David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra
Encyclopedia
Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra , also called Radbaz (רדב"ז) after the initials of his name, Rabbi David iBn Zimra, was an early Acharon
of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek
, rosh yeshiva
, chief rabbi
, and author of more than 3,000 responsa (halakhic decisions) as well as several scholarly works.
, settled in Safed
, where he studied under the direction of Joseph Saragossi
.
For unknown reasons, he left Erez Israel at the age of 31 or 32 and traveled to Fes
, where he became a member of the beth din
(rabbinical court) presided over by the nagid
Isaac Sholal.
In 1517, upon the abolition of the office of nagid by the Turkish government, the Radbaz moved to Cairo
. There he was appointed Hakham Bashi
, or Chief Rabbi
of Egypt
, a title he held for forty years. He was highly revered for his vast knowledge, integrity of character, and extensive philanthropy. Independently wealthy, the Radbaz was a successful merchant with business connections in other countries. The yeshiva
which he founded and supported attracted many distinguished students, among them Bezalel Ashkenazi
and Isaac Luria
.
In the introduction to his commentary on Song of Songs
, Isaac Akrish paints in vivid colors the character of the Radbaz, in whose house he lived for ten years. According to Akrish, the Radbaz was very prominent in both the social and the political life of Egypt, thanks to his status as a wealthy intellectual. During the time he served as Chief Rabbi, he introduced many reforms to the everyday life and religion of the Egyptian Jews
. It was he who abolished the use of the Seleucid
dating system in the Egyptian Jewish community and reintroduced the dating of years from Creation, as was done in other Jewish communities and continues to be done until the present day.
Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate and divided the greater part of his fortune among the poor, making special provision for Torah
scholars. He then moved to Jerusalem. But he did not stay there long, due to the burdensome taxes that the Turkish government
had imposed upon Jews. He settled in Safed, where he became an active member of the rabbinical court presided over by Yosef Karo
, who held him in great esteem. He spent the last 20 years of his life in peace, continuing his learning and his writing.
The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573 at the age of 110 (some authorities say he was 94 years of age).
Acharonim
Acharonim is a term used in Jewish law and history, to signify the leading rabbis and poskim living from roughly the 16th century to the present....
of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
, rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
, chief rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
, and author of more than 3,000 responsa (halakhic decisions) as well as several scholarly works.
Biography
The Radbaz was born in Spain around 1479. He was thirteen years of age when his parents, banished from SpainAlhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
, settled in Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
, where he studied under the direction of Joseph Saragossi
Joseph Saragossi
Joseph Saragossi was a Spanish-born Palestinian rabbi and kabbalist of the 15th and 16th centuries. He is credited with developing Safed into an important Jewish and kabbalistic centre....
.
For unknown reasons, he left Erez Israel at the age of 31 or 32 and traveled to Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, where he became a member of the beth din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
(rabbinical court) presided over by the nagid
Nagid
Nagid, , is a Hebrew term meaning a prince or leader. This title was often applied to the religious leader in Sephardic communities of the Middle Ages, generally in Egypt. Among the individuals bearing this title are the following:* Samuel ha-Nagid...
Isaac Sholal.
In 1517, upon the abolition of the office of nagid by the Turkish government, the Radbaz moved to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. There he was appointed Hakham Bashi
Hakham Bashi
Hakham Bashi is the Turkish name for the Chief Rabbi of the nation's Jewish community.-History:The institution of the Hakham Bashi was established by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, as part of the millet system for governing exceedingly diverse subjects according to their own laws and authorities...
, or Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, a title he held for forty years. He was highly revered for his vast knowledge, integrity of character, and extensive philanthropy. Independently wealthy, the Radbaz was a successful merchant with business connections in other countries. The yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
which he founded and supported attracted many distinguished students, among them Bezalel Ashkenazi
Bezalel Ashkenazi
Bezalel ben Abraham Ashkenazi was a rabbi and talmudist who lived in Ottoman Palestine during the 16th century. He is best known as the author of Shittah Mekubetzet, a commentary on the Talmud. He is very straightforward in his writings and occasionally offers textual amendments to the Talmud...
and Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
.
In the introduction to his commentary on Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
, Isaac Akrish paints in vivid colors the character of the Radbaz, in whose house he lived for ten years. According to Akrish, the Radbaz was very prominent in both the social and the political life of Egypt, thanks to his status as a wealthy intellectual. During the time he served as Chief Rabbi, he introduced many reforms to the everyday life and religion of the Egyptian Jews
History of the Jews in Egypt
Egyptian Jews constitute both one of the oldest and youngest Jewish communities in the world. While no exact census exists, the Jewish population of Egypt was estimated at fewer than a hundred in 2004, down from between 75,000 and 80,000 in 1922. The historic core of the indigenous community...
