  rabbi, Rabbi Castro also engaged in trade, something that was common among rabbis living in Egypt, such as Rabbi David ben Zimra or Rabbi Isaac Luria(the Ari haQadosh) who dealt with import and export of pepper and grains.

Rabbi Ya’aqob was a student of two great luminaries: the illustrious Rabbi David ben Zimra (Radbaz), and Rabbi Levi ibn Habib (Ralbah) of Yerushalayim. Rabbi Ya’aqob is also known by his acronym Mahariqash (מהריק”ש), and he is considered the last “Chief Rabbi” of Egypt, that is, the rabbinical authority accepted by all the communities of the country, including the two most important: Cairo and Alexandria. At that time most of the Jews of Egypt were musta’arabim, that is, indigenous of Egypt; while the community of the Sepharadim, that is, the refugees of the expulsion from Spain, was just beginning.

RABBI CASTRO AND RABBI CARO

In 1570, he visited the city of Sefat in Israel, where he was invited to the home of Rabbi Yosef Caro (1488-1575), the author of the Shulhan Arukh. In his writings, Rabbi Castro describes his encounter with Rabbi Caro and relates, probably with deep emotions,  seeing with his own eyes Rabbi Caro acting in accordance with the customs that he himself had established in the Shulhan Arukh.

Rabbi Castro wrote several books. We will mention two of them.

“Erekh Lehem.” Glosses and comments that Rabbi Castro wrote in the margins of his manuscript copy of the Shulhan Arukh. In these notes he expresses his opinion, and sometimes his objections, to some halakhic determinations of Rabbi Yosef Caro. The reputation of Rabbi Castro was so high that in Egypt his opinion had more weight than that of Shulhan Arukh himself.

LIFE IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF EGYPT

Another of his works is “Ahole Ya’aqob”, a book of rabbinical responsa on real cases that happened in his community. This book also presents the Halakhic debates between Rabbi Castro and some of his contemporaries, which allows us to have a better vision of his legal thinking.

It should also be noted that this book of Rabbinical questions and answers is a priceless source of information for historians to learn a little more in detail about the social and community life, and the difficulties of the Jewish community in Egypt in the 16th century.

SOME EXAMPLES

One of the Taqanot, or community decrees, that Rabbi Castro mentions in one of his answers, is related to the mores and etiquette that should be observed in the celebration of wedding parties. Apparently, in some weddings, gentile dancers were hired as part of the celebration; this caused more than once some improper attitudes. Rabbi Castro, together with the other rabbis of the city, forbade this practice and encouraged the community to hire only musicians, and not dancers.

Another controversial issue that appears in his questions and answers is the legal status of the claim of a wife who refused to live in the house of her in-laws, in a situation where there was no mistreatment from their part. Rabbi Castro debated with another very famous Egyptian rabbi, Rabbi Hayim Kafusi, about considering this claim as a justified cause for divorce.

Finally, I will mention a more sensitive topic. Rabbi Castro dealt with the case of two young married men, members of his community, who went out of town in a business trip and disappeared. Two Egyptian men, father and son, testified that these merchants were attacked and killed by a gang of 12 assailants. The Halakhic question was whether this testimony was enough to declare the wives of these merchants as widows, and allow them get married again. Rabbi Castro adopted a more strict opinion, since the evidence was ambiguous, and he considered that the witnesses could obtain a personal benefit from his testimony. Rabbi Kafusi confronted Rabbi Castro and presented an more permissive opinion so that these two women would not be trapped (agunot) in a situation without a possible solution.



Rabbi Abraham Azulay (1570-1643) and the Sultan’s Sword in Hebron

From FES to HEBRON

Rabbi Abraham Azulay (also “Azulai) was born in the city of Fes, Morocco, in 1570. The city of Fes was a very important Jewish center where many Jews found refuge when they escaped the expulsion from Spain.

The family of Rabbi Azulay also came from Spain (Castilla). Living in Fes was far from being in a paradise. Apart from the constant persecution by Muslim extremists, the area was very poor and often suffered from long droughts. Rabbi Shaul Serero says that in the Jewish community of Fes, between 10 and 20 people died every day… of starvation. After one long drought that lasted for more than 3 years, Rabbi Azulay left Fes and headed towards the land of Israel. Traveling by sea was extremely dangerous. When rabbi Azulay arrived near the port of Capotakia (Port Said) a great storm destroyed his ship and all his belongings sank. Miraculously, Rabbi Azulay survived and arrived (presumably swimming) to the coast. This miracle was never forgotten by Rabbi Azulai. And as a sign of his eternal gratitude to HaShem for this miracle, Rabbi Azulay designed his signature in the shape of a boat (see illustration above).

From HEBRON to GAZA

Once he arrived in Israel he settled in the city of Hebron (also known as Kiryat Arba) where he met with the great rabbis of that time such as Rabbi Eliezer Arha and others. But a terrible epidemic broke in 1619 and rabbi Azulay had to leave the city of Hebron and he moved to Yerushalayim. But the plague also reached Jerusalem, and Rabbi Azulay moved to the city of Gaza where he lived for some years. At that time 70 Jewish families lived in Gaza. Some families were engaged in agriculture and others in commerce, since Gaza was part of the trade route between Syria and Egypt. The Rabbi of Gaza between 1620-1625 was the illustrious rabbi Israel Najara (a native of the Spanish city Nájera), who befriended rabbi Azulay .  In Gaza, Rabbi Azulay wrote two of his most famous books: a commentary on the book of the Zohar “Hesed LeAbraham” (“The goodness that God did with Abraham”, in reference to the fact that he himself, Abraha, was twice saved from the terrible epidemic that claimed so many lives). He also wrote “Ba’ale Berit Abram”, a mystical commentary on the Tora.

