Marco Mortara
Encyclopedia
Marco MortaraMarco Mortara (born at Viadana, 7 May 1815; died at Mantua
, 2 February 1894 was an Italian rabbi and scholar.
Having graduated from the rabbinical college of Padua
in 1836, he was called as rabbi to Mantua in 1842, and occupied this position until his death. He was very conservative in his religious views and opposed the abolition of the second day of the holy days which had been planned by some of the liberal members of his congregation (Eleazar Horowitz, Responsa, No. 131, Vienna, 1870).
As a true disciple of Samuel David Luzzatto
he was a strong opponent of Cabala
, which involved him in a heated controversy with Elijah Benamozegh
. In his will he wrote his epitaph, containing merely biographical data, and expressed the wish that no sermon should be preached at his funeral and no eulogy published in the papers.
Besides many sermons and articles, published in German, Hebrew, French, and Italian periodicals, he wrote textbooks for religious instruction, essays on religious questions of the day, apologetic essays, and bibliographical works, among which is of special importance a list of all names pertaining to Jewish history in Italy under the title Mazkeret Ḥakme Italiya: Indice Alfabetico dei Rabbini e Scrittori Israeliti di Cose Giudaiche in Italia, Padua, 1887.
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
, 2 February 1894 was an Italian rabbi and scholar.
Having graduated from the rabbinical college of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
in 1836, he was called as rabbi to Mantua in 1842, and occupied this position until his death. He was very conservative in his religious views and opposed the abolition of the second day of the holy days which had been planned by some of the liberal members of his congregation (Eleazar Horowitz, Responsa, No. 131, Vienna, 1870).
As a true disciple of Samuel David Luzzatto
Samuel David Luzzatto
Samuel David Luzzatto was an Italian Jewish scholar, poet, and a member of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement. He is also known by his Hebrew acronym, Shadal ....
he was a strong opponent of Cabala
Cabala
Cabala may refer to one of several systems of Mysticism:* Kabbalah, the religious mystical system of Judaism...
, which involved him in a heated controversy with Elijah Benamozegh
Elijah Benamozegh
Elijah Benamozegh, sometimes Elia or Eliyahu, was an Italian Orthodox rabbi and a noted Kabbalist, highly respected in his day as one of Italy's most eminent Jewish scholars. He served for half a century as rabbi of the important Jewish community of Livorno, where the Piazza Benamozegh now...
. In his will he wrote his epitaph, containing merely biographical data, and expressed the wish that no sermon should be preached at his funeral and no eulogy published in the papers.
Besides many sermons and articles, published in German, Hebrew, French, and Italian periodicals, he wrote textbooks for religious instruction, essays on religious questions of the day, apologetic essays, and bibliographical works, among which is of special importance a list of all names pertaining to Jewish history in Italy under the title Mazkeret Ḥakme Italiya: Indice Alfabetico dei Rabbini e Scrittori Israeliti di Cose Giudaiche in Italia, Padua, 1887.