. It was he who abolished the use of the Seleucid
Seleucid era
The Seleucid era was a system of numbering years in use by the Seleucid Empire and other countries among the ancient Hellenistic civilizations. The era dates from the return of Seleucus I Nicator to Babylon in 311 BC after his exile in Ptolemaic Egypt, considered by Seleucus and his court to mark...
dating system in the Egyptian Jewish community and reintroduced the dating of years from Creation, as was done in other Jewish communities and continues to be done until the present day.
Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate and divided the greater part of his fortune among the poor, making special provision for Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
scholars. He then moved to Jerusalem. But he did not stay there long, due to the burdensome taxes that the Turkish government
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
had imposed upon Jews. He settled in Safed, where he became an active member of the rabbinical court presided over by Yosef Karo
Yosef Karo
Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, also spelled Yosef Caro, or Qaro, was author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, which is still authoritative for all Jews pertaining to their respective communities...
, who held him in great esteem. He spent the last 20 years of his life in peace, continuing his learning and his writing.
The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573 at the age of 110 (some authorities say he was 94 years of age).
Works
- Divrei David ("Words of David") — containing decisions and chiddushim (original Torah thoughts) on MaimonidesMaimonidesMoses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
' Mishneh TorahMishneh TorahThe Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
, published by Joseph Zamiro, together with his own work, Hon Yosef, LivornoLivornoLivorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, 1828. - Yekar Tiferet ("Honor of Excellency") — containing answers to the criticisms of Abraham ben DavidAbraham ben DavidRabbeinu Abraham ben David was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, Sefer Halachot of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and Mishne Torah of Maimonides, and is regarded as a father of Kabbalah and one of the key and important links in the chain of Jewish mystics...
on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah and commentaries on those passages in that work which the Maggid Mishneh of Vidal of TolosaVidal of TolosaVidal of Tolosa was a Spanish rabbi and scholar of the latter half of the fourteenth century.Vidal resided in Catalonia, where he prepared his most important work, Maggid Mishneh, a commentary on Maimonides' Mishneh Torah...
overlooks; of these commentaries, the portions on Hafla'ah and Zera'im were published in SmyrnaSmyrnaSmyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
in 1757, and the remaining portions in the Vilna edition of the Mishneh Torah, 1890. - Kelalei ha-Gemara ("Rules of the GemaraGemaraThe Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
") — a methodology of the TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, published in the collection Me-Harere Nemarim of Abraham ben Solomon Akra, Venice, 1599. - Ohr Kadmon ("Pristine Light") — a KabbalisticKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
work, edited by Moses HagizMoses HagizMoses Hagiz was a Talmudic scholar, rabbi, kabbalist, and author born in Jerusalem, Palestine. He was one of the most prominent and influential Jewish leaders in 17th-century Amsterdam...
, VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, 1713. - Magen David ("Shield of David") — a mystical explanation of the Hebrew alphabetHebrew alphabetThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
opposing RecanatiMenahem RecanatiMenahem ben Benjamin Recanati was an Italian rabbi who flourished at the close of the thirteenth century and in the early part of the fourteenth. He was the only Italian of his time who devoted the chief part of his writings to the Kabbala....
and Rabbi Judah Ḥayyaṭ, edited by Chagis, AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, 1713. - Metzudat David ("The Bulwark of David") — revealing reasons for the 613 commandments according to the four methods of explanation known as the "Pardes system" (Zolkiev, 1862).
- Michtam le-David ("David's Poem") — Kabbalistic homilies on the Song of SongsSong of songsSong of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
, still extant in manuscript. - Keter Malkut ("Crown of Royalty") — prayers for Yom KippurYom KippurYom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
, first published with the above-mentioned Ohr Kadmon, reprinted in the Shevet Musar of Elijah ben Abraham Solomon ha-Kohen of Smyrna, and finally inserted by HeidenheimWolf HeidenheimWolf ben Samson Heidenheim was a German exegete and grammarian born at Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm At an early age Heidenheim was sent to Fürth, where he studied Talmud under Joseph Steinhardt, author of Zikron Yosef, and, from 1777, under Hirsch Janow...
in the ritual for the eve of Yom Kippur. - Gilui le-Idrot — a commentary on the Idrot with notes by Rabbi Chaim VitalHayyim ben Joseph VitalHayyim ben Joseph Vital was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings...
, still extant in manuscript in the Abarbanel Library in Jerusalem. - Dinei Rabba ve-Zutra ("The Great and Small Decisions") — a commentary on the Shulkhan Arukh.
- Shivim Panim la-Torah ("Seventy Faces to the Torah") — the latter two works are mentioned in the preface of Magen David. The Radbaz's responsa are his greatest contribution to Jewish literature; parts of it were published in Livorno, 1651 (Nos. 1-300); Venice, 1799 (Nos. 1-318); Fürth, 1781 (Nos. 400-649); Livorno, 1818 (Nos. 2051-2341). A complete edition of the responsa was published in Sudzilkow, 1836.