COMMENTARY ON THE MISHNA

Rabbi Azulay is known for his mystical writings  but he also wrote a few traditional rabbinical works.  One of the least known books of Rabbi Azulay, is “ahaba bata’anuguim”, a beautiful and extensive commentary on the Mishna. In this book, unfortunately not as well known as his books on mysticism, Rabbi Azulay explains the elementary meaning of the words and ideas of the Mishna  —following the footsteps of Maimonides— incorporating the commentaries of the Talmud, the midrashim and other famous books, including Geonim, Rishonim and the Shulhan Aruch. He also mentions the teaching of some rabbis who lived in Erets Israel on those days , and of whom nothing else is known to us, like Rabbi Soleiman Ohana and Rabbi Yosef Ashkenazi, the “Tana from Safed”.  This book was republished in Israel recently (1985, Seder Neziqin). It was edited among others by Rabbi Masud Ben Shimon ( had the privilege to study under him in my youth)  and the introduction of this new edition was written by none other than Rabbi Obadiah Yosef (see the book HERE.    We also present HERE a link where you can download the comment of Rabbi Azulay on the Mishna of Pirque Abot, (courtesy of hebewbooks.org).

When the plague ended, Rabbi Azulay returned to Hebron, where he lived until the end of his days.

THE SWORD IN THE CAVE of MAKHPELA

In 1643 the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mohamed IV, the most powerful man on earth in those days, visited the land of Israel and came to Hebron, and following the Muslim tradition, went to pray in Me’arat HaMakhpela, the cave where Abraham, Yitshaq and Ya’aqob are buried. At the time, there was a very deep hole on the floor of the hall dedicated to Yitshaq Abinu, through which there was access to the interior of the original cave of Makhpela. But nobody entered there, since it was considered very dangerous, perhaps due to the absence of oxygen, the presence of toxic gases, etc. The Sultan came very close to the hole and when he bent to take a closer look his valuable sword, made of gold and ornamented with diamonds,  fell down the hole. The Sultan sent a pair of soldiers tied with ropes to bring the sword back, but both died. The local Arab leaders decided that they would not risk the lives of other Muslims and demanded the Jews, under the threat of extermination, to bring back the Sultan’s sword. Rabbi Azulai, who was 73 years old at that time, volunteered for the risky task and after an incredible experience he was able to recover the sword of the Sultan (see the full story on the Hebron webpage, http://en.hebron.org.il/history/ 228).

HIS DEATH

Rabbi Azulay died the day after he emerged from the depth of the cave of Makhpela,  Friday Ereb Shabbat, Perashat Haye Sara (that is, today!).

Rabbi Abraham Azulay is buried in the old cemetery of the city of Hebron. His grave, as was the custom in Hebron, carries no inscription, not even his name (I think this was done as a gesture of deference to our Patriarchs, buried in that city).

One of his great-grandchildren was the famous Rabbi Hayim Yosef David Azulay, also known as the Hida (1724-1806).



Rabbi Ya’aqob Kholi (1689-1732) and the book that changed the Sephardic communities

