The Rabbinic Literature of the Scholars of Aleppo

Aleppo is Syria (which the Jews identified as the Biblical Aram Tzova and called, in short Are”Tz) was for many centuries, a center of Torah studies. The city’s Jewish community boasted rabbis and Talmudic scholars who composed books in all fields of Torah.

However, most of these literary works are not sufficiently known in the Torah world, especially among Ashkenazi Jews. It is for this reason that the Aleppo Heritage Center in Israel decided to prepare — as its first project- a detailed and annotated bibliography of all Torah books authored by Aleppo rabbis and scholars. Such a work would unveil the Torah treasures of Aleppo Jewry to all and would serve as a monument to Aleppo’s rabbinic authors.

The bibliography was several years in the making. A short time ago the Aleppo Heritage Center- in cooperation with the Ben Zvi Institute of Jerusalem, published Sifrei Are”Tz- Hasifurt Hatoranit Shel Hakhmei Aram Tzova (The Books of Aleppo- the Rabbinic Literature of the Scholars of Aleppo”).

The bibliography which was prepared by Dr. Yaron Harel of Bar Ilan University, who has written much about the history of the Jews of Lebanon and Syria, describes nearly 400 publications in all fields of Torah: Biblical and Talmudical exegesis, codes, responsa, Drush, liturgy, books on the Midrash, on Kabbala, on Mussar, translations into Judeo-Arabic and more.

In his introduction, Yaron Harel presents us with a short history of the Aleppo community. An ancient community, it was in existence continuously until a few years ago when the Syrian authorities permitted the last remaining Jews to leave.

In the 12th century the city was already known as a place of Torah. Maimonides, in a letter to the scholars of Lunel– in which he complains about the neglect of the study of Torah in the land of Israel and in Syria– singles out for praise the scholars of Aleppo. R. Yosef ben Yehuda, the disciple of Maimonides, to whom the “Great Eagle” dedicated his Guide of the Perplexed, settled in Aleppo.

(According to Harel, Maimonides sent R. Yosef b. Yehuda to Aleppo to reinforce the local scholars and serve as rabbi of the community). R. Yehuda b. Shlomo Al Harizi, the Spanish Hebrew poet, translator and traveler, visited Aleppo early in the 13ht century and in his Tahkemoni sings the praises of the community. He write with reverence about R. Yosef (Ben Yehuda) who came there from North Africa. His wisdom is like that of Kohelet and with his knowledge he revived spiritually many Jews of Aleppo. Al-Harizi mentioned by name outstanding scholars and other distinguished persons. (Harel writes in a note that according to a recently published biography of Al-Harizi, written by an Arab contemporary of his, the poet died in Aleppo and was buried there in December 1225.)

Jews were slaughtered when the Mongols sacked the city in 1260. The invaders were routed that same year by the Egyptian Mamluks. During the 14th century Aleppo’s Jews suffered from Moslem intolerance.

Many Jews were killed and enslaved when Tamerlane conquered Aleppo in 1400. The community eventually made a comeback.

For many generations the Jewish community was led by members of the Dayyan family who were descendants of the House of David.

The community developed greatly, both materially and spiritually, during the 16th century as a result of the influx of Spanish exiles, among whom were prominent rabbis, and the incorporation, early in the century of Syria into the Ottoman Empire. The latter opened new markets for the city’s traders.

The Spanish exiles established a community of their own, which was headed by their spiritual leaders. the Native Jews (Musta’arbim) continued to be led by members of the Dayyan family. With the passage of time, however, the Musta’arbim came to recognize the authority of the Sefardi rabbis. The community was reorganized with certain customs of the Musta’arbim and various rights of the Dayyan family being preserved.

Towards the end of the 17th century, Sefardim from Europe, mainly from Italy, settled in Aleppo and engaged in international commerce. The Francos, as they were called, didn’t form a separate community, but the fact that they were protected by European Consuls set them apart from the others.

(From 1784 on, members of the Picciotto family served as representatives of various European states, which naturally increased their prestige and influence in the community.) The Francos contributed greatly to the community, but refused to abide by its regulations. Rabbi Shlomo Rapahel Laniado, the chief rabbi, demanded that they recognize the community’s authority, but they were unwilling to do so. They were supported in their stand by other rabbis who disagreed with Rabbi Laniado, notably Rabbi Yehuda Katzin.

