Rabbi Levi Ibn Habib and the rabbinical ordination debate

Rabbi Levi ben Habib was born in Zamora, Spain, approximately in 1480. At the age of five he managed to escape to Portugal, with his father, the famous rabbi Ya’aqob ibn Habib, and his immediate family. In Portugal, when he was about seventeen years old, he was compelled to submit to a forced conversion. At the first opportunity he and his father fled to Salonica, where he could live as a Jew in safety.

In Salonica, he studied Tora from his father and from many other teachers.  In those days, Salonica was one of the most important centers of Tora, if not the most important, in the new Sephardic world. In Salonica Rabbi Levi met rabbi Yosef Caro and many other giants of Tora.  In a short time Rabbi Levi became very famous and respected, and numberless of Halakhic questions were addressed to him from many communities around the world.  Rabbi Levi was known as an exiguous Talmudist who showed preference for the use of meticulous textual reading, as opposed to casuistry (pilpul).  He admitted that he was not well versed in Qabbala, but he was proud of his knowledge of science.  Rabbi Levi was an expert in astronomy and a great mathematician. This knowledge allowed rabbi Levi to have a deep understanding of the intricacies of the Jewish calendar, as it is clear from the superb commentary he wrote on Maimonides’ Hilkhot Qiddush haHodesh. Like many other Sephardic rabbis at the time, he was also a physician.

After the passing of this father, Rabbi Levi decided to leave Salonica and settle in Erets Israel.  He was then more than 50 years old. From Salonica he arrived to Aram Tsoba (Aleppo) in Syria. He writes with admiration about the rabbis of the city: “I found there [in Aleppo] very wise men, with whom I had the opportunity to study Tora. Every day they learn Halakhot and I studied with them with fraternity and love”.  From Aleppo, rabbi Levi traveled to Israel. First he settled in Tsefat (Safed) and finally, he settled in Jerusalem, where his fame and knowledge won him the position of chief rabbi of the city.

Many Megorashim, refugees from Spain and Portugal, were still coming to Jerusalem in the 1530’s.  Many among these Megorashim were forcefully baptized and forced to practice Christianity for a while.    They believed that the ultimate atonement (kapara or tiqqun) for their forced conversion was to settle in the land of Israel, mainly in Jerusalem.

As we have mentioned before, the rabbis of Safed wanted to renew the semikha, the original rabbinical ordination to apply the punishments (malqut) that would atone for these sins, and allow the tormented souls of the former conversos to start over their Jewish life. Rabbi Levi ben Habib was a strong opponent , the strongest, to the renewal of the Semikha project initiated by rabbi Ya’aqob Berab. Rabbi ben Habib refused to accept the authority of Rabbi Berab and accused the latter of disgracing the honor of Jerusalem.

Rabbi ben Habib together with rabbi David ben Zimra, Chief rabbi of Egypt at the time, who also opposed the new Semikha, wrote a small booklet qunteres hasemikha, in which they explained the reasons for their opposition to the new semikha.   

The main objections were

1. We do not have in our days Rabbis that are ordained with the original Semikha of Moshe Rabbenu, but they are still called “rabbis” and act as rabbis of every practical purpose. The renewal of the Semikha will create an elite of rabbis, with the privilege to sentence laws which would be mandatory for all the Jewish people, and that will diminish the honor and capabilities of most rabbis in the world who are holding a rabbinical position in their communities. 

2. At the end of the famous paragraph in which Maimonides explains the ways to renew the Semikha there are three problematic words, which Maimonides does not use very frequently : והדבר צריך הכרע , which means that “this matter still needs to be settled”. From these words rabbi Levi ben Habib inferred that the matter of the renewal of the semikha necessitates more than a majority of rabbis in favor of the project. It is worth to remember that at the time, Safed had more rabbis than Yerushalayim, “most” rabbis of Israel lived in Safed.  But Rabbi ibn Habib was saying that according to Maimonides words a majority of rabbis was not enough. The renewal of the Semikha, Rabbi Levi said, requires a “consensus” of all rabbis, particularly of the rabbis of Erets Israel, the only place where the Semikha could be renewed. And that consensus did not exist.

3. The new proposed semikha will create new challenges for which there is no easy solution. For example: are we going to come back to the system of declaring the beginning of the months (qiddush hahodesh) via testimonies (‘edut) and establishing the leap years, as they did in the times of the Mishna? In light of the precision of our present calendar, it seems that the renewal of the Semikha will bring more challenges than solutions.

4. One of the reason explicitly mentioned by rabbi Berab and his students in support of renewing the Semikha related to an urgent problem which needed to be solved: there were thousands of marranos or anusim, Jewish or conversos refugees, who were forced or pressured to convert and to accept baptism in Spain and Portugal. Now, this type of apostasy is a very sever sin, and the punishment reserved for those Jews who willingly converted is  “karet” a “divine cut-off of the sinner from the people of Israel”. However, a Jewish High Court or Sanhedrin had the authority to apply a more lenient punishment (malqut) which will dispense the more sever punishment for the converso Jews. However, for rabbi Ibn Habib this was unnecessary because there was no hatra-a (legal warning) and not valid witnessing at the times these Jews were forced to convert to Christianity. Thus, the severe punishment was not technically applicable.