Rabbi Ya’aqob Kholi (many pronounce his surname incorrectly: Culi or Koli, etc.) was born in Yerushalayim in 1689. His father was Ribbi Makhir Kholi, who belong to a family living for generations in Crete, today the largest island in Greece. Crete belonged for a long time to the Kingdom of Venice until 1645, when it was conquered by the Turks. In 1650 Rabbi Makhir Kholi emigrated to Israel and settled in Yerushalayim. He married the daughter of the famous rabbi Moshe ben Habib, who was the Rishon leTsion, that is, the chief rabbi of the Sepharadim in Erets Israel. Rabbi Moshe ben Habib was the grandson of the famous Rabbi Ya’aqob ben Habib, the author of the book ‘en ya’aqob (see this ).
Rabbi Kholi studied for a few years with his grandfather, and received a great influence from him. In those days, the situation of the Jews in Israel was disastrous, politically and financially. Rabbi Ya’aqob moved to Constantinople, Turkey, to publish his grandfather’s manuscripts, but in the end he stayed there. In Constantinople he met the famous rabbi Yehuda Rosanes. Rabbi Kholi became one of his main students and soon after Rabbi Rosanes assigned him as Dayan (rabbinical judge) of Constantinople. Rabbi Rosanes died in 1727 leaving behind a vast literary work written by hand. Rabbi Kholi took upon himself to publishing the books of his teacher, and also those of his grandfather, knowing that this difficult task would require many years of dedication, and he will have to postpone the writing and publication of his own books. In 1728 he published Parashat Derakhim by Rabbi Rosanes, and in 1731 Rabbi Kholi published the most famous book of Rabbi Rosanes Mishne laMelekh, a commentary on Mishne Tora of Maimonides.
THE ME’AM LO’EZ
Then he dedicated himself fully to write and publish his revolutionary book: Me’am Lo’ez.
Me’am Lo’ez is a monumental anthology of Midrashim and Halakhot (Jewish Law), organized according to the weekly section. Apart from the rich Talmudic material, Rabbi Kholi introduces in his book many autobiographical notes and anecdotes, which makes the reader feel transported to the ancient Sephardic communities of the Balkans. By reading this book one can also feel that Jews were victims of permanent abuses and persecution, and the Me’am Lo’ez comforted them. Rabbi Kholi, for instance, taught that Jews should see the Shabbat as an “island of peace”, a 24-hours opportunity to disconnect from sadness and adversity and enjoy peace and family. To his readers, most of them living in difficult conditions, he advised to practice Hesed (kindness, charity) with those who were in a worse situation. Rabbi Kholi insists that the best antidote to face personal difficulties is not self-compassion, but to opening the heart and help those who are poorer, or assist widows and orphans and visiting the sick.
The special thing about this book is that unlike other books it was not written for Jews with advanced Tora knowledge, but for ordinary Jews. Even, or especially, for Jews who did not understand Hebrew.
THE BOOK THAT MADE LADINO FAMOUS
Me’am Lo’ez was written in Ladino, that is, old Spanish with some Hebrew words, written with Hebrew letters. I copy below the first line of the introduction to Me’am Lo’ez, which can be seen in the picture above, so that the reader can have a taste of the sweet style of this beautiful language.
דיקלארו דיל ארבע ועשרים אין לאדינו דאנדו אה אינטינדיר איל ריז’ו די לה וידה קי דיב’י ריז’ירסי לה פירסונה סיגון קומאנדו לה ליי סאנטה
Transliteration: “Declaro del arba ve’esrim en Ladino dando a entender el reg’o de la vida que debe reg’irse la persona segun comando la ley santa”
Translation: The Me’am loe’z is “the declaration [=exposition] of the twenty-four [books of the Hebrew Bible, what we today call Tanakh] in Ladino, to make understand the regiment of life by which a person must be led, as commanded by the Holy Law [the Tora].”
At that time, the eighteenth century, Ladino was the colloquial language of the Jews in Turkey, Greece and many communities in the Middle East. Me’am Lo’ez represented an educational revolution and became immensely popular in Sephardic communities since every man or woman, who knew how to read Hebrew letters, had now the opportunity to study Tora, something that until then was unthinkable.
EDITIONS OF THE MEAM LOEZ
Rabbi Kholi published the first edition of his book in 1730, in the city of Constantinople. But his work remained unfinished. Rabbi Kholi died in 1732, at the very young age of 43 years. He only managed to complete the book of Genesis and two thirds of the book of Shemot.
But his work was so popular and necessary that his students did not allow his passing to mean the end of his book. And just as Rabbi Kholi dedicated himself to publishing the books of his teachers, his students and followers continued to write and complete “the twenty-four books” that Me’am Lo’ez was intended to cover, in the same style as the original work.
Some examples.
Rabbi Ytshaq Magriso completed the book of Exodus (Shemot) and wrote the commentary on the books of Leviticus and Numbers.
Deuteronomy was written by Rabbi Ytshaq Bekhor Agruiti.
The book of Yehoshua was written by Rabbi Rahamim Menahem MiTerani.
The book of Esther by Rabbi Rafael Hiya Pontremoli.
Rabbi Shemuel Kravitzer (aka “Rabbi Shmuel Yerushalmi”, 1992-1997), completed many missing books of Me’am Loez and translated parts of it to Hebrew.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, who died in NY in 1983, translated Me’am Lo’ez from Ladino to English.

MY FAMILY and the MEAM LOEZ

The book Me’am Lo’ez has a special place in my heart. First, because from my mother’s side we are descendants of Rabbi Kholi (“Kholi” was also the surname of my maternal grandmother, Sofia Aurora Joli, from Damascus, Syria, z”l).
On the other hand, my wife’s grandfather, Ribbi Shemuel Chocron, z”l, from the city of Melilla, Spain, received his great Tora erudition  “exclusively” from the Me’am Lo’ez.  R. Shemuel lived in Franco’s revolution time and was forced to retire from his work in 1937, at a very young age. R. Shemuel’s parents owned the complete set of the Smyrna edition of Me’am Lo’ez (more than ten very large books) in Ladino, and R. Shemuel dedicated himself, for the rest of his life, to study Me’am Lo’ez every day for eight hours or more. He mastered the books to the point that he knew it by heart. I had the great merit of knowing Ribbi Shemuel and seeing when my wife Coty, or one of her seven sisters, read the Me’am Lo’ez to him — when he was not able to read by himself because of his old age, and I saw first hand when he corrected a mistake or completed the next sentence by heart. Ribbi Shemuel, and I guess that there were many, many like him, became a “direct” student of Ribbi Ya’aqob Kholi. My love and admiration for Me’am Lo’ez grew exponentially when I saw the impact that this book had on my wife’s grandfather. Beyond the Tora knowledge he had acquired, the Tora lessons of Me’am Lo’ez shaped his personality and made Ribbi Shemuel a role model of decency, integrity, nobility, kindness without limits, love of Tora and fear of God.
This past Sunday was the anniversary of Ribbi Shemuel ben Mordekhai Chocron, and I dedicate today’s Halakha of the Day to his memory.


