Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas
Encyclopedia
Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas (1610 – April 15, 1698), was a rabbi
, cabalist
, and anti-Shabbethaian
; he was the father of Isaac ben Jacob Sasportas.
Sasportas was born at Oran
. He became rabbi successively of Tlemçen
(at the age of twenty-four), Morocco, Fez, and Sali. In about 1646 he was imprisoned by the Moorish king, but succeeded in escaping with his family to Amsterdam (ca. 1653). He stayed there till the disorders in Africa ceased, when he was called back by the King of Morocco and sent on a special mission to the Spanish court (ca. 1659) to ask for aid against the rebels. On his return he was invited to the rabbinate of the Portuguese
community of London (1664). According to David Franco Mendes
(in "Ha-Meassef," 1788, p. 169), Jacob had accompanied Menasseh ben Israel
to London in 1655. Owing to the outbreak of the plague in London in 1665, Jacob went to Hamburg, where he officiated as rabbi till 1673. In that year he was called to Amsterdam and appointed head of the yeshiva
h Keter Torah, founded by the brothers Pinto. Two years later he became dayyan and head of the yeshibah at Leghorn, and in 1680 he returned to Amsterdam, where he was appointed head of the yeshibah 'Eẓ Ḥayyim. After the death of Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
(1693) he was appointed rabbi of the Portuguese community, which office he held till his death at Amsterdam
.
Jacob was one of the most violent antagonists of the Shabbethaian movement; he wrote many letters to various communities in Europe, Asia, and Africa, exhorting them to unmask the impostors and to warn the people against them.
Grätz
("Gesch." x., note 2) identifies Jacob Sasportas with Jaho Saportas, who competed with the Cansinos for the office of interpreter at the Spanish court (Jacob Cansino's preface to Moses Almosnino's "Extremos y Grandezas de Constantinople," Madrid, 1638).
Jacob edited the "Hekal ha-Ḳodesh" of Moses b. Maimun Albas, to which he added an introduction and supplied notes (Amsterdam, 1653).
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...
, cabalist
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...
, and anti-Shabbethaian
Sabbatai Zevi
Sabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
; he was the father of Isaac ben Jacob Sasportas.
Sasportas was born at Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
. He became rabbi successively of Tlemçen
Tlemcen
Tlemcen is a town in Northwestern Algeria, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located inland in the center of a region known for its olive plantations and vineyards...
(at the age of twenty-four), Morocco, Fez, and Sali. In about 1646 he was imprisoned by the Moorish king, but succeeded in escaping with his family to Amsterdam (ca. 1653). He stayed there till the disorders in Africa ceased, when he was called back by the King of Morocco and sent on a special mission to the Spanish court (ca. 1659) to ask for aid against the rebels. On his return he was invited to the rabbinate of the Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
community of London (1664). According to David Franco Mendes
David Franco Mendes
David Franco Mendes was a Jewish Hebrew-language poet, born in Amsterdam Aug. 13, 1713; died there Oct. 10, 1792. A business man, he devoted his leisure hours to the study of the Talmud, in which he became very proficient. He knew several languages, and was especially well versed in Hebrew...
(in "Ha-Meassef," 1788, p. 169), Jacob had accompanied Menasseh ben Israel
Menasseh Ben Israel
Manoel Dias Soeiro , better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh Ben Israel , was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, scholar, writer, diplomat, printer and publisher, founder of the first Hebrew printing press in Amsterdam in...
to London in 1655. Owing to the outbreak of the plague in London in 1665, Jacob went to Hamburg, where he officiated as rabbi till 1673. In that year he was called to Amsterdam and appointed head of 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...
h Keter Torah, founded by the brothers Pinto. Two years later he became dayyan and head of the yeshibah at Leghorn, and in 1680 he returned to Amsterdam, where he was appointed head of the yeshibah 'Eẓ Ḥayyim. After the death of Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was a rabbi, scholar, kabbalist and writer. In 1656, he was one of several elders within the Portuguese-Israelite community in the Netherlands who excommunicated Baruch Spinoza for the statements this philosopher made concerning the nature of God.Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was...
(1693) he was appointed rabbi of the Portuguese community, which office he held till his death at 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...
.
Jacob was one of the most violent antagonists of the Shabbethaian movement; he wrote many letters to various communities in Europe, Asia, and Africa, exhorting them to unmask the impostors and to warn the people against them.
Grätz
Heinrich Graetz
Heinrich Graetz was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective....
("Gesch." x., note 2) identifies Jacob Sasportas with Jaho Saportas, who competed with the Cansinos for the office of interpreter at the Spanish court (Jacob Cansino's preface to Moses Almosnino's "Extremos y Grandezas de Constantinople," Madrid, 1638).
Works
- Toledot Ya'aḳob (Amsterdam, 1652), an index of Biblical passages found in the haggadah of the Jerusalem TalmudJerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
, similar to Aaron Pesaro's "Toledot Aharon," which relates to the Babylonian 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....
only; - Ohel Ya'aḳob (ib.1737), responsa, edited and prefaced by his son Abraham Sasportas;
- Ẓiẓat Nobel Ẓebi (ib. 1737), polemical correspondence against Shabbethai ẒebiSabbatai ZeviSabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
and his followers, also edited by his son. The last-named work was afterward abridged by Jacob EmdenJacob EmdenJacob Emden also known as Ya'avetz, , was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement...
under the title "Ḳiẓẓur Ẓiẓat Nobel Ẓebi" (Altona, n.d.).
Jacob edited the "Hekal ha-Ḳodesh" of Moses b. Maimun Albas, to which he added an introduction and supplied notes (Amsterdam, 1653).