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Abraham Allegri

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Rabbi
Abraham Allegri
אברהם אליגרי
Title page of "Leb Sameaḥ", Constantinople, 1652
Personal
ReligionJudaism
Occupationrabbi

Abraham Allegri (Hebrew: אברהם אליגרי) was a rabbi and writer who lived at Constantinople about the middle of the seventeenth century. He was a contemporary of Rabbi Moses Benveniste.[1]

Biography

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Rabbi Abraham Allegri was born around 1557 in Constantinople to Rabbi Shlomo Allegri. Leading scholars of the time corresponded with him on matters of Jewish law, including Rabbi Moshe Benveniste, author of Penei Moshe, and Rabbi Chaim Alfandari the Elder, author of Magid MeReshit. Rabbi Aligri engaged in a major debate with Rabbi Alfandari regarding the topic of sablonot. During the Controversy of Glatt Kosher Meat, he supported Rabbi Azariah Joshua against Rabbi Joseph Escapa, aligning with the majority of the rabbis in Salonika and opposing the rabbis of Constantinople.[2]

Rabbi Aligri is most well-known for his significant commentary on Maimonides' Sefer HaMitzvot. He also participated in a debate about men wearing women's garments during the celebration of Simchat Torah in Amsterdam, a controversy that involved rabbis from Turkey and Italy.[3][4][5][6]

Rabbi Aligri passed away in 1652 (HeTeYav).

Family

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His son-in-law was Rabbi Levi Tililieu, who corresponded with scholars of his generation and published his father-in-law's works.[7]

Works

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Title page of Shu"t, Salonika 1793
  • Lev Sameach (Constantinople, 1652; subsequently reprinted in many editions of Maimonides' Sefer HaMitzvot. The title alludes to the author's name, Aligri, which means "happy" in Ladino, and his affection for Maimonides and his Sefer HaMitzvot.[8][9][1]

This work focuses on defending Maimonides' methodology and addressing Ramban's critiques of the Sefer HaMitzvot.[10] The book was published posthumously by his son-in-law, who writes in the introduction:

Levi Tililieu, the son-in-law of the author, writes: "My revered teacher and father-in-law, on his final day, entrusted me with this task, saying, 'This is the kindness you will show me: ensure that my life's work, including this book, Lev Sameach, sees the light of day. This work is the culmination of my forty years of effort, delving deeply into its principles, defending it against critics, and enhancing it with strong evidence from Talmudic discussions. Therefore, I have fulfilled his wish and hastened to publish it immediately."

— Lev Sameach, Introduction
  • Responsa Maharav Ba’al Lev Sameach (Salonika, 1793; 1808). This work contains 56 responsa by Rabbi Aligri on the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch. Included at the end are annotations by Rabbi Yaakov Ashkenazi under the separate title Ruach Yaakov.[11][12]
  • Annotations on the Tur (manuscript) — as testified by the Chida.[13]
  • Book of Sermons!(manuscript).[14]
  • A handwritten responsum on the laws of grama and gramei, published in the journal Moriah in 1999.[15]

Further reading

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  • Moriah, Issue 10–12 (262–264), Elul 1999, pp. 28–32.
  • Sheim HaGedolim, section "Gedolim," letter A [18], Maharar Abraham Aligri.

References

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  1. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Meyer Kayserling (1901–1906). "ALLEGRI, ABRAHAM". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
    Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography:
  2. ^ See Sheim HaGedolim, section "Gedolim," letter A [18], Maharar Abraham Aligri.
  3. ^ Responsa Maharav Ba’al Lev Sameach, Yoreh De’ah, Siman 6.
  4. ^ Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel, Clothing Exchanges Between Men and Women During Special Celebrations, Rishonim VeAchronim: Studies Presented to Avraham Grossman, Zalman Shazar Center, Jerusalem, 2010, pages 329–352
  5. ^ Yaakov Shmuel Spiegel, The Prohibition of "Lo Yilbash" During Joyful Occasions and a Manuscript Responsum by R. Yechiel Bassan on the Matter, Sidra, volume 24–25, 2010, pages 459–471, JSTOR=24174330
  6. ^ Simcha Assaf (1936). Sources for the History of Jewish Education in Israel. Vol. 3. Tel Aviv. pp. 43–44.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ See Sheim HaGedolim, section "Gedolim," letter L [4], Maharar Levi Tililieu.
  8. ^ See Comprehensive Ladino Lexicon by Dr. Avner Perez, entry 15460.
  9. ^

    "In every direction I turn, I dedicate myself to this book of Maimonides, our revered sage. I have long loved and studied his words, and therefore I named my commentary Lev Sameach ('Joyful Heart')—for it resides within my heart."

    From the author's preface to Lev Sameach, Constantinople, 1652, fol. 2b.
  10. ^ Sheim HaGedolim, Section "Sefarim," Letter L, (5) Lev Sameach.
  11. ^ Sheim HaGedolim, Section "Sefarim," Letter L, (6) Lev Sameach.
  12. ^ Responsa Maharav Ba’al Lev Sameach, Ruach Yaakov, page 213
  13. ^ Sheim HaGedolim, section "Gedolim," letter A [18], Maharar Abraham Aligri: "I have seen his handwritten annotations on the Tur."
  14. ^ As noted by his son-in-law in the introduction cited above.
  15. ^ Moriah, Issue 10–12 (262–264), Elul 1999, pp. 28–32.
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