Rabbi Hayim Vital (1543-1620) and the Dilemma of the True Cabalists

HIS FAMILY
Rabbi Hayim Vital was born in the city of Tsefat (Safed, Israel) in 1543. His father was Ribbi Yosef Vital, an expert scribe (sofer). The Tefillin written by Ribbi Yosef were very appreciated by Ribbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulhan Arukh and chief rabbi of Safed in those times, not only for the sanctity and purity of that great Hakham who wrote them but also for having been written following some very ancient traditions, for example, the letter kaf sofit (peshuta = extended) written with the upper part rounded, not rectangular (ך). Rabbi Moshe Galante wrote that more than a thousand pairs of Tefillin had arrived in the Jewish community of Egypt from Safed, written by the famous “Calabrian rabbi”. The Vital family was originally from Calabria, so Rabbi Yosef and his son Rabbi Hayim were known as the “Calabrian” rabbis (calabreses).
SAFED (צפת)
The city of Safed became one of the most important destinations for many Jews who arrived from the Iberian Peninsula after the expulsion from Spain (1492) and Portugal (1497). In the year 1540 there were 5,000 Jews in the city of Safed, 719 families. Rabbi Vital’s teacher was the famous Rabbi Moshe Alshekh, also from Safed. When Rabbi Yosef Caro passed away, he was succeeded by Rabbi Alshekh, who inherited from Rabbi Caro the authority to order new rabbis. Rabbi Alshekh granted his ordination only to one Rabbi: that is Rabbi Hayim Vital. While Rabbi Hayim Vital is best known for his writings on Qabbala, his early studies were conventional rabbinical studies. His son, Rabbi Shemuel Vital, tells in his book “Source of waters of life” (be-er mayim hayim) that his father only allowed himself to start studying Qabbala when he had completed his advanced rabbinical studies , which includes a total mastering knowledge of all Talmudic and Halakhic works, which usually takes many decades of dedication.
THE GREAT TEACHERS
In Safed Rabbi Hayim also studied with the famous cabalist rabbi (mequbbal) Moshe Cordobero (Ramak) until the year 1570, when Rabbi Yitshak Luria, known as the Ari haQadosh, arrived to the city of Safed from Egypt. The Ari haQadosh is considered one of the most famous cabalists in history. According to rabbi Vital, while the works of the first cabbalists — from Nahmanides (1270) to the Ari himself — were formulated on the basis of the human intellect, the teachings of his master, the Ari, were revealed by divine inspiration. In the year 1572 the population of the city of Safed was decimated by a terrible plague that also claimed the life of the Ari HaQadosh at the young age of 38 years. After the death of the Ari, Rabbi Hayim Vital was recognized as his principal student and his successor.
FROM JERUSALEM TO DAMASCUS
In 1578 rabbi Vital left Safed and settled in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). There he founded his own academy and helped the community along with other great Talmudic luminaries such as Rabbi Betsalel Ashkenazi, of Egypt, author of Shita Mequbetset and teacher of his teacher, the Ari haQadosh.
In 1597 Rab Hayim Vital moved to the city of Damascus, Syria, to serve as rabbi of the community of Sephardic Jews who had arrived from Sicily, Italy. His main mission in that community was to teach the bases of Tora to Jewish families, many of whom were returning to Judaism after having lived in panic of the Spanish Inquisition for one, two or more generations.
Rabbi Hayim Vital died in Damascus in 1620, at the age of seventy-seven.
HIS WORK
The Ari haQadosh did not write his teachings, but taught his Qabbala privately to a small select group of students. With the authorization of his teacher Rabbi Vital took notes that after the death of the Ari he organized, drafted and edited those notes, but by express will of the Ari, he did not publish them. For many years Rabbi Vital’s main work “Ets HaHayim” remained “buried” (גנוז), and the rabbi did not authorized its publication. Rabbi Tsemah tells in his book that a very wealthy individual improperly obtained the book of Rabbi Vital and published 100 copies of it without his permission.
TO TEACH OR NOT TO TEACH?
One of the most controversial issues in this area (to this day) is the question of publication and promotion of Qabbala’s books and ideas. The Hebrew word “qabbalá”, which means “reception”, indicates that cabalistic knowledge must be received by the student directly from his teacher, and not through the study of a written text (or a video on Youtube …). The popularization of esoteric knowledge carries the serious risk that the mystical knowledge be trivialized, or worse, used by unscrupulous individuals for material or personal gain. This happened unfortunately more than once. For example, in the times of the false messiah, the impostor Shabetay Tsevi (1666), who used cabalistic concepts to defend and promote his false messianic claims.
When Qabbala is popularized it can be exploited by charlatans and unscrupulous individuals, as it happens even in our days, because most people do not know what the Qabbala is about, and therefore, they have no way to distinguish between the master and the impostor. Although one of my teachers taught me the following idea which can help a little but in this area:“He who knows it does not say it; and he who says it does not know it”
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SHA’ARE QEDUSHA
Rabbi Vital wrote many books. One of his most accessible works, for those who master basic Hebrew, is Sha’are Qedusha, a book of Musar (Jewish ethics) that inspires the reader to practice love and dedication to HaShem, studying His Tora and deepening in the meaning of the prayers
To read online Sha’are Qedusha click HERE