5. The original Semikha was discontinued in the times of Rab Ashe, 1108 years ago (counting from the time of rabbi Ibn Habib). Rabbi Levi asks: how come no other rabbi ever thought about the possibility of renewing the Semikha? For Rabbi Levi the Semikha should be renewed only in the times of the Messiah. And perhaps the Messiah himself or Eliyahu the Prophet will be the ones that will grant a new ordination to the disciples they will see fit. 

In any case, the opposition of rabbi ben Habib, together with other factors,  prevented the renewal of the Semikha from becoming a long term project. It ended after four generations.

In his youth Rabbi Habib edited his father’s book En Yaaqob (Constantinople, 1516). He also wrote: She’elot u-Teshubot, a collection of 147 responsa; Pirush Qiddush HaHodesh, a brilliant commentary on the rules governing the method of the Hebrew calendar in Maimonides code of law.   All these works were published together in Venice (1565).



Rabbi Shelomo Alqabets (1500-1580), author of Lekha Dodi

Rabbi Shelomo haLevi Alqabets was born in Salonica, Greece, in the year 1500. His father was Moshe halevi Alqabets, a refugee from the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Rabbi Shelomo studied Tora, and particularly Qabbala, under Rabbi Yosef Taitatsaq. In 1529 he married the daughter of the philanthropist Isaac Cohen. Soon after their wedding, he and his wife determined to settle in Erets Israel. In a speech that he delivered before he left the city he said that once we have the possibility of living n Israel, even if the conditions there are far from ideal, it is the duty of every Jew to return to Israel to help building the Bet haMiqdash, to study Tora and serve HaShem with passion.
In his way to Israel he stayed for two years in the city of Adrianapolis (today Edirne, in Turkey), The townsmen begged him to instruct them in his ways of serving HaShem. He refused to stay saying that only in the Holy Land one could fathom the secrets of Tora.  He agreed, however, to write for them several works while in town. One of these books was Berit HaLevi, an explanation of the Hagada of Pesah, dedicated to his disciples inAdrianapolis.
Rabbi Shlomo arrived to Safed around 1535. Rabbi Alqabets’ passion for Israel inspired many of his community members from Salonica and Adrianopolis to come with him to Israel. Among the people who came with him was his brother in law, the famous rabbi Moshe Cordobero (1522-1570). Rabbi Moshe Cordobero, was probably the most important qabbalist of his time, until the Ari haQadosh. He had a great respect and admiration for rabbi Alqabets, and even though he was married to his sister,  he always addressed him as his teacher. Rabbi Alqabets was indeed his first teacher. But over the time, Rabbi Cordobero grew immensely in his learning and fame as a qabbalist and talmudist. Rabbi Alqabets read his writings and learned from him and  addressed Rabbi Cordobero as his teacher,  a testimony to rabbi Alqabets great humility. Rabbi Alqabets and Rabbi Cordobero created a circle of pious men dedicated to study Tora and in Tsefat.
In his way to Erets Israel rabbi Alqabets met also with Rabbi Yosef Caro, who was  also on his way to Erets Israel. They became good friends and shared many years together.  It is said that it was Rabbi Alqabets who inspired Maran Rabbi Yosef Caro to establish the Tiqun Lel Shabu’ot, a long Tora study session which takes place during the entire night of Shabu’ot.
With Rabbis Alqabets and rabbi Cordobero in town, the city of Safed became the center of Qabbala. And with the presence of Rabbi Yosef Caro and his teacher, rabbi Yaaqob Berab, Safed was also the city of Halakha.
Rabbi Alqabets was a very charismatic speaker, a great teacher, and a fantastic community leader and mentor to his students. He made taqanot, internal rules, for his students. He established for example, that the students should behave with humbleness one to another.  And when a student sees one of his peers doing something wrong he should approach his friend discreetly and explain him his mistake. The one who was rebuked, should not refute or say anything in his own defense before three days have passed, so he has time to reflect dispassionately on his own actions.
BOOKS
Rabbi Alqabets wrote many books, mostly commentaries on books of the Bible and many books on Qabbala. Some of them are: Manot HaLevi, on the Book of Esther. Ayelet Ahabim, on Song of Songs. Shoresh Yishai, on the Book of Ruth. Or Tzadikim, a book of sermons
Despite the many books he wrote and the great influence he exerted on many prominent rabbis, Rabbi Alqabets is famous for his liturgical poem Lekha Dodi, an hymn sung at the inauguration of the Shabbat. Lekha Dodi was composed according to qabbalistic teachings, expressing the yearning for the final redemption. He based the theme, “Come my beloved to meet the bride” on the Talmudic description in Shabbat 119a “Rabbi Hanina robed himself and stood at sunset of Sabbath eve [and] exclaimed, ‘Come and let us go forth to welcome the queen Shabbat.’
Rabbi Shelomo Alqabets passed on in 1580 .
To download one of Rabbi Alqabets books, MANOT HALEVI, click here


Rabbi Shemuel de Medina, head of the Yeshiba of Salonica (1505-1589)

Rabbi Shemuel ben Moshe de Medina (abbreviated רשד”ם) was a great Talmudist and the Rosh Yeshiba of the Talmudic academy of that city. His teachers were the famous rabbi Yosef Taitatsaq, who was also one of the teachers of rabbi Yosef Caro, and Rabbi Levi Ibn Habib. These two rabbis were very different in their orientation and intellectual horizons. Both were great luminaries, but while Rabbi ibn Habib was inclined to reason and Talmudic logic, rabbi Taitatsaq was more inclined to mysticism and qabbala. Rabbi Medina absorb from these two rabbis, but ironically, he did not dedicate himself nor to philosophy not to mysticism, virtually all of his teachings and writings focus on Jewish Law (Halakha).

