David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra

Not to be confused with Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, known as the Ridvaz

Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi) Zimra (Hebrew: דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא), also called Radbaz (רדב"ז) after the initials of his name, Rabbi David iBn Zimra, was an early Acharon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who was a leading posek, rosh yeshiva, chief rabbi, and author of more than 3,000 responsa (halakhic decisions) as well as several scholarly works.[1]

Biography

The Radbaz was born in Spain around 1479. He was thirteen years of age when his parents, banished from Spain, settled in Safed, where he studied under the direction of Joseph Saragossi.[2]

For unknown reasons, he left Erez Israel at the age of 31 or 32 and traveled to Fes, where he became a member of the beth din (rabbinical court) presided over by the nagid Isaac Sholal.[3]

In 1517, upon the abolition of the office of nagid by the Turkish government, the Radbaz moved to Cairo. There he was appointed Hakham Bashi, or Chief Rabbi of Egypt, a title he held for forty years. He was highly revered for his vast knowledge, integrity of character, and extensive philanthropy. Independently wealthy, the Radbaz was a successful merchant with business connections in other countries. The yeshiva which he founded and supported attracted many distinguished students, among them Bezalel Ashkenazi and Isaac Luria.

In the introduction to his commentary on Song of Songs, Isaac Akrish paints in vivid colors the character of the Radbaz, in whose house he lived for ten years. According to Akrish, the Radbaz was very prominent in both the social and the political life of Egypt, thanks to his status as a wealthy intellectual. During the time he served as Chief Rabbi, he introduced many reforms to the everyday life and religion of the Egyptian Jews. It was he who abolished the use of the Seleucid dating system in the Egyptian Jewish community and reintroduced the dating of years from Creation, as was done in other Jewish communities and continues to be done until the present day.

Upon attaining the age of 90, the Radbaz resigned the chief rabbinate and divided the greater part of his fortune among the poor, making special provision for Torah scholars. He then moved to Jerusalem. But he did not stay there long, due to the burdensome taxes that the Turkish government had imposed upon Jews. He settled in Safed, where he became an active member of the rabbinical court presided over by Yosef Karo, who held him in great esteem. He spent the last 20 years of his life in peace, continuing his learning and his writing.

The Radbaz died in Safed in 1573 at the age of 110 (some authorities say he was 94 years of age).[4]

Works

References

  1. "Rabbi David Ibn Zimra"
  2. This statement, which is given by all his biographers, is contested by Frumkin ("Eben Shemuel," p. 48).
  3. Rabbi David ibn Zimra, chabad.org
  4. Some sources, such as Chabad.org and the Jewish Encyclopedia, list the date of his death as 1589, at the age of 110. Mattis Kantor in "Codex Judaica" (p. 210) agrees with the notion that he died at the age of 110, but records his birth year as 1463 