Moshe Alshich
Encyclopedia
Moshe Alshich, also spelled Alshech, (1508–1593, Safed
), known as the Alshich Hakadosh (the Holy), was a prominent rabbi
, preacher, and biblical
commentator in the latter part of the 16th century.
The Alshich was born in 1508 in Turkey
, and was the son of Hayyim Alshich. He later moved to Safed where he became a student of Rabbi Joseph Caro
. His students included Rabbi Hayim Vital
and Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon
. He died in Safed in 1593.
, the Arizal HaKadosh
and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
, all of them distinctive personalities in their times. Various reasons have been suggested as to why the Alshich received the "Hakadosh" title.
His homiletical commentaries on the Torah
and the Prophets
enjoy much popularity and are still studied today, largely because of their powerful influence as practical exhortations to virtuous life.
, author of the "Shulchan Aruch
"; and his own disciples included the Kabbalist R. Hayim Vital
. Although the Alshich belonged to the circle of the Kabbalists who lived at Safed, his works very rarely betray any traces of the Kabbalah
. He is celebrated as a teacher, preacher, and casuist.
Little is known of his life. In his works he avoids mention of himself, telling only of his course of study; thus in the preface to his commentary on the Pentateuch he says:
Legend has it that his son was taken as a child and became a Moslem, and the Arizal authored a special prayer for the son's return.
Like Abravanel
and some other commentators, Alshich headed each section of his comments with a number of questions which he anticipated on the part of the reader; he then proceeded to give a summary of his view, and concluded with answering all the questions seriatim. His Commentaries abound in references to Talmud
, Midrash
and Zohar
, but contain scant references to other commentaries, such as the works of Abravanel, R. Levi ben Gershon
or Maimonides
. His explanations are all of a homiletical character; his sole object being to find in each sentence or in each word of the Scriptures a moral lesson, a support for trust in God, encouragement to patient endurance, and a proof of the vanity of all earthly goods as compared with the everlasting bliss to be acquired in the future life. He frequently and earnestly appeals to his brethren, exhorting them to repent, and to abandon, or at least restrict, the pursuit of all worldly pleasures, and thus accelerate the approach of the Messianic era. Alshich possessed an easy and fluent style; his expositions are mostly of an allegorical character, but very rarely approach mysticism. In his commentary on the Song of Solomon
, he calls peshaִt (literal explanation) and sod (mystical interpretation) the two opposite extremes, while he declares his own method of introducing allegorical exposition to be the safe mean between these extremes. Alshich wrote the following commentaries, most of which have appeared in several editions:
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...
), known as the Alshich Hakadosh (the Holy), was a prominent 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...
, preacher, and biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
commentator in the latter part of the 16th century.
The Alshich was born in 1508 in 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...
, and was the son of Hayyim Alshich. He later moved to Safed where he became a student of Rabbi Joseph Caro
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...
. His students included Rabbi Hayim Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings...
and Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon
Yom Tov Tzahalon
Yom Tov ben Moshe Tzahalon, , also known as the Maharitatz, , was a student of Moses di Trani and Moshe Alshich, and published a collection of responsa....
. He died in Safed in 1593.
Significance
Only a few rabbis were granted the title "Hakadosh" throughout Jewish history. Alongside the Alshich were the Shelah HaKadoshIsaiah Horowitz
Isaiah Horowitz, , also known as the Shelah ha-Kadosh after the title of his best-known work, was a prominent Levite rabbi and mystic.-Biography:...
, the Arizal HaKadosh
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...
and the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh
Chaim ibn Attar
Chaim ben Moses ibn Attar also known as the Ohr ha-Chaim after his popular commentary on the Pentateuch, was a Talmudist and kabbalist; born at Meknes, Morocco, in 1696; died in Jerusalem, Israel July 7, 1743. He was one of the most prominent rabbis in Morocco.In 1733 he decided to leave his native...
, all of them distinctive personalities in their times. Various reasons have been suggested as to why the Alshich received the "Hakadosh" title.