He lived thorough many personal misfortunes. Rabbi Medina lost his father at a very young age. Then,  his two sons in law, rabbi Yosef Tsarfati and rabbi Ytshaq Hayoun, died at a young age living behind their wives, the only two daughters of rabbi Medina and numerous children. A few years later, his brother, a man of means who educated him and supported him financially, also passed away.  And the burden of the maintenance of his widowed and her children also fell upon him. Still, he did not abandon the study of Tora and continued writing and teaching. In all this time, he never wanted to be paid from the public community funds, even though he was in a great need of money. On the contrary, as a testimony of his great humbleness, he paid his communal taxes, from which he was technically exempted as a Tora scholar, to avoid presumption ( כדי לא להחזיק עצמו כתלמיד חכם) and  benefitting from his Tora.

Rabbi Medina founded a Yeshiva in Salonica in which he introduced the system of teaching of the great Spanish talmudic scholars from the time of Isaac Campanton. This Yeshiba was supported by the famous Jewish philanthropist Doña Gracia Mendes Nasí. He had many disciples, among them rabbi Abraham di Boton, author of lehem Mishne.

Rabbi Medina was the accepted Halakhic authority both in his own and in the following generations in Salonica and beyond. Numberless questions were addressed to him from all parts of the Ottoman Empire and Italy. Rabbi Ḥayim Shabbetai said of him: “He was an expert judge of encyclopedic knowledge, and one must not deviate an iota from his decisions”. The Halakhic decisions of rabbi Medina were studied an incorporated also among Eastern European Tora scholars in later generations, and his rulings are often quoted in modern times by judges in the State of Israel in support of their decisions.

Rabbi Medina was one of the leaders of the congregations coming from the “Gerush” (the expulsion from Spain and Portugal). Rabbi Medina himself was of Portuguese origin and he acted as the rabbi of the Portuguese Synagogue in Salonica. Still, when a controversy aroused on the subject of liturgy (Jewish prayers), and the congregations wanted to print their own Siddurim, rabbi Medina decided to print the version of the Spanish Jews (sefaradim), and not the Portuguese, based on the merits of that version, which was in his own words, “flawless and accessible to all”.

In one of the controversies which took place in Salonica and elsewhere, Rabbi Medina maintained the right of the wealthy members and contributors of the community to regulate the direction of communal affairs. According to him, as had been the custom in Spain, the leadership of the community should be in the hands of those who bear its financial burden, providing they were loyal to the religious principles.

He died at Salonica in 1589. His son was rabbi Moshe De Medina, who was a very important rabbi and a successful merchant and philanthropist, helped to found a new Hebrew printer where many important Tora manuscripts were published for the first time thanks to his generous efforts. Among them, of course, the book of his father Pisqe Rabbi Shemuel De Medina ( שו”ת מהרשד”ם).  This book contains a total of 956 questions and answers on all areas of Jewish law, with an introduction by his own son, Rabbi Moshe.

You can download the book of Rabbi Shemuel De Medina,  published in Luvov 1860, clicking here.



Rabbi Israel Najara (1555-1625) and the Jobar Synagogue

The Jobar Synagogue, Eliyahu haNabi, considered the oldest in the world, was destroyed in May 2014 during the Syrian civil war.

 

Rabbi Israel Najara ישראל בן משה נאג’ארה was born in Safed, Israel in 1555. At a very early age, his family moved to Damascus, Syria. The family Najara comes from “Nájera”, a small town located in the “Rioja Alta” , Spain, on the river Najerilla.

His father, Moshe Najara, served for many years as the chief rabbi of the Damascus Jewish community. On his mother’s side, Rabbi Najara was the grandson (and namesake) of the famous Rabbi Israel de Curiel (1501–1573), one of the three Musmakhim (those granted rabbinic ordination) who had been ordained in Safed by Rabbi Ya’aqob Berab, alongside Maran Ribbí Yosef Caro.

In Damascus, Rabbi Moshe Najara led the Mishmarot. Among many Syrian Jews, the custom of Mishmarot continues to this day. These are long Tora study sessions held on the eve of Rosh Chodesh and every Shabbat afternoon.

Due to his father’s position, Rabbi Israel Najara did not serve as an active rabbi in Damascus. Instead, he served as Chazan (liturgical cantor) and rabbi (traditionally, in Sephardic communities, these two roles were often held by the same person) of the Jewish community of Jobar (pronounced Dyobar or Djobar), a suburb of Damascus.

The city of Jobar was predominantly Jewish. The historian Shams Ibn Tulun al-Dimashqi, who died in 1546, wrote:
“Jobar is a Jewish village with some Muslim presence.”

