Moses Alashkar
Encyclopedia
Moses ben Isaac Alashkar (15th-16th century) was a rabbi who lived in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, but subsequently resided in Jerusalem.

Moses Alashkar was prominent among contemporaneous rabbis, and his opinions were held in esteem throughout the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...

, and even in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. In a letter to Elijah ha-Levi – the teacher of Elijah Mizrachi
Elijah Mizrachi
Elijah Mizrachi was a Talmudist and posek, an authority on Halakha. He is best known for his Sefer ha-Mizrachi, a supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Torah...

 – he complained that his large correspondence deprived him of much of the time due to his professional duties. The two following are the most important of his works: (1) Hassagot (Critical Notes), in which he demolishes the whole dogmatical structure built up in Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov
Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov
Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov was a Spanish kabbalist and fierce opponent of rationalistic philosophy.-Biography:...

's Sefer ha-Emunot; (2) Responsa, 121 in number. Both were printed together at Sabbionetta, 1553. A separate edition of the Hassagot appeared three years later at Ferrara. This collection, which reached even distant Jewish communities, is of importance for the geographical names in rabbinical writings and in bills of divorce.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

  • Jew. Quart. Rev. vi. 400, x. 133, xii. 119;
  • Oẓar Nehmad, iii. 105;
  • Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 1765;
  • Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 30;
  • Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim, No. 45.
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