His homiletical commentaries on the 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...
and the Prophets
Nevi'im
Nevi'im is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. It falls between the Torah and Ketuvim .Nevi'im is traditionally divided into two parts:...
enjoy much popularity and are still studied today, largely because of their powerful influence as practical exhortations to virtuous life.
Life
He was a disciple of R. Joseph CaroYosef 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...
, author of the "Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...
"; and his own disciples included the Kabbalist R. Hayim Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital
Hayyim ben Joseph Vital was a rabbi in Safed and the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria. He recorded much of his master's teachings...
. Although the Alshich belonged to the circle of the Kabbalists who lived at Safed, his works very rarely betray any traces of the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/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...
. He is celebrated as a teacher, preacher, and casuist.
Little is known of his life. In his works he avoids mention of himself, telling only of his course of study; thus in the preface to his commentary on the Pentateuch he says:
Legend has it that his son was taken as a child and became a Moslem, and the Arizal authored a special prayer for the son's return.
Works
These lectures were afterward published as "Commentaries" (perushim) on the books of the Holy Scriptures, and Alshich gives a remarkable reason for their publication: "Many of those who had listened to my lectures repeated them partly or wholly in their own names. These offenses will be prevented by the publication of my own work". These lectures, though somewhat lengthy, were not tedious to his audience. The author repeatedly declares that in their printed form (as "Commentaries") he greatly curtailed them by omitting everything which was not absolutely necessary, or which he had already mentioned in another place.Like Abravanel
Isaac Abrabanel
Isaac ben Judah Abrabanel, , commonly referred to just as Abarbanel, was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator, and financier.-Biography:...
and some other commentators, Alshich headed each section of his comments with a number of questions which he anticipated on the part of the reader; he then proceeded to give a summary of his view, and concluded with answering all the questions seriatim. His Commentaries abound in references to 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....
, Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
and Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
, but contain scant references to other commentaries, such as the works of Abravanel, R. Levi ben Gershon
Gersonides
Levi ben Gershon, better known by his Latinised name as Gersonides or the abbreviation of first letters as RaLBaG , philosopher, Talmudist, mathematician, astronomer/astrologer. He was born at Bagnols in Languedoc, France...
or Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses 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...
. His explanations are all of a homiletical character; his sole object being to find in each sentence or in each word of the Scriptures a moral lesson, a support for trust in God, encouragement to patient endurance, and a proof of the vanity of all earthly goods as compared with the everlasting bliss to be acquired in the future life. He frequently and earnestly appeals to his brethren, exhorting them to repent, and to abandon, or at least restrict, the pursuit of all worldly pleasures, and thus accelerate the approach of the Messianic era. Alshich possessed an easy and fluent style; his expositions are mostly of an allegorical character, but very rarely approach mysticism. In his commentary on the Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon
The Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
, he calls peshaִt (literal explanation) and sod (mystical interpretation) the two opposite extremes, while he declares his own method of introducing allegorical exposition to be the safe mean between these extremes. Alshich wrote the following commentaries, most of which have appeared in several editions:
- "Torat Mosheh" (Commentary on the Pentateuch), first ed. Belvedere near Constantinople, about 1593. Complete, with Indexes, Venice, 1601.
- An abstract of this commentary was prepared by Jos. b. Aryeh Loeb, and has appeared in various forms (entitled: "Qitsur Alshich 'al ha-Torah"), Amsterdam, 1748.
- "Marot ha-Tsobeot" (Collected Visions), on the prophets and their prophecies, Venice, 1803-7.
- Extracts from this commentary are included in "Minhah Qe'tannah," a commentary on the earlier prophets; published in the Biblia Rabbinica (Qohelet Mosheh), Amsterdam, 1724.
- "Romemot El" (Praises of God), on the book of Psalms, Venice, 1605.
- "Rab Peninim" (Multitude of Pearls), on Proverbs, Venice, 1601.
- "Helqat Mehoqeq" (The Lawgiver's Portion), on Job, Venice, 1603.