Rabbi Refael Aharon Ben Shimon and the Ashkenazi community of Cairo

Rabbi Refael Aharon ben Shimon was born in Rabat, Morocco in 1847. His father and main teacher was Rabbi David ben Shimon. In 1854 his family decided to emigrate to Israel and settle in Yerushalayim. There, in addition to his rabbinic studies, Rabbi Ben Shimon learned European languages. Besides Hebrew and Arabic, the Rabbi spoke fluently Italian, French and Spanish. In 1890 he was invited to serve as the Chief Rabbi of the important Jewish community of Cairo, where he would stay until 1921.
Rabbi Ben Shimon was a pioneer in assessing and determining the status of new Halakhic innovations of the modern world. Both in the area of ​​technology and new social trends.
In his most famous book, umitsur debash (see here ) the Rabbi examined the legality of new issues. For example: the use of electricity and matches in Yom Tob; the use of funeral wagons driven by gentiles to bury a dead person during Yom Tob; the evaluation of the engineering of the water supply system of the Nile River in Cairo, to asses if those waters could be used in a Mikve, (מים שאובים) etc. He also dealt with social sensitive issues such as prevention of suicide; the status of children of mixed marriages and the legality or nullity of marriages performed in private ceremonies. In this last case, for example, many7 marriages ended up being fraudulent, because the husbands surprisingly and without warning, disappeared from the country, and returned to Europe, leaving these young wives abandoned and unable to remarry (עגונות).
The way that Rabbi Ben Shimon approached this case is a good example of his admirable Halakhic attitude and his humility. The Rabbi decided to forbid and nullify these marriages (הפקעת קידושין), but despite the fact that in 1893 the Pasha (Turkish Sultan) designated him as the exclusive rabbinical authority of Egypt, he understood that this important halakhic decision could not be taken without consensus. Rabbi Ben Shimon then consulted with Rabbi Eliyahu Hazan of Alexandria and also with Rabbi Mendel HaCohen, who was the rabbi of the Ashkenazi community in Cairo. All agreed to invalidate these private ceremonies and free these women from their state of ‘aguna.
Let’s look a little more in detail at the Ashkenazi community in Cairo (sic.). This community was created as a result of the progroms that affected Europe throughout the 19th century. The community had its own synagogue and kept its customs and traditions. Rabbi Aharon Mendel HaCohen arrived in Cairo from Tiberia, Israel. He and Rabbi Ben Shimon were very good friends and worked together for the benefit of the entire Jewish community. Rabbi Ben Shimon had Rabbi Mendel as part of his Rabbinical court and always sought his consent. The relationship and camaraderie between these two rabbis was known throughout the Jewish world as an example of teamwork and mutual respect between a Sepharadic and an Ashkenazi rabbi, something that was not very common at the time.
In 1903, Rabbi Mendel along with Rabbi Zvi Makowsky (vaashiba shofetaikh) wanted to re-establish the Sanhedrin (hiddush hasemikhá) in Israel. That is to say, a Supreme and universal Rabbinic Court that, among other things, would (i) resolve all the disagreements between rabbis, Sepharadim, Ashkenazim, etc., and arrive at a uniform, final and mandatory Halakhic decision for all. Also (ii) it would officially assign the Rabbis who would serve in communities of the diaspora on behalf of this Sanhedrin.
Rabbi Ben Shimon, while enthusiastic about the idea, was a little skeptical, and in a beautiful letter addressed to his colleague Rabbi Mendel (which can be found in nehar mitsrayim heleq bet, pp. 583-587), he tried to dissuade him. The opposition of Rabbi ben Shimon was based solely on practical considerations: in present times, he said with pain, there are so many divisions among the Jews, that it will be impossible to persuade all rabbinical leaders to renounce to their local authority and assign a court above them. Unfortunately, Rabbi Ben Shimon was right and the project never came to fruition.
In 1921 Rabbi Ben Shimon emigrated with his family to Israel and settled in Tel-Aviv. His house was also his synagogue and the rabbis of Tel-Aviv consulted with him permanently on the most delicate subjects of Jewish law.
Rabbi Ben Shimon died in 1928 and was buried in the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.


Rabbi Abraham de Sola (1825–1882) the Sephardic pioneer of Tora UMada.

Rabbi Abraham de Sola (1825–1882) was a Canadian rabbi, an orientalist, and a prominent scientist. Rabbi de Sola was recognized as one of the most influential leaders of Sephardic and Orthodox Judaism in North America during the second half of the nineteenth century, at a time when the struggle between the Orthodox and Reform wings of the community was at an acute stage.

His father was Rabbi David Aaron de Sola, a famous rabbi from the Sephardic community of London, and his mother was the daughter of Rabbi Raphael Meldola.

In 1847, at the age of 21, Rabbi de Sola arrived in Montreal, Canada, from London, and there he served as the rabbi of Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese community. In 1852, he married Esther Joseph, whose father was one of the earliest Jewish settlers in Montreal.

Rabbi de Sola soon established himself at the center of Montreal’s English-speaking intellectual community. An eloquent, popular, and prolific lecturer, and a man of broad interests, he frequently addressed the Montreal Mercantile Library Association, the Montreal Literary Club, the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal (of which he was elected an honorary member), the Montreal Mechanics’ Institute, and the Natural History Society (which he served as president in 1867–68), as well as several organizations associated with McGill University.

In 1848, Rabbi de Sola was appointed lecturer, and in 1853 professor, of Hebrew and Oriental literature at McGill University in Montreal (the most prestigious university in Canada), and he eventually became the senior professor of its Faculty of Arts. In 1858, in recognition of his extraordinary scholastic accomplishments, McGill conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. (Legum Doctor, an honorary doctorate degree).

In 1873, by invitation of President Ulysses S. Grant, Rabbi de Sola opened the United States Congress with a prayer. He became the first British subject to open the U.S. House of Representatives with a prayer.

Rabbi de Sola was a pioneer in what is known today as Tora uMada’, the way of looking harmoniously at science and Judaism.

He was a very prolific writer and the author of dozens of books, articles, and papers.

Among them:

  • Behemoth haTemeoth: The Identification and Classification of the Prohibited Animals of Leviticus, Montreal, 1853.

  • Biography of David Aaron de Sola, the late senior rabbi of the Portuguese Jewish community in London, Philadelphia, 1864.

  • Critical Examination of Genesis III.16; Having Reference to the Employment of Anæsthetics in Cases of Labour, published in the British American Journal of Medical and Physical Science, Montreal, 1849.