The year 1865 saw the establishment of the first Hebrew print shop in Aleppo. It was founded by Abraham Sassoon, who previously had served s intermediary between Aleppo authors and a Hebrew printer in Leghorn, Italy.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 delivered a hard economic blow to the Jewish traders of Aleppo. In the following years — the economic stagnation being one of the main causes — began a large scale emigration of Jews, first to Egypt, and later to Europe as well as to North and South America. New communities of Aleppo Jews, adhering faithfully to all the religious traditions and practices of their home town, sprang up in Cairo, Manchester, New York, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.

(To be continued)

The Jewish Press, Friday, April 17, 1998

In our first article we wrote about the emigration of Aleppo Jews and their establishing communities of their
own in different countries.

Here we should add that for generations Aleppo Torah scholars had left their hometown and settled in Jerusalem, where some of them played important roles in the spiritual life of the city’s Jews.
In his introduction. Yaron Harel depicts the love of Torah study and the high regard for Torah of Aleppo Jews during the second part of the 19tb century.
The community supported, wholly or in part, rabbinic scholars, even such who held no official positions as rabbis,
teachers, or slaughterers and the like.
In addition to the Central Yeshiva, there were Yeshivot at the homes of rich members of the community.
Many of these rich persons employed a “court rabbi” who studied with them and their sons.
Ephraim Neumark, who visited Aleppo in 1880, writes: The rich Jews of Aleppo maintain Yeshivot in their
homes; they themselves spend several hours a day intensively studying Tanakh, Talmud, Tur and Shulhan Arukh.
In these Yeshivot the rich men’s friends and relatives also study…. The sons of the poor who study there are aided by the rich in their studies as well as financially.
In 1947 there were about 10,000 Jews in Aleppo. After the United Nations decision of Nov. 29, 1947, to establish a Jewish State in part of Palestine, Arabs attacked Jewish homes, shops and houses of worship. Most of the Jews fled the city, crossing into Lebanon or Turkey, from where they migrated to other countries. In 1968 there were about 1,000 Jews left in the city. In the coming decades the community dwindled further, many Jews leaving the country illegally. The community came to.an end several years ago, when the Syrian authorities permitted the remaining Jews to leave.
During the 1947 pogrom, Torah scrolls and holy books were burned. Consigned to the flames was also the famous Aleppo Codex {Keter Aram Tzova), Aleppo Jewry’s most precious possession, which had been kept for about
600 years in the community’s ancient synagogue. Fortunately, a Jew succeeded in snatching the renowned 10th century Bible manuscript from the fire, unseen, and proceeded to hide it. Eventually the damaged codex, parts of
which are missing, was smuggled out of Syria and brought to the Land of Israel. (The rescue of the codex, which was
vocalized and provided with Masoretic notes by the famous masoret Aaron Ben-Asher, is described in Joseph A. D.
Sutton’s Aleppo Chronicles, N.Y. 1988.)
Dr. Yaron Harel describes in his book — as mentioned earlier — nearly 400 publications by rabbinic scholars of Aleppo. The books are listed according to the Alef Beth ofthe names of the authors. Bibliographical data presented include: name of author, title of book, place and year of publication, number of pages, name of printing press, period of composition, type of book, and contents. Each description is accompanied by a reproduction of the book’s title page.

In a separate section are given short biographical details about the authors.

The indices are of great help to the reader.

Space permits us to mention only a few of the many books described in the volume before us. We will start with
Rishonim.

R. Shemuel ben R. Nissim Masnut, who lived in Aleppo in the 13th century, wrote commentaries on various
books of the Bible. Several of these were published from manuscript during the last hundred years. The commentary on Job, edited by Solomon Buber, was printed in Berlin in 1889. The commentary on Bereishit was edited by
Rabbi Mordecai HaKohen and-published by Mossad HaRav Kook (Jerusalem, 1962). The Mekize Nirdamim Society
published (Jerusalem, 1968) the commentaries on Daniel, Ezra and Nehemia. They were edited by Yitzhak Sh. Lange and Shemuel Schwartz.
Shemuel Masnut’s aim was to present the student with the literal meaning of the Bible as well as with Midrashic interpretetions.