Jobar was famous for its synagogue: Eliyahu haNabi. We have a fascinating description of the city and its synagogue from a rabbi and traveler, Rabbi Moshe Basula:

“The city of Jobar is one mile from Damascus. The Jewish community of Jobar has 60 Musta’arabim families (= native Jews belonging to the ancient Syrian community; the term Musta’arabim is typically used in contrast to ‘Sephardim,’ the Jews who came from Spain. Eventually, both communities merged). In the city, there is a beautiful synagogue, unlike anything I’ve ever seen… with six columns on the right side and seven on the left.
The synagogue, called Eliyahu haNabi, was built above a cave. People say this is the cave where Eliyahu haNabi hid [when he fled from King Ahab], and that the synagogue dates back to the time of the prophet Elisha. [At the entrance to the synagogue, halfway up the right wall], there is an irregularly shaped stone, where one can see the imprint of multiple footprints. According to tradition, this is where Elisha anointed Hazael [king of Aram, ancient Syria].
The synagogue was restored by Rabbi El’azar ben Arach. People told me that many miracles took place in this synagogue. During times of persecution, the Jews would gather there to find refuge from their enemies.”

Rabbi Israel Najara became very famous for his poetry. He wrote hundreds of religious poems known as piyutim (we know of 346), mainly focused on the suffering of the Jewish people and the yearning for redemption. His most famous poem is probably Y-ah Ribbon ‘Alam Ve‘Almaya, a liturgical poem written in rabbinic Aramaic, which has been adopted by both Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities. Another well-known composition is the Ketuba for the Festival of Shabuot, a poem read in many Sephardic communities on Shabuot, which compares the covenant between God and Israel to a marriage ceremony.

Rabbi Najara also authored a book titled Mikve Israel, a collection of 40 sermons he delivered in the Jobar synagogue. In these sermons (derashim), Rabbi Najara weaves together profound Talmudic ideas with philosophy and Jewish mysticism. Notably, his father, Rabbi Moshe Najara, was a student of the renowned Mequbbal the Ari z”l haQadosh, who held Rabbi Najara’s poetry in high regard and once said:

“His poetry is greatly cherished in Heaven.”

In his sermons, one can see that philosophical and mystical elements were secondary for Rabbi Najara. His focus was on Musar — the ethical and moral teachings of the Talmud. Rabbi Najara aimed to teach and inspire people to improve themselves and refine their character. He often emphasized the importance of tsedaqa (charity), mutual financial support, and gemilut jasadim (acts of kindness not necessarily involving money), such as visiting the sick, comforting mourners, and more.

In the final years of his life, after the death of his father, Rabbi Najara moved to the city of Gaza, in Israel. He served as the rabbi of the Jewish community in Gaza until his passing in 1625, and he is buried there. Upon his death, his son, Moshe, succeeded him in this position.

To obtain the book Mikve Israel, click here

 



Rabbi Tam ibn Yahia (1475-1542) and the fire in Constantinopla

Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia was one of the most important rabbis of his generation. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1475. In 1496, when the Portuguese Jews had to choose between converting to Christianity or leave the country, Rabbi Tam escaped to the city of Constantinople, today’s Istanbul, Turkey. There, he acted for some time as a member of the rabbinical court of the famous Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrahi (רא”ם). After the death of Rabbi Mizrahi, Rabbi Tam inherited his position and was assigned as the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Turkey.

Rabbi Tam’s relations with the government of Turkey were excellent. Firstly, because Rabbi Tam was also a renowned physician and became one of the most trusted doctors of the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566). Second, because Rabbi Tam  mastered the Turkish and Arabic languages, and he was an expert in Islamic law [sic]. His son Gedalia ben Tam (Rabbi of Thessaloniki, Greece) wrote in his book of Jewish history Shalshelet haQabbalá  “my father’s knowledge of Islamic Law was so great that Muslim judges [= Imams] often consulted with him regarding their decisions. “

At that time, all countries in the Middle East, including Syria, Egypt and Israel, were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Being the chief rabbi of Turkey conferred Rabbi Tam the rabbinical authority over all the rabbis of the Middle East. Thus, Rabbi Tam, was permanently consulted not only by individuals but also by his colleagues from across the Middle East, who sought his verdict when there was some debate or discussion among them.

The importance of the prestige of Rab Tam in the court of Suleiman the Magnificent should not be underestimated, also from the political standpoint. Thanks to the excellent relations of Rabbi Tam with the Sultan, all Jewish communities in the Middle East enjoyed the favor of the Sultan and the Ottoman Empire, which often meant the difference between life and death of a Jew , or the destruction or survival of entire Jewish communities.

Rabbi Tam was also a prolific writer. One of his students, Rabbi Binyamin Motal, wrote that Rabbi Tam composed:.. … “The book Ma’ase Nisim, a commentary on the Rif . Al Hanisim, a commentary on the Ran . And he also wrote a very extensive book with the records of all his halakhic rulings. A collection of thousands of Halakhic questions,  sent to him from all over the world, and his responses, including his analysis and verdicts. He also wrote tens of thousands of explanations of the Gemara, commentaries on the Tora  and the Midrashim, sermons, books on science, etc. “

The reader may wonder, how is it possible that a Rabbi of the stature of rabbi Tam, who was so famous and prolific in his time (in my opinion he was a “Maimonides 16th century”) is so little known in our time?