- "Shoshanat ha-'Amaqim" (Lily of the Valleys), on the Song of SolomonSong of SolomonThe Song of Songs of Solomon, commonly referred to as Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the megillot —found in the last section of the Tanakh, known as the Ketuvim...
. This commentary was the first to appear in print, and was edited by Alshich himself in 1591. According to this commentary, the Song is an allegoryAllegoryAllegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
, and represents a dialogue between God and exiled Israel on the latter's mission. - "'Ene Mosheh" (Eyes of Moses), on Ruth. Alshich says of the book of RuthBook of RuthThe Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
, "Surely from it we might take a lesson how to serve God"; and illustrates this statement throughout his commentary, Venice, 1601. - "Devarim Nihumim" (Comforting Words), on the "Lamentations of Jeremiah". The title is not merely a euphemism for Lamentations; the author repeatedly attempts to show that there is no cause for despair, God being with Israel, and though the Temple is destroyed the Shekinah has not departed from the Western WallWestern WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
, Venice, 1601. - "Devarim Tovim" (Good Words), on EcclesiastesEcclesiastesThe Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
. Alshich calls EcclesiastesEcclesiastesThe Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
, on account of its deep thoughts, "Waters without end" (oceans). He endeavors in the commentary to illustrate, as the central idea of the book, the dictum, "All is vain, except the fear of the Lord, which is the essential condition of man's real existence," Venice, 1601. - "Massat Mosheh" (Moses' Gift), on the book of EstherBook of EstherThe Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
, presented by the author to his brethren as a Purim gift, Venice, 1601. - The commentaries of Alshich on these last-named five books ("megillot", "scrolls") appeared in an abridged form, edited by Eleazer b. Hananiah Tarnigrad, Amsterdam, 1697.
- "Habatselet ha-Sharon" (The Rose of Sharon), on the book of Daniel, Safed, 1563, and Venice, 1592.
- A commentary on the "Hafִtarot" called "Liqqute Man" (Gatherings of Manna), was compiled chiefly from "Marot ha-Tsobeot," by E. M. Markbreit, Amsterdam, 1704.
- "Yarim Mosheh" is the title of a commentary on Abot, gathered from the works of Alshich by Joseph B. M. Schlenker, Fürth, 1764.
- A commentary of Alshich on the Haggadah (Home Service for the first nights of Passover) appears in the edition of the Haggadah called "Bet Horim" (House of Free Men). The commentary is full of interesting remarks and earnest exhortations (Metz, 1767). Even in the introduction the laws for Passover and the order for the evening are treated allegorically, and made the vehicle for religious meditation. It is, however, not likely that Alshich wrote these notes for the Haggadah. They were probably gathered from his works long after his death, as otherwise the Haggadah would have been published with his commentary much earlier.
- "ResponsaResponsaResponsa 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...
"; as a casuist he was frequently consulted by other rabbis, and his decisions were collected in a volume of responsa (Venice, 1605; Berlin, 1766). His contemporaries frequently quote his opinions. During his lifetime Azariah dei RossiAzariah dei RossiAzariah ben Moses dei Rossi was an Italian-Jewish physician and scholar. He was born at Mantua in 1513 or 1514; and died in 1578. He was descended from an old Jewish family which, according to a tradition, was brought by Titus from Jerusalem...
produced his "Meor 'Enayim" (Light for the Eyes), in which the author rejected some beliefs generally received as traditional; Alshich, at the request of his teacher, R. Joseph Caro, wrote a declaration against the "Meor 'Enayim" as being contrary and dangerous to the Jewish religion (Kerem Chemed, v. 141). - Alshich wrote also a poem, "DirgeDirgeA dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. A lament. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam , the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office...
on the Exile of Israel," in a very simple style in ten rhyming verses. It has been introduced into various earlier morning rituals, such as "Ayelet ha-Shachar" (The Morning Dawn). It is also contained in the collection of prayers and hymns called "Sha'are Zion" (The Gates of Zion).