Not-much is known about him. The Hebrew poet, translator and traveler, Yehuda AlHarizi met during his visit to Aleppo a person by the name of Shemuel ben R. Nissim, whom he greatly admired. Scholars identify the commentator with the Shemuel ben R. Nissan written about in Alharizi’s Tahkemoni.

Yehuda HaKohen Almadar, too lived in Aleppo in the 13th century. He was the author of commentaries on Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi (RIF). His commentaries on Megilla, Yevamot, Kethubbot, Gittin, Kiddushin, Sanhedrin and Avoda Zara were first published in the 1960s in a new Talmud edition, and later in 1986 as a separate volume.

The commentary on Sanhedrin appeared also with notes and source references by Y.H. Kopperberg (Jerusalem, 1969). Ittamar Warhaftig edited the commentary on Makkot (Jerusalem, 1973(. Yaakov HaLevi Lipshitz edited the commentary on Pesahim in his Kimha dePisha, Jerusalem,1986( and Yisrael Ta-Shema edited the commentary on Hullin (jerusalem, 1993(.

Ta Shema mentions in the introduction to his edition several Aleppo scholars whose writings are quoted by Rabbi Yehuda Al Madari in his commentaries. They include Rabbi Barukh ben Yisrzchok of Aleppo, who studied in Spain and later migrated to Aleppo becoming there a Rosh Yeshiva. His writings, now almost completely lost, were greatly esteemed in his time.

(Several years before Ta-Shema’s edition was published, Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Blau of New York, the excellent editor of many writings by early authorities, published part of the commentary on Hullin. Rabbi Y. M. Blau has his own views on the identity of the commentator.

The Jewish Press, Friday, April 24, 1998

Continued from last week

Let us now turn to books by some later Aleppo scholars of the Laniado family, descendants of exiles of the Iberian peninsula served for several generations as rabbis of the Jewish community of Aleppo. One of the most famous of them was R. Shemuel ben Abraham Laniado who lived in the sixteenth century.

According to a traditional account he lived in Safed in the times of Rabbi Yosef Karo and the latter sent him to Aleppo to serve as the rabbi of the community. He held this position for over 40 years until his death in 1605.

Conclusion

Eight rabbinic authors, written about in “the Books of Aleppo” carry the name Katzin (Kassin)

Here are notes about several members oft his distinguished family.

Rabbi Shaul Katzin was born in Aleppo in 1863. At the age of 27 he settled in the Land of Israel. For three years he resided in Hebron where he studied together with Rabbi Eliyahu Mani, the rabbi of the local Sefardi community. Later he moved to the Holy CIty, where he became associated with the Kabbalists’ Yeshiva Rehovot HaNahar and gained fame as a Darshan. He died in 1915. Posthumously were published his Peri Tzaddik (1938), Dinim, novellae and responsa on a variety of subjects, and Midrash Aseret HaDibrot (1977), a collection of commentaries stories and Aggadic interpretations, relating to the Ten Commandments.

Rabbi Shauls’ three sons resided in different countries. Rabbi Avraham, the oldest spent the greater part of his life in Mexico. Unwilling to make a living of the Torah, he entered the world of commerce. He was a great benefactor and helped establish in Jerusalem several Torah and charitable institutions. Rabbi Shlomo, the youngest, served as secretary of the Sefardi Beth Din in Jerusalem, was chief of a rabbinical court in Egypt, and a member of the Tel Aviv Beth Din. His Kerem Shlomo (2 pts. 1938-1942) and Divrei Shlomo (2 pts. 1949-1955) include novellae, responsa and Derashot. He also wrote Taharat Benot Yisrael (1935) on family purity, Nitzozei Or (1935) Mussar, and Orhot Hayyim (1949) on some fundamentals of Jewish life: Shabbat charity, Torah study and family purity.