I think that there are two possible answers to this question: First, that unfortunately most Sephardic rabbis are ignored and unknown. This historical injustice is being reversed and although much remains to be done, gradually the Hakhamim Sephardim are more and better known.  The second answer is that, in the particular case of Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia, there was a tragic factor which contributed to pushing his name into oblivion. In 1541 there was a terrible fire in the city of Constantinople. This fire claimed many lives, and consumed virtually all the books of Rabbi Tam ibn Yehia. Such was the pain Rabbi Tam suffered seeing the work of his life consumed by fire, that, according to his students testimony, his death in 1542 was partly due to the sadness and grief he suffered by the loss of his manuscripts.

All what is left to us from the work of Rabbi Tam is a small compilation of some of his comments on the Rif (Derekh Tamim), and a collection of just 213 rabbinical responses (Ahole Tam ) in a book published by his grandson, Don Tam ben Gedalia, in Venice, Italy, 1620.

To download these books click here



Rabbi Yehuda Moscato (1530-1593) and the Cuzary

Rabbi Yehuda Moscato was born in Osimo, Italy in 1530. He was a rabbi a poet, and a philosopher. He left Osimo in 1555 and went to Mantua  (Montova) when the situation of the Jews there worsened under the pope Paul IV. In Mantua he had the instruction of the foremost Jews of his time, the brothers Moshe, David, and Yehuda Provençal and Azaria de Rossi. In 1587 he became chief rabbi of Mantua.
Rabbi Moscato was educated in all areas of knowledge. As many of his contemporaries, he believed that Jews should learn liberal arts and sciences because all knowledge derives from Tora knowledge.   In terms of Jewish thought he followed the greatest Jewish Philosophers, rabbi Yehuda haLevy and Maimonides.
Rabbi Moscato also wrote poetry.  Especially “elegies” (funerary poetry) on the deaths of friends and scholars, including one poem on the death of Rabbi Yosef Caro (1585).
We know of two books published by rabbi Moscato. The first one is Nefutsot Yehuda. This book was composed in Mantua and published in Venice in 1589. It is a collection of  fifty-two sermons which takes the subject of Jewish festivals as a platform for addressing issues in philosophy, theology, ethics, history, and other subjects that were relevant for the speaker and for his audience. These sermons were delivered in Hebrew and Italian.
Illustration: Sermon eleven is entitled: “What should a man do to live rightly in this world and to inherit the world to come?”  ( מה יעשה האדם ויחיה בזה ובבא ). The sermon is build around the Psalm 15 of the book of Tehilim.  Rabbi Moscato explains that this Psalm could be divided thematically into three subjects: the obligations of man toward God, the obligations of man toward men, and the obligations of man toward himself.
Rabbi Moscato shows that also the Ten commandments are divided into these three categories, as expressed in man’s actions, speech and thoughts.
The book Nefutsot Yehuda was translated into English by Gianfraco Milet and Giusepe Veltri and it can be found in Google books, see   here
The Second important book Rabbi moscato wrote is Qol Yehuda, the first and the most popular commentary of the book “The Cuzari” , by rabbi Yehuda haLevi.
One interesting point brought by rabbi Moscato is the historicity of the Cuzari, in other words, the assertion that the dialogues and debates between a Jewish sage, the “haber” Rabbi Yitshak haSangari, and the King of the Khazars was a real and historical event, and not a literary fiction of Rabbi Yehuda haLevi.
“ Should it not be believed that the great and awe-inspiring story which is the basis and essence of this book [The Cuzari by Yehuda HaLevi] is true and really happened? If that were not so, why would the author of the book lie? For he wrote in the beginning of his book: ‘As it has been recorded and known from historical works.’ He repeated that in the introduction to the second part of his book: ‘This is what happened afterwards with regard to the Kuzari, as it is known in the books of Khazaria.”
Today is accepted even by secular historians that the events narrated in the Cuzari took place in the eight century, in the times of the King Bulan. And that the Khazars, or at least a notable segments of its aristocracy, converted to Judaism.
Rabbi Yehuda Moscato died in Montova Italy in 1593.To download the book Nefutsot Yehuda follow this link



