Moses ben Joseph di Trani (the Elder)
Encyclopedia
Moses ben Joseph di Trani known by his acronym Mabit (Salonica, Greece
1505 – Jerusalem, Palestine
1585) was a 16th-century rabbi in Safed
.
His father had fled to Salonica from Apulia
three years prior to his birth. While still a boy Moses was sent to Adrianople to pursue the study of the Talmud
under the supervision of his uncle Aaron. At the age of sixteen he went to Safed
and completed his studies under Jacob Berab
. In 1525 he was appointed rabbi
of Safed; he held this office until 1535, when he moved to Jerusalem.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
1505 – Jerusalem, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
1585) was a 16th-century rabbi in 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...
.
His father had fled to Salonica from Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
three years prior to his birth. While still a boy Moses was sent to Adrianople to pursue the study of the 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....
under the supervision of his uncle Aaron. At the age of sixteen he went 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...
and completed his studies under Jacob Berab
Jacob Berab
Jacob Berab, also spelled Yakov Berav or Bei Rav, was an influential rabbi and talmudist, born at Moqueda near Toledo, Castilian Spain, in 1474; died at Safed, Ottoman Palestine April 3, 1546.-Chosen rabbi at eighteen:Berab was a pupil of Isaac Aboab...
. In 1525 he was appointed 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...
of Safed; he held this office until 1535, when he moved to Jerusalem.
Works
Moses di Trani was the author of:- Bet Elohim (Venice, 1576), a moral and philosophical work on prayer, atonement, and the fundamental principles of faith;
- Kiryat Sefer (Venice, 1551), a commentary on the BibleBibleThe 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...
, the Talmud, and difficult passages in the commentaries of MaimonidesMaimonidesMoses 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...
; - Sefer ha-Tehiyyah weha-Pedut (Mantua, 1556; Wilna, 1799; Sudzilkov, 1834; Warsaw, 1841), a commentary and notes on ch. vii and viii of Saadia GaonSaadia GaonSaʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon was a prominent rabbi, Jewish philosopher, and exegete of the Geonic period.The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature...
's Emunot we-Deot; - She'elot u-Teshubot (vol. i, ib. 1629; vol. ii, ib. 1630), a collection of 841 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...
, with an index.
External links
- Bet Elohim (Venice, 1576) - free scanned version in DJVU format
- She'elot u-Teshubot (Lvov, 1861) - free scanned version in PDF format