Rabbi Yaakov Kassin, the second son of Rabbi Shaul served for more than 60 years as the chief rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community in New York. Born in Jerusalem in 1900, he studied at Yeshivot Ohel Moed and Porat Yosef. He married Mazal Tov, the daughter of Rabbi Shalom Hadaya and studied Kabbala with Rabbi Hayyim Shaul Duwayk to whom he was very close. In 1927 he founded Yeshiva Gan HaLevanon in Jerusalem. Great scholars flocked to hear him lecture on Torah and Kabbalah. In 1928 he was made a Dayyan of the Supreme Sefardi Beth Din in Jerusalem. Several years later he was sent to the U.S. on a fundraising mission on behalf of the Sepfardi Orphan homes in Jerusalem. During his visit to New York, he was entreated by the leaders of the local Syrian-Jewish community to become their rabbi. He served that community from the summer of 1993 until his death on the 3rd of Teveth 5755 (1944).

Two years ago, Princely Wisdom — the Life and Teachings of Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin was printed in Jerusalem. The 300 page volume, which was published by Yeshiva Ahavat Shalom, whose head is Rabbi Yaakov Hillel,– includes in addition to essays and addresses by by the late Rabbi Yaakov Kassin, a history of the Aleppo community and the story of the Kassin family as well as a detailed biography of the late chief rabbi of New York’s Syrian Jewish community. The biography describes his greatness in Torah and his fine moral qualities and discusses his writings, the growth of the community under his leadership and his great influence on Syrian Jewish communities in other countries. Rabbi Yaakov Kassin’s works include books on halacha, Kabbalah and Mussar as well as biographies of rabbis and Kabbalists.

His son Rabbi Shaul J. Kassin succeeded him as spiritual leader of New York’s Syrian Jews. He was educated in Jerusalem where he was born, and in New York. In 1977, Sefer Mitzvot Hashem, discourses on the Mitzvot based on the Talmud, Midrashim, Maimonides and the Shulkhan Arukh was published.

Before concluding our review of the Books of Aleppo– the Rabbinic Literature of the scholars of Aleppo. I would like to add a few words about another Aleppo scholar who was active in New York. The late R. Shaul Matluv Abadi founded a Talmud Torah in Aleppo. After coming to this country, he engaged in business, but also served as Dayan in the New York Syrian Jewish community and taught the highest grades in its Torah school. He was the author of Magen Ba’adi, a volume of novellae and responsa. He died in 1970.

It was from Rabbi S. M. Abadi that I first heard about a unique Hanukkah custom of the Aleppo community. On Hanukkah mornings they kindle 12 oil lights in the synagogue in memory of he princes of the tribes, for on Hanukkah we read in the Torah about the sacrifices brought by princes on the occasion of the dedication of the Sanctuary’s altar. I talked about Aleppo’s Jews’ Hanukka customs also with the late Rabbi Yaakov Kassin and with some of the Aleppo community’s rabbis in Israel, such as the late Rabbi Ovadya Hadaya and the late Rabbi Ezra Attia, Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef.)

The book about the rabbinic literature of Aleppo Jews which we reviewed in this series of articles is well researched and constitutes an important contribution to bibliography of Torah works. Regrettably the above mentioned Princely Wisdom- the Life and Teachings of Rabbi Jacob Kassin is not mentioned in the book. Another book, which should have been mentioned is Or HaSekhel (Venice 1567) a commentary on Bereshit Rabba by R. Avraham Gedaliah ben Asher. The latter was a student of Rabbi Yosef Karo and served for some time as rabbi of Aleppo,