  • The Day of Atonement: A Sermon Delivered in the Synagogue Shearith Yisrael, Montreal, published in Occident and American Jewish Advocate, Philadelphia, 1848.

  • A Few Points of Interest in the Study of Natural History, Canadian Naturalist and Geologist, 1868.

  • God’s Judgments on Earth: A Sermon Delivered in the Synagogue Shearith Yisrael, Montreal, During the Prevalence of Asiatic Cholera.

  • Hebrew Authors and Their Opponents, Jewish Chronicle, London, 1849.

  • History of the Jews of Poland, Jewish Messenger, New York, 1870.

  • History of the Jews of France, After Bégin and Carmoly, Jewish Messenger, New York, 1871.

  • An Inquiry into the First Settlement of Jews in England.

  • Life and Writings of Saadia Gaon, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1881.

  • The Mosaic Cosmogony (Creation of the Universe), Jewish Messenger, March 1870.

  • Notes on the Jews of Persia Under Mohammed Shah, Occident and American Jewish Advocate, 1850.

  • Observations on the Sanitary Institutions of the Hebrews as Bearing Upon Modern Sanitary Regulations, Canada Medical Journal and Monthly Record of Medical and Surgical Science, Montreal, 1852.

  • The Revelation at Sinai: Its Possibility and Necessity, a sermon delivered in the synagogue Shearith Yisrael, Montreal.

  • The Righteous Man: A Sermon Commemorating the Bestowal of Public Honors on Sir Moses Montefiore by the City of London; Preached in Montreal, on Shabbat Noah 5625, Montreal, 1865.

  • Life of Shabethai Tsevi, the Pseudo-Messiah, Jewish Messenger, March 1869.

  • Yehuda Alcharizi and the Book Tachkemoni, Jewish Record, Philadelphia, 1879.

He died in New York in 1882 and was buried in Montreal.

There is a street bearing his name: Rue Abraham-De Sola, in Côte-Saint-Luc, Montreal.

For a more detailed biography of this exceptional rabbi and for an impressive list of his articles and publications, see:
https://www.general-anaesthesia.com/people/abraham-de-sola.html

Canada’s first rabbi, Abraham de Sola, supported obstetric anaesthesia in defiance of diehard traditionalists. Like Professor James Simpson, de Sola reinterpreted the key passage of Genesis 3:16. In three articles for a Canadian medical journal, Rabbi de Sola explains how God had ordained that woman should bring forth children with “toil” or “labour,” not pain. Unfortunately, other biblical passages are less ambiguous. The injunction “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Exodus 22:18) cost millions of women their lives. The fateful words caused untold suffering over several centuries. England and Scotland were mostly spared the worst excesses of the 15th–17th century European witch-hunts. But after seeking some kind of succour for the birth of her twins, gentlewoman Eufame MacAlyane was burned alive as a witch in 1592 on the order of Scottish King James I, author of Demonologie (1597). James later became James VI of England (1603–25). Happily, the King’s descendant, Queen Victoria, did not suffer a similar fate after soliciting chloroform for the birth of her son Prince Leopold. Indeed, the use of chloroform by the Queen contributed to the wider social acceptance of obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia in Victorian Britain, though this influence is debated and hard to quantify.
Rabbi Abraham de Sola delivering the opening prayer at the House of Representatives on January 9, 1873


Rabbi Abraham Antebi (1765-1858) and the earthquake that devastated Aleppo

Rabbi Abraham Antebi ז”ל was born in Aleppo (Aram Tzoba), Syria, in 1765. He was a descent  of Jews expelled from Spain who settled in the city of En-Tab, now known as Antep, located in the south of Turkey. His great-great-grandfather, Hakham Rahamim (1554-1627), emigrated from En-Tab to Aleppo, and hence the origin of his last name Antebi.

In his youth he studied mainly with his father, Hakham Itzhaq Antebi, of the great sages of Aleppo. In 1817 he was appointed Rabbi and Superior Judge of all Aleppo, a position he held for more than 40 years.

Rabbi Antebi was a prolific author. His works deal mainly with halakha (Jewish law), derushim (speeches and sermons) and musar (Jewish ethics). He also composed several poems and songs of religious character. But no less than for his works, he was noted for his passionate dedication to the welfare of his community that in those years was in a very difficult situation.

In 1824 an earthquake devastated the city of Aleppo and about a thousand Jews died (in those days, the community did not exceed 10,000 people) and those who were saved, including the Rabbi, had to camp in improvised tents outside the city and live there for 18 months. At that time Rabbi Antebi wrote his first book, which he called Yosheb Ohalim,  “Seated in the Tents”. This book contains sermons on the weekly sections of the Tora in which it combines, in a very creative way, the halakhic analysis, the biblical stories and the hagadic narratives (stories and parables of the sages). In those improvised tents, without his  books, Rabbi Antebi wrote his work quoting all sources from his memory.

The main problem Rabbi Antebi faced as a community leader was the general impoverishment of the community. Revenue fell, prices rose and the Ottoman Empire demanded more taxes. There are many stories about how the Rabbi dedicated all his efforts to supporting the needy. In his musar books Ohel Yesharim and Hochma Umusar he writes extensively about how each Jew is guarantor for his Yehudi brothers and should not ignore them in their times of trouble. He also wrote that one of the reasons for the bad economic situation of the Aleppo Jews was because people were only engaged in trade and had no professions. The Rabbi exhorted parents to provide their children with a profession and not be content with just training them in trade.

