| Elijah Mizrachi |
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| medieval rabbis | |
| 1455 births | |
| 1520s deaths | |
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BIOGRAPHY Mizrachi was born in Constantinople ; he was of Piamaniot origin, meaning that his family was from Turkey, and not from the Spanish exile. He Studied under Elijah ha-Levi and Judah Minz of Padua. As a young man, he distinguished himself as a Talmudist, yet he also studied the secular sciences, particularly Mathematics and Astronomy ; he is said to have been the first to derive a method for the extraction of the Cube Root . He also knew Greek and Arabic . Mizrachi succeeded Moses Kapsali (on his death c. 1495) as '' Hakham Bashi '' ("Grand Rabbi") of the Ottoman Empire ; he held this position for the rest of his life. As ''Hakham Bashi'' he was known for his mild attitude toward the Karaite s, an attitude inherited from his teacher Elijah ha-Levi; he even held that it was permissible to teach them Talmud . WORKS Sefer ha-Mizrachi is a Supercommentary on Rashi 's commentary on the Torah . It is counted in its own right as among the most important commentaries on the Torah. It was first published in Venice in 1527 after Mizrachi's death, by his son Israel. Mizrachi himself considered his commentary on Rashi the most important of his works (Responsa, Nos. 5, 78). The work shows Rashi's Talmud ic and Midrash ic sources, and elucidates all obscure passages. It was written, partially, to defend Rashi from the strictures of the later commentators, particularly Nachmanides . A compendium by Jacob Marcaria was published under the title "Kitzur Mizrachi" (Riva di Trenta, 1561), and later, one by Isaac ha-Kohen of Ostrog , entitled "Mattenat 'Ani" ( Prague , 1604-9). Several commentaries have been written on Mizrachi, including ''Yeri'ot Shlomo'' by Solomon Luria (Maharshal) and strictures on the work by Samuel Edels , (Maharsha). Other works by Re'em include:
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