The Jewish Press, Friday, May 8, 1998

-Deleted: He wrote commentaries on various books on the Bible of which the following were printed: Keli Hemdah, exegetical and homiletical comments on the Pentateuch (Venice, 1595) Keli Yakar on the early Prophets (Venice, 1603) and Keli Paz (Venice, 1657) on Isaiah, In 1863, Teru’at Melekeh a collection of comments on the Book of Psalms selected from his Kli Hemdah on the Pentateuch was printed in Hungary. It was reprinted in Jerusalem in 1931. From the titles of the books, Rabbi Shmuel Laniano became known as the  “Ba’al HaKeilim”.
-Deleted: Several scholars of the Laniado family settled in Jerusalem while still young.
-Deleted: In the Land of israel, David Zion Laniado dedicated himself to the publication of prayer books and Mussar literature. An important work is his LiKedoshim Asher Ba’aretz which features historical material about the community of Aleppo, short biographies of its scholars, and inscriptions on their tombstones; lists of writings of Aleppo scholars, an enumeration of the scholars of Baghdad and their books, documents and texts of ordinances, as well as other matters of historical interest, including a description of the 1929 pogroms in Hebron, Safed and Jerusalem.
-Deleted: The book, which was first published in 1952 appeared in a revised and enlarged edition in 1980. David Zion Laniado died in 1969 at the age of 69. During the last few years  of his life he served as rabbi of a Tel Aviv neighborhood.
-Deleted: R. Yitzchak Eliya Laniado left Jerusalem during World War 1. He came to New York and from here proceeded to Buenos Aires where he was very active in the local community of Aleppo Jews. He died in 1917. In 1928 his Vayizra Yitzchok which contains sermons and a Kabbalistic commentary on Bereishit appeared in Aleppo.
-Deleted: Abady, Ades, Antibi, Attia, Dayan Dweck, Hadaya, Katzri, Katzin (Kassin), Lopez, Sutton and Tawil are the names of other prominent Aleppo rabbinical families.
-Deleted: Rabbi Chayyim Shaul Dweck was born in Aleppo. He lived in Jerusalem where he became head of the Kabbalilist Yeshiva Rehovot HaNahar. He died in 1933. He was  blind during the last 20 years of his life. When the late Rabbi Chaim Eleazar Spira of Munkatz visited the holy city Rabbi Duwayk welcomed his as the Prince of the House of the ZOhar) a title given to persons who are extraordinarily erudite in the Zohar. The expression is a paraphrase of Bereshit 39:21. The Rebbe of Munkatch bestowed the same title on Rabbi Chaim Shaul. The latter was the author of several kabbalistic works.
-Deleted: Rabbi Ovadya Hodaya was born in Aleppo. When he was a child his parents settled in Jerusalem (where father, Shalom eventually became chief of the rabbinical court  of the Sephardim and head of the Kabbalists Yeshiva Beit Kel,) At the young age of 18 he commenced authoring books. During World War I, fear of persecution by the British authorities in Jerusalem drove him to flee to Aleppo. He returned four years later. He was appointed Rosh Yeshiva at  Porat Yosef and a member of the Sephardic Bein Din of Jerusalem.
In 1939 he was chosen Sefardi Chief Rabbi of Petach Tikvah, serving in that capacity for 12 years years until his appointment to the Rabbinic High Court of Appeals. He was also a member of the Council f the Chief Rabbinate. In 1958 he founded a Beit Midrash for the study of Kabbala in Jerusalem, naming it Beth El which was the name of the Kabbalists’ Yeshiva which had existed in the old City until 1948.
After the liberation of the Old City he made great efforts to transfer his Beth Medrash to the original place of the Kabbalists Yeshiva.
-Deleted:After the liberation of the  old city he made great efforts to transfer his Beth Midrash to the original place of the Kabbalits’ Yeshiva.
-Deleted: He died in 1969 at the age of 79. A very prolific writer, his published books include Responsa (Yaskil Avdi, 8 parts,1931-1980), Hiddushim on the Talmud (Avda DeRabbanan, 2 parts 1941-1965( and on Maimonides Mishneh Torah(Eved HaMelekh, 1941). He also published Derashot and wrote on Kabbalah.
-Deleted: R. Avraham Ades was born in London. He settled in Israel in 1970 when he was 16, studied at various Yeshivot and then entered a Kollel in Bnei Brak. About eight years ago, his Derekh Are”tz, which describes and discuss the customs of the Aleppo Jewish community was published.
-Deleted: As we are now in the Omer period, permit me to mention here two Omer customs of Aleppo Jews.
-Deleted: The entire congregation counts the Omer before the Sheliach Tzibur does so. This is done in order to forestall the possibility that members of the congregation be Yotzei– by having the intention to do so — with the counting of the Shleiah Tzivvur and as a consequence, their subsequent Berakah would be Levattalah. (this was also the practice of other communities
-Deleted: In the morning one counts the Omer again without reciting a blessing. Anyone — who had fogotten to count the previous night– would now be able to county the omer with Berakha the following night. (COnclusion nexg week)
-Deleted: The Jewish Press, Friday, May 1, `1999
-Deleted: To be concluded