Rabbi Shimon Duran (1361-1444) and his commentary to Pirqe about

Rabbi Shimon ben Tsemah Duran , also known as the “RASHBETS” was born in 1361 in Majorca, Spain.  In his youth he studied with the famous Rabbi Efraim Vidal,  the head of the Yeshiba of Majorca.  Besides his profound studies in Tora, and following the classic educational method of  Spanish Jews, he acquired a thorough knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, philosophy and particularly medicine. In Majorca, Rabbi Duran practiced as a physician and a surgeon in the city of Palma.
The Jewish community of Majorca was prosperous, and before the massacres of 1391 the Jewish community there consisted of more than 1,000 families. In 1391 the anti-Jewish riots sweeping Spain also reached Majorca. In the city of Palma the riots broke out on July 10.  The mob broke down the gates of the  Jewish quarter (known in Spanish as the “Call” =Qahal)  and massacred scores of Jews, pillaging, and stealing their possessions.  Many Jews were forced to accept baptism in order to save their lives. Other Jews were tortured to death for not accepting baptism, among them Rabbi Duran’s old teacher, Rabbi Vidal. Those who “converted” were subjects to the scrutiny of the Inquisition who persecuted them. If a “converso” was found practicing Judaism (“judaizando”) he will be burned alive. The descendants of Majorcan conversos kept Judaism in secret for centuries. Until the close of the 15th century, 346 trials of the Inquisition were held in Majorca and 257 “conversos” (popularly known as “marranos”) were condemn to death by fire. By 1771 the Inquisition had sent a total of 594 “conversos” to the stake. The Majorcan “conversos” are known by a specific name “chuetas” (see  here).
Back to rabbi Duran, in September 1391 he escaped to Algiers, in North Africa. In Algiers Rabbi Shimon was unable to earn his livelihood from his medical profession, since the native population resorted to “healers”  rather than to professional doctors.  Reluctantly, he was forced to accept a salaried office of rabbi.  Rabbi Shimon Duran joined the Bet Din of the famous rabbi Isaac bar Sheshet, (RIBASH). These two Rabbis  and later on Rabbi Duran’s son, Rabbi Shimon Duran (RASHBASH) established  the foundation for the “Sephardic” customs and traditions of Algerian and most North African Jews. After the death of rabbi Isaac bar Sheshat (1408) Rabbi Duran was appointed as the Rabbi of Algiers. His Halakhic decisions were a guide to later posqim who frequently quote them, including rabbi Yosef caro in the Bet Yosef/Shulhan ‘arukh.
BOOKS
Rabbi Shimon Duran wrote 14 books.
His most famous work is undoubtedly the responsa known as TASHBETS, a collection of 802 Halakhic questions an answers.
His other books are less known. So, they deserve perhaps more attention.
Rabbi Duran wrote many books on the area of ideas and beliefs. He wrote a monumental book called Magen Abot, “In defense of our fathers”. This book comprises four tractates, which sometimes were published as independent works.
In the first tractate,  חלק א׳ ממעל, Rabbi Duran deals with subjects related to theology. God’s existence, unity, incorporeality, etc.  This tractate was written mainly against the backdrop of the philosophical Aristotelian thinking prevalent in his days, akin to what today would be considered “secular thinking”.
In the second tractate חלק שוסינו he explains the concept of Tora Min HaShamayim, i.e., the divine origin of our Tora, prophecy, the oral Tora, etc.
The third tractate, חלק יעקב, is mainly about the Jewish beliefs of the immortality of the soul and resurrection.
In these three tractates he systemically follows and defends the 13 principles of faith established by Maimonides. Also, within these books, Rabbi Duran wrote a long chapter where he critically compares Judaism with Christianity and Islam. He clarified that he wrote this chapter to give ammunition to the Jews who were constantly persecuted by missioners, from both religions, trying to convince them to leave their faith. This book, which is not only apologetic but highly critical of those faiths, was censured for centuries and was published as an independent booklet in Livorno, Italy, 1785 under the name “Qeshet uMagen”(bow andarrows, to attack, a shield, to defend)
The fourth part of  Magen Abot is a comnatery on Pirqe Abot, and it mainly deals with Jewish ethics.
Since we are in the days of the Omer, and it is customary to study Pirqe Abot in the coming days I will be writing mainly about this Mishna. Ihis year, BH, I will base my commentaries on Magen Abot, the book written on the subject by Rabbi Duran.
I will be using a new edition of this book which was graciously sent to me by the author, rabbi Eliyahu Zini, from Haifa, who published this new edition in 2014 ( see here ).
To download the book Qeshet uMagen click here


Rabbi David ben Zimra (1479-1573) and the Ethiopian Jews

Rabbi David ben Zimra, known as the Radbaz (רדב”ז aka Ridbaz) was born in Spain in 1479. At the age of 13, when the Jews were expelled from Spain, his family moved to Israel and settled in the city of Safed (צפת). There, rabbi David learned with Rabbi Yosef Zaragosi, the Rabbinical leader of the Jewish community of Safed at the turn of the century. In 1517 he moved to Egypt where he was appointed as the Hakham Bashi, or Chief rabbi of Egypt, a position that he held for over forty years. He rejected to work for the community professionally because he feared that if his sustenance would depend on the community he would not be able to rule with objectivity. The Radbaz then dedicated himself to commerce and became a very successful merchant, dealing with wheat and leather in the international market. He amassed a great fortune, which allowed him to be financially independent form the community and even to found and support his own Yeshiba.  Some of the students of that Yeshiba were great luminaries, like rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari haQadosh), rabbi Betsalel Ashkenazi (שיטה מקובצת), and the Radbaz’s most prominent student and spiritual heir, Rabbi Ya’aqob Castro (מהריק”ש), one of the most famous rabbis in Egypt at the time .

Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate in Egypt and moved to Erets israel. He settled in Safed and became an active member of the rabbinical court of rabbi Yosef Caro. The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573.  His inheritance, by his request, was distributed among the poor, making a special provision for Tora scholars.

The Radbaz wrote many books and close to 3000 rabbinical responsa (Questions and answers)

 One of his most far reaching responsa was the one that deals with the origin of the Jews of Ethiopia, which he considered as descendants of the tribe of Dan, one of the lost Ten Tribes.

For many centuries the Rabbis have heard about a tribe in Ethiopia, which claimed being of Jewish ascendant. But for the rabbis this questions was always a theoretical question, and never a practical one. In the time of the Radbaz this question became a practical matter when a group of African captives was brought to the slave market in Egypt. A woman , with her two sons, claimed that she was Jewish, from the tribe of Dan.

