Gedaliah ibn Yahya ben Joseph
Encyclopedia
Gedaliah ibn Yahya ben Joseph (c. 1515 – c. 1587) (Hebrew: גדליה בן יוסף אבן יחייא) was a talmudist born at Imola
, Italy
. He studied in the yeshibah at Ferrara
under Jacob Finzi and Abraham Rovigo
and Israel Rovigo. In 1549 he settled in Rovigo
, where he remained until 1562, in which year the burning of the Talmud
took place in Italy. He then went to Codiniola, and three years later to Salonica, whence he returned in 1567 to his native town. Expelled with other Jews by Pope Pius V
, and suffering a loss of 10,000 gold pieces, he went to Pesaro
, and thence to Ferrara, where he remained till 1575. During the ensuing eight years he led a wandering life, and finally settled in Alexandria
, which is probably where he died in 1587.
His chief work was the Sefer Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah, called also Sefer Yaḥya, on which he labored for more than forty years. This work is not without defects, having suffered either by reason of the author's itinerant mode of life or through faulty copying of the original manuscript. Its contents are as follows:
The value of this work is, however, lessened considerably by the facts that the writer has included many oral narratives which he gathered partly in his home, partly in Salonica and Alexandria, and that he often lacks the ability to distinguish truth from fiction. For these reasons the book has been called "The Chain of Lies"; but Loeb
has proved that it is more accurate than many have supposed it to be. The Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah was published at Venice
, 1587; Cracow, 1596; Amsterdam
, 1697; Zolkiev, 1802, 1804; Polonnoye, 1814; and Lemberg, 1862.
Gedaliah was the alleged author of twenty-one other works, which he enumerates at the end of his Shalshelet, and which are mentioned also in Benjacob's Oẓar ha-Sefarim (pp. 590–591).
Members of the Charlap family claim to be descended from Gedaliah, and through him, to the Exilarch
s of Babylonia
who claimed descent from King David.
Well-known descendants include:
Imola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He studied in the yeshibah at Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
under Jacob Finzi and Abraham Rovigo
Abraham Rovigo
Abraham Rovigo Abraham Rovigo Abraham Rovigo (born ca. 1650 in Modena, died 1713 in Mantua was a Jewish scholar, rabbi and kabbalist. He studied in Venice under the chair of Moses Zacuto and devoted himself to study the Kabbalah. He was one of the main supporters of the moderate wings of Sabbatai...
and Israel Rovigo. In 1549 he settled in Rovigo
Rovigo
Rovigo is a town and comune in the Veneto region of North-Eastern Italy, the capital of the eponymous province. -Geography:...
, where he remained until 1562, in which year the burning of the Talmud
Talmud
The 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....
took place in Italy. He then went to Codiniola, and three years later to Salonica, whence he returned in 1567 to his native town. Expelled with other Jews by Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V
Pope Saint Pius V , born Antonio Ghislieri , was Pope from 1566 to 1572 and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman liturgy within the Latin Church...
, and suffering a loss of 10,000 gold pieces, he went to Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
, and thence to Ferrara, where he remained till 1575. During the ensuing eight years he led a wandering life, and finally settled in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, which is probably where he died in 1587.
His chief work was the Sefer Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah, called also Sefer Yaḥya, on which he labored for more than forty years. This work is not without defects, having suffered either by reason of the author's itinerant mode of life or through faulty copying of the original manuscript. Its contents are as follows:
- History and genealogy of the JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
from the time of MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
until that of Moses Norzi (1587) - Account of the heavenly bodies, Creation, the soul, magic, and evil spirits
- History of the peoples among which the Jews have dwelt, and a description of the unhappy fate of the author's coreligionists up to his time.
The value of this work is, however, lessened considerably by the facts that the writer has included many oral narratives which he gathered partly in his home, partly in Salonica and Alexandria, and that he often lacks the ability to distinguish truth from fiction. For these reasons the book has been called "The Chain of Lies"; but Loeb
Loeb
Loeb may refer to:* Loeb , a Canadian chain of supermarket/grocery stores* Loeb's , a specialty department store...
has proved that it is more accurate than many have supposed it to be. The Shalshelet ha-Ḳabbalah was published at Venice
Venice
Venice 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...
, 1587; Cracow, 1596; Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam 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...
, 1697; Zolkiev, 1802, 1804; Polonnoye, 1814; and Lemberg, 1862.
Gedaliah was the alleged author of twenty-one other works, which he enumerates at the end of his Shalshelet, and which are mentioned also in Benjacob's Oẓar ha-Sefarim (pp. 590–591).
Members of the Charlap family claim to be descended from Gedaliah, and through him, to the Exilarch
Exilarch
Exilarch refers to the leaders of the Diaspora Jewish community in Babylon following the deportation of King Jeconiah and his court into Babylonian exile after the first fall of Jerusalem in 597 BCE and augmented after the further deportations following the destruction...
s of Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
who claimed descent from King David.
Well-known descendants include:
- Bill CharlapBill CharlapWilliam Morrison Charlap is a jazz pianist born October 15, 1966 in New York City.Bill Charlap comes from a musical background and is a distant cousin to famed jazz pianist Dick Hyman. His mother, Sandy Stewart , is a singer who had a hit in 1962 with My Coloring Book, while his father was Broadway...
, jazz pianist - Jane AlexanderJane AlexanderJane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
, actress and former Head of National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
(perhaps only related through marriage) - Albert "Tick Tock" Tannenbaum, protege of gangster Louis Lepke
- Yankel Rosenbaum, murdered in the Crown Heights RiotCrown Heights RiotThe Crown Heights Riot was a three-day riot in the United States that occurred August 19–21, 1991. It took place in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....
- Louis Proyect, Marxist scholar and activist
- Dick HymanDick HymanRichard “Dick” Hyman is an American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer, best-known for his versatility with jazz piano styles. Over a 50 year career, he has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and, increasingly, as composer...
, composer - Abram Leon Sachar, author of "A History of the Jews" and founding president of Brandeis UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
- Dorit BeinischDorit BeinischDorit Beinisch is the president of the Supreme Court of Israel. She was appointed to the position on September 14, 2006, after the retirement of Aharon Barak. She is the first woman to serve as president of the Supreme Court.-Biography:...
, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Israel