One of the Rabbi’s most important books is Mor Vahalot, questions and answers on innumerable cases that appeared in the community and required an authoritative rabbinical opinion.

Let’s look at one of these questions (H.M. 2).

The custom of the Jewish courts in Aleppo was that the chief Rabbi of the city, then Rabbi Antebi, judged individually the various monetary conflicts, without being accompanied by two other judges (dayanim), which was the common practice of the other rabbinical judges.

The Rabbi was questioned for this procedure. It was not a legal problem, since according to the halakha the litigants can accept to be judged by a single dayan, but still there was an “ethical” problem. The famous rabbi Rabbi Shabetai Hakohen (the Shakh, Poland, seventeenth century, in HM 3, 10), based on the Shulhan Arukh and the Talmud of Jerusalem, wrote that although technically the rabbinical judge can judge for himself, it is not right that a judge would do so, unless he is a great expert in rabbinical jurisprudence. But it does not end there. Rabbi Shakh goes on to say that no one today can be considered as a “great expert” as it was in the time of the Talmud. Since with the passing of the generations the knowledge of Tora has diminished. Therefore today no rabbi should judge individually. And many prominent rabbis adopted the Shakh’s opinion.

At this point Rabbi Abraham enlightens us with his halakhic vision. Rabbi Antebi disagreed with the vision of the Shakh. These are some of his words:

“Contrary [to what Rabbi Shakh said], it is more common to find an expert in our generations than in the generations of the Talmud, since the whole expertise [of the Talmud sages] was based on memory and oral transmission. In those times to be an expert was not very common. The same is not true in our generation, because all [the law] is already written in the books and [the Sages] did not leave any great or small matter without recording it. Therefore, if a rabbinical judge knows how to legally analyze[the case at hand] and he is familiar with the books of the posqim (halakhic lawmakers), there is no doubt that he can be considered a “great expert” in law.

Rabbi Abraham Antebi died in Aleppo in 1858 at the age of 93, and is remembered to this day as one of Aleppo’s greatest luminaries.

Written for Halakha of the Day by Abraham Sacca, son of Rabbi Isaac Sacca of Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA



Rabbi Hayim Ben Attar (1696- 1743) and the power of the Grandparents

Rabbi Hayim ben Attar (or Benattar), also known as the Or HaHayim haQadosh, was born in the city of Salé on the west coast of Morocco, in 1696. His father was Moshe ben Attar, a great Tora scholar. From the age of 9 Rabbi ben Attar studied with his grandfather. The Rabbi wrote that every night he studied Gemara with him, and then his grandfather prayed and cried, begging HaShem to end our exile, to bring us back to Israel, and to see in our days the building of the Bet HaMiqdash.
The family of Rabbi ben Attar enjoyed a very good economic situation, and that allowed Rabbi Hayim to devote himself fully to the study of Tora. Over time Rabbi nen Attar grew in his knowledge of Tora and transformed his house into a Bet Midrash, a Tora academy, where anyone who wanted could come and study at any hour of the day or night. Rabbi Ben Attar also helped the needy, the poor, the widows and the orphans. Every Thursday, Rabbi ben Attar would do Shehita and would distribute the meat among the students of his Bet Midrash and the poor, so that everyone would have meat to eat during Shabbat.
Rabbi ben Attar lived in Morocco for 40 years. It was not always easy. The King of Morocco became antagonistic to his family and confiscated all their fortune. This caused that rabbi ben Attar had to leave of Salé towards the city of Fes, where he lived during the year 1738. That year, a great famine struck the city, and generated an epidemic, and the Rab had to take refuge in the North in the city of Tetuan. Being there, he made a critical decision for the rest of his life: he decided to go and live in the land of Israel. His ambitious plan was to found a Yeshiba in Yerushalayim, and he already had more than ten students who would travel with him. In those times, life for the Yehudim in Yerushalayim was very difficult. There was no food or work, and epidemics often hit the city. The Yehudim also suffered from perpetual persecutions and abuses from the gentiles who ruled the city.
The only possibility to found a sustainable Yeshiba in Yerushalayim was to have the assistance of Jews living in Europe. Rabbi ben Attar then traveled to the city of Livorno, Italy, where there was a prosperous Jewish community, very generous with all that had to do with helping Yehudim to emigrate and settle in Israel, and particularly in Yerushalayim.
Rabbi ben Attar spent almost three years in Italy. He taught Tora classes and attracted crowds with his knowledge and charisma. The community of Livorno implored him to stay there and establish himself as Rab of Livorno. They offered him to establish his Yeshiba in Livorno and promised that he won’t lack anything. But Rabbi ben Attar renounced these privileges and confirmed that his destination was Erets Israel. Personally, I think that what inspired Rabbi ben Attar to want to live in Erets Israel and to give up all the comfort they offered him in Livorno were the nights he spent with his grandfather, watching him cry for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim and the Bet haMiqdash. The melodies and cries of his grandfather, must have inspire a great love and longing for Erets Israel, in the heart of the young Rabbi Hayim …
In 1741 Rabbi ben Attar left for Israel with 30 students and their families. The majority of his disciples were from Morocco, others from Algeria and some from Italy. Among the latter was Rabbi Abraham Ishmael Hay Sanguineti, who wrote the diary of the journey from Italy to Israel, and everything that happened until they reached Yerushalayim. At first the contingent arrived and settled in the city of Acco (Acre), near Haifa. Yerushalayim was going through very bad times in terms of sanitary conditions, many people died victims of plagues and epidemics.
In 1742 conditions at Yerushalayim improved , and in the month of Tammuz the rabbi Ben Attar and his disciples arrived and settled in Jerusalem. There the Rabbi ben Attar fulfilled his dream and founded his Yeshiba, which he called “Keneset Israel”, the same name of the community of Livorno that helped them economically. Rabbi ben Attar became the most important rabbinic leader in the city, and apart from teaching Tora, he was also involved in assisting those in need. In a very short time and with the help of his followers from Italy, he succeeded in making the Jewish community of Yerushalayim to grow in size and prosperity. Some sources indicate that many Chassidim who arrived from Europe to Yerushalayim, students of the Ba’al Shem Tob, were very close to Rabbi ben Attar, and it was they who called him “HaOr haHayim haQadosh” (the saint).
Rabbi Ben Attar wrote three main books:
1. Or HaHayim, a commentary on the Tora that has a particularity. This book is read and highly valued by Sefaradim and Ashkenazim alike, something that was not very common, especially in those times.
2. A book on the Talmud: Hefets HaShem
3. A book on Yore De’a, Peri To-ar. He had brilliant pupils, the most famous among his student was rabbi Hayim Yosef David Azulay,  החיד”א  .
Rabbi Ben Attar only lived in Yerushalayim for short time, a little more than 11 months. He died on the 15th of Tammuz (July 6) of 1743, when he was just 47 years old. His soul surely rose to the heavenly Yerushalayim, and his remains were buried in the Mount of Olives (Har haZetim), Jerusalem.