The Radbaz writes (She-elot Utshubot haRadbaz, 4:219): “Once there was a Cushite woman from the land of Cush, otherwise known as Habbash [=Ethiopia] who was taken prisoner along with her two sons, and she was bought by one Reuben.   We asked her what her status was, and she answered that she had been married and these were her sons by her husband, whose name was so-and-so, and this son was so-and-so. [She said that] the enemy came and killed all the people who had been in the synagogue, and the women … they took captive…”

For the purposes of this and another fascinating investigation [i.e., the origin of the Nile] the Radbaz studied the testimonies of Ethiopian scholars and he collected evidence from two Jews, one of them coming from Ethiopia, Rabbi Isaac al-Habbashi, and the second testimony from a local Egyptian merchant who had traveled to Ethiopia and met these “Jews” in their land.

The Radbaz analyzed this case from many different angles. For example, he found that these Jews did not keep some regular Mitsvot, like lighting candles before Shabbat. His argument was that the Jews from Ethiopia, they either came to their land before the rabbis issued the decree of hadalaqat nerot, or that they were descendants of the baytosim, Jews who rejected the oral tradition.

Finally, he says that the status of the Ethiopian Jews is similar to the Karaites Jews:  they should accept to follow Jewish tradition, and should come under the law of redeeming captives, (pidyon shebuim), thus, the Falash Mura should be bought from the slave market and set free.

Four hundred years after the passing of the Radbaz, and based on the Radbaz’s responsa the Falash Mura were once again considered as Jews, and brought into the State of Israel.

The rabbi who made this ruling was no other than Rabbi obadia Yosef z”l. In February 9, 1973, Rabbi Obadia, then Chef rabbi of Israel, wrote an historical responsa in which he said that “based on the Radbaz… the Ethiopian tribes Falasha or Falash Mura, should be considered Jews… they should be saved from assimilation, rescued and brought to Israel under the laws of return [an Israel law that guarantees Israeli citizenship for every Jews], they should be reeducated to follow Jewish tradition, and participate in the rebuilding of our Holy Land, thus [fulfilling the words of the prophet :] “and the sons will return to their land”.

These are the original words of the responsa of rabbi Obadia Yosef

בהסתמך על הגאון הרדב”ז בתשובה (שאלות ותשובות דברי דוד הלכות אישות סימן ח) שאלו הפלשים בלי ספק משבט דן, ורק מפני שלא היו ביניהם חכמים מבעלי הקבלה תפסו להם פשטי המקראות, ודינם כתינוק הנשבה לבין הגוים, ודינם כישראל שאנו מצווים לפדותם ולהחיותם לכן באתי למסקנה שהפלשים הם צאצאי שבטי ישראל שהדרימו לכוש…והחלטתי כי הם יהודים שחייבים להצילם מטמיעה ומהתבוללות, ולהחיש עלייתם ארצה, ולחנכם ברוח תורתנו הקדושה, ולשתפם בבניין ארצנו הקדושה ושבו בנים לגבולם

Today, in a great part thanks to the Radbaz, more than 125,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel.

See how Ethiopian Jews were brought to Israel in Operation Salomon, May 24th-25th, 1991

 

 



Rabbi Shelomo Serilio (ca. 1485-1555) and the Talmud of Jerusalem

Rabbi Shelomo Serilio (שיריליאו או סיריליאו) was born in Spain, before the expulsion of 1492.  From Spain, rabbi Serilio came to Constantinopla (today Istanbul), where he studied with rabbi Binyamin HaLevi, the author of zeqan aharon, and later on with the famous Rabbi Ya’aqob ibn Habib, the author of ‘en yaaqob (see here).  After a few years, rabbi Serilio moved to Salonica, in those days one of the most important cities in the Jewish world.

Around 1530 many Jews, and especially those who left Spain and Portugal, came to Erets Israel, fulfilling the dream of their ancestors. Among other famous rabbis who came from Salonica to Israel we can mention Rabbi Yosef caro, the author of the Shulhan ‘arukh, Rabbi Shelomo Alqabets, Rabbi Moshe MiTerani, (the Mabi”t), etc. A new Jewish settlement was established in Tsefat  (Safed) under the leadership of Rabbi Ya’aqob Berab ( see this).  Rabbi Serilio did not have any official rabbinical position in Safed, although we know of his involvement in a few debates that took place there. For example, Rabbi Serilio wanted to be lenient in the subject of “basar halaq”, by authorizing the nefiha (=inflating the animals lungs, despite it having fibers sirkhot, to declare it kosher if no perforations are found) in order to make meat more accessible, cheaper, to the Jews of Safed. In this, he was following the customs of the Jews of Salonica. Rabbi Ya’aqob Berab, however, rejected this leniency.

