Joseph Escapa
Encyclopedia
Joseph Escapa served in the rabbinate of İzmir
. He was probably born at Skopje
, European Turkey
, after which place he is named.
At first rabbi
and chief of the yeshivah at Thessaloniki
, he later filled the same offices at İzmir, where at the beginning he shared the rabbinate with Joshua Ashkenazi Azariah. When differences of opinion arose between them in regard to matters of ritual, they appealed to the rabbis of Thessaloniki for arbitration. After his colleague's death, Escapa remained sole rabbi of İzmir until the end of his life. David Conforte
says he saw Escapa when the latter was about one hundred years old.
Escapa was especially known for having been the teacher of Shabbetai Tzvi and for having afterward excommunicated him. Escapa wrote an important work called Rosh Yosef, a detailed commentary and novellæ on the Arbah Turim of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher
. Part one, which has been published, contains a portion of the Ṭur Oraḥ Ḥayyim (İzmir, 1658); part two, on Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ, has been published up to ch. 76 (İzmir, 1659). He also wrote responsa
; some were published under the title of Teshubot Rosh Yosef (Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1709).
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
. He was probably born at Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, European Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, after which place he is named.
At first rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and chief of the yeshivah at Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, he later filled the same offices at İzmir, where at the beginning he shared the rabbinate with Joshua Ashkenazi Azariah. When differences of opinion arose between them in regard to matters of ritual, they appealed to the rabbis of Thessaloniki for arbitration. After his colleague's death, Escapa remained sole rabbi of İzmir until the end of his life. David Conforte
David Conforte
David Conforte was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title Ḳore ha-Dorot.-Biography:...
says he saw Escapa when the latter was about one hundred years old.
Escapa was especially known for having been the teacher of Shabbetai Tzvi and for having afterward excommunicated him. Escapa wrote an important work called Rosh Yosef, a detailed commentary and novellæ on the Arbah Turim of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher
Jacob ben Asher
Jacob ben Asher, also known as Ba'al ha-Turimas well as Rabbi Yaakov ben Raash , was likely born in Cologne, Germany c.1269 and likely died in Toledo, Spain c.1343....
. Part one, which has been published, contains a portion of the Ṭur Oraḥ Ḥayyim (İzmir, 1658); part two, on Ḥoshen Mishpaṭ, has been published up to ch. 76 (İzmir, 1659). He also wrote responsa
Responsa
Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...
; some were published under the title of Teshubot Rosh Yosef (Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1709).
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- AzulaiChaim Joseph David AzulaiChaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...
, Shem ha-Gedolim, i.76; - David ConforteDavid ConforteDavid Conforte was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title Ḳore ha-Dorot.-Biography:...
, Kore ha-Dorot, ed. Cassel, p. 46a, Berlin, 1846; - Moritz SteinschneiderMoritz SteinschneiderMoritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...
, Jewish Literature, p. 216; - idem, Cat. Bodl. col. 1458;
- Joseph ZednerJoseph ZednerJoseph Zedner was a German Jewish bibliographer and librarian.After completing his education, he acted as teacher in the Jewish school in Strelitz , where the lexicographer Daniel Sanders was his pupil. In 1832 he became a tutor in the family of the book-seller A...
, Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus. p. 350; - Heinrich Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., x.187, 190.