Josiah ben Joseph Pinto
Encyclopedia
Josiah ben Joseph Pinto (c. 1565 - c. 1648) (Hebrew: יאשיהו בן יוסף פינטו) was a Syrian rabbi and preacher born at Damascus
. His father, Joseph Pinto, was one of the rich and charitable men of that city. Josiah was a pupil of various rabbis in Talmud
and Kabala
, and later, after his father's death, he studied Talmud under Jacob Abulafia, who ordained him as rabbi. Pinto's permanent residence was at Damascus, where later he officiated as rabbi until his death in Feb. or March of 1648. He went twice to Aleppo
, and in 1625 he moved to Safed
with the intention of settling there, but the death of his young son, Joseph, which occurred a year later, induced him to return to Damascus.
Some of his responsa are to be found in the collection of Yom-Ṭob Ẓahalon and in Aaron Alfandari
's Yad Aharon. His unpublished works are: Kesef Nim'as, a commentary on Lamentations
, Ḳebuẓẓat Kesef, a collection of civil laws and of laws concerning women, and a collection of responsa
.
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. His father, Joseph Pinto, was one of the rich and charitable men of that city. Josiah was a pupil of various rabbis in 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....
and Kabala
Kabala
Kabala can refer to:*Kabbalah, system of Jewish mysticism*Kabala, Sierra Leone, town in Sierra Leone*Kabala, Estonia, village in Türi Parish, Järva County, Estonia*Kabala, Mardin a town in Mardin Province of Turkey*Ka-Bala, 1967 fortune telling board game...
, and later, after his father's death, he studied Talmud under Jacob Abulafia, who ordained him as rabbi. Pinto's permanent residence was at Damascus, where later he officiated as rabbi until his death in Feb. or March of 1648. He went twice to Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, and in 1625 he moved to 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...
with the intention of settling there, but the death of his young son, Joseph, which occurred a year later, induced him to return to Damascus.
Works
Pinto was the author of the following works:- Kesef Nibḥar (Damascus, 1616), a collection of homilies and comments on Genesis and Exodus
- Kesef Mezuḳḳaḳ (finished 1625, and published at Venice, 1628), a homiletic commentary on the Pentateuch, followed by a pamphlet entitled Kesef To'afot, glosses on the Pentateuch
- Me'or 'Enayim, commentary on Jacob ibn ḤabibJacob ibn HabibJacob ben Solomon ibn Habib was a rabbi and talmudist born at Zamora, Spain. In his youth Ibn Ḥabib studied the Talmud under R...
's En Ya'aḳob, which is a collection of the haggadot of the Babylonian Talmud (part i, with the text, Venice, 1643; part ii, with other commentaries and the text, Amsterdam, 1754) - Kesef Ẓaruf (ib. 1714), commentary on ProverbsBook of ProverbsThe Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
- Nibḥar mi-Kesef (Aleppo, 1869).
Some of his responsa are to be found in the collection of Yom-Ṭob Ẓahalon and in Aaron Alfandari
Aaron Alfandari
Aaron ben Moses Alfandari was a Talmudic writer born in Smyrna. He emigrated to Palestine in his old age, where he met Azulai. He was the author of two works:...
's Yad Aharon. His unpublished works are: Kesef Nim'as, a commentary on Lamentations
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
, Ḳebuẓẓat Kesef, a collection of civil laws and of laws concerning women, and a collection of 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...
.
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; - Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 382;
- Fürst, Bibl. Jud. iii.104;
- Elijah Vita Sassoon, in Ha-Lebanon, vii.15, 23;
- Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. cols. 1546-1547.