Rabbi Shelomo Serilio is famous for his commentary on the Talmud of Jerusalem. He was the first rabbi to write a commentary on one entire Talmudic Order (Seder Zera’im) of the Jerusalem Talmud. As we know, there are two sets of Talmud:  one written in Babylon (from 200 to 500 of the Common Era) and the other one written in Eres Israel (ca. 370 of the CE). One of the main differences between the Babylonian Talmud and the Talmud of Jerusalem is that the later deals extensively with the Mitsvot related to agriculture, also known as commandments which applied to the land of Israel (מצוות התלויות בארץ), while the Babylonian Talmud has no Gemara for these tractates. One of the  practical commandments Jews had to observe was the  Mitsva of shebi’it, the Biblical Mitsva that requires letting the land rest every seven years. Now, that the Jews were back in Israel, those Mitsvot wer again practical. And although Maimonides refer to them, the details of the practical applications of this Mitsva, required a renewed halakhic revision. One illustration: In those days, the Jews had no direct involvement in working the land. All the agriculture work was done by gentiles, who owned those lands.  Still, the question was if those fruits which were grown in the land of Israel, in the year of Shemita by non Jews, were subject to the laws of Shebi’it. Rabbi Serilio explained that they are. They would need Be’ur (=discarding those fruits, when that specific fruit cannot be found anymore in the fields) and that these fruits are exempt from terumot and ma’aserot.

Today, that BH we are again in Erets Israel, the commentaries and the halakhic rulings of rabbi Serilio on Shebi’it are an essential tool for reference and probably, one of the most authoritative Halakhic precedents for contemporary issues.

Rabbi Serilio moved to Yerushalayim around 1546. In Jerusalem he completed his commentary on Zera’im. He was among the most notorious rabbis of the city. He died in ca. 1555.

You can download here the booklet Minhague Shebi’it which contains the summary of Hilkhot Shemita in 5 pages, by Rabbi Serilio. This booklet was printed in Jerusalem, 1937, one year before the year of Shemita in Erets Israel.



Rabbi Hasday Crescas (1340-1411)

Rabbi Hasday Crescas (1340-1411) was born in Barcelona, Spain in the winter of 1340.  He was a rabbi, a philosopher and a statesman. A student of the famous rabbi Nisim Gerondi, also known as the Ran. One of his colleagues and friends was the famous Rabbi Isaac bar Sheshat,  the Ribash.
In the year 1370 he was assigned by the King Pedro IV de Aragon to adjudicate certain cases concerning Jews, and received legal queries from Jews throughout the Kingdom of Aragon and abroad.

With the accession of King John I, el cazador , in 1387 Rabbi Crescas became even more familiar with the royal household. In 1389 he moved to Zaragoza, seat of the main royal court, and served there as the rabbi of the city. In 1390 he was empowered by the throne to act as judge of all the Jews of the Kingdom of Aragon.

Things changed dramatically for the Jews of Spain in the year 1391.   The cause of the violence was the incitement of a Christian monk named Ferrán Martinez. The priest’s speeches of hatred toward the Jews raised public expectations of a mass conversion of Jews and sparked popular riots. Angry crowds entered the Juderias, the city’s Jewish section, attacked its residents and pillaged their houses and businesses. On June 6, 1391, rioters entered the Juderia of Sevilla, blocked the two exits from the quarter, and set it on fire. An estimated 4,000 Jews were killed that day. Most of those who survived converted or left the city.

The progroms soon extended to Aragon and all over Spain. Hundreds of Jewish communities in Valencia, Majorca, and Catalonia were destroyed, thousands of Jews were killed, and more than 100,000 were converted by force to Christianity.  Despite Rabbi Crescas’ efforts to have his family protected, his only son was murdered in the riots of Barcelona. He wrote about his murdered son, who chose to die as a Jew rather than convert: “My only son, a twenty years old bridegroom, a lamb without blemish, was sacrificed among other martyrs, for the sanctification of the name of God…”.

רבים קדשו שם שמיים ובתוכם גם בני יחידי, חתן בן כ’ שנה, שה תמים העליתיו לעולה, אני אצדיק עלי הדין ואתנחם לטוב חלקו

After the progroms of 1391 Rabbi Crescas devoted himself to the reconstruction of the devastated Jewish communities of the Kingdom of Aragon.  He also secured passage for thousands of conversos, Jews that had adopted the Christian religion under duress, to sail for places outside Christendom, like North Africa or the Land of Israel, where they could return openly to Judaism.  Among them was the Ribash, who escaped to Tunis.

Rabbi Hasday Crescas died in Zaragoza in 1411.

HIS BOOKS

Rabbi Crescas’ life was very intense and he had a very limited time for writing.  As part of a campaign to combat the Christianizing literature aimed to convert the Jews, he wrote in Catalan his “Refutation of the Christian Principles”. There is a translation of this book into English done by my friend, Professor Daniel Lasker, from Ben Gurion University. See here
The most famous book of Rabbi Crescas is “Or HaShem”.  In it Rabbi Crescas praises the immensity of Maimonides’ work but disagrees with him in many areas. One example: according to Maimonides, the opening words of the Ten Commandants, “I am the Lord your God” (Ex. 20:2) constitute the positive commandment to believe in the existence of God. Rabbi Crescas, by contrast, argued that to believe in the existence of God cannot be a commandment itself. It  must be a presupposition for the other commandments. Before one can speak of a divine commandment one must  be convinced of the existence of a Divine Commander. For rabbi Crescas belief is involuntary, and one can only be reasonably commanded to do what one has the power to choose to do. Therefore, he thinks that the belief in the existence of God is a preamble for all the other commandments, but not a commandment in itself.

To download the book OR HASHEM see this