                שבת שלום

 



Rabbi Hayim Benveniste (1603-1674) and the false Messiah Shabbetai Zevi

In the picture above you can see Balat, the old Jewish quarter 

Rabbi Hayim Benveniste was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1603. At the time the city was called Constantinople and had a very large and thriving Jewish population, formed primarily by Jewish refugees who were expelled from Spain in 1492. While the poor Sephardic Jews were rejected from everywhere else in the world, or forced to convert to Christianity or Islam in order to be accepted, the Turkish Sultan Bayezid II (1481-1512 ) formally invited the expelled Jews from Spain to come to Turkey. And he issued a law forbidding persecution or discrimination against Jews throughout the Ottoman Empire. Jews settled in two major cities: Constantinople and Salonika (=Thessaloniki, which became the only city in the world in the 16th century with a majority Jewish population). Over time more and more Yehudim arrived in Turkey, not only in Spain Portugal and Spain but also from Poland, Germany, and France.

Rabbi Hayim Benveniste came from a prestigious family of Rabbis who came from Spain. In his youth, he studied with the great luminaries of Turkey, including Rabbi Yosef Miterani. At the age of 21, Rabbi Benveniste was chosen as one of the two chief rabbis of Smyrna, together with the famous Rabbi Aharon Lapapa.

In 1665 the false Messiah Shabetay Zevi came to Turkey. He enjoyed enormous popularity in virtually every Jewish community in the world, Sephardic and Ashkenazi. The suffering of the Yehudim was so intense that people blindly clung to what they perceived as a ray of hope. Shabetay Zevi was very charismatic, and he was also supported by many Rabbis. Rabbi Hayim Benveniste and his colleague Rabbi Aharon Lapapa were the main opponents to Shabetay Zevi in Turkey. In Shabbat, December 12, 1665, Shabetay Zevi burst into the main Synagogue of Smyrna, confronted Rabbi Benveniste and caused a huge uproar in the community. Many Rabbis, and most people were captivated by his charisma (and surely pressured by their great despair) and Shabetay Zevi became virtually the highest authority of the Jewish community in Turkey. Rabbi Benveniste was overwhelmed by this situation. Rabbi Aharon Lapapa, which continued vigorously opposing Shabetay Zevi, was expelled from the community (sic.).

Most other Rabbanim supported Shabetay Zevi. This weird situation lasted for nine months. Shabetay Zevi went to meet the Vizier and was threatened by him to convert to Islam or be executed. (It is believed that the Sultan Mehmed IV told him: “If you are so powerful and can do miracles as you say, I will ask my soldiers to shoot 10 arrows at you. If you’re still alive, I myself will become one of your followers”. Shabetay Zevi did not accept the challenge and chose conversion to Islam). When he converted, though some of his followers said it was only a temporary strategy of the Mashiah, Rabbi Benveniste and others realized the great deception. This whole story was very painful and very harmful, not only for the Turkish Jewish community, which was the epicenter of this movement but also for almost all Jewish communities around the world for years.

BOOKS: Rabbi Benveniste wrote many very famous books. Among them: “Keneset Hagedola“, a book of four volumes about the Tur Bet Yosef and Shulhan Arukh. This book is so important that the famous rabbi HIDA (Rabbi Hayyim Yosef David Azulay, 1724-1806) said that a rabbi can not issue a verdict (pesaq) without consulting the Keneset Hagedolah. “הרב הנזכר מאיר עיני גולה הוא בספרי כנסת הגדולה אשר נדפסו בשמונה חלקים, ובלעדו לא ירים איש מורה הוראה הבקי בדרכי הוראה והוא מיראי הוראה את ידו בשום הוראה עד שילך מהרה לבית הכנסת ויראה מה בפיו ומה ירמזון עיני חכמתו, ואחר צאתו מבית הכנסת בנחת רוח יערה יורה יורה “.

He also wrote BA’E HAYE, a book of rabbinic Responsa, that is, questions and answers about many cases that occurred in the community and required a rabbinical expert opinion. This book also serves as a great historical document to study the details of the Jewish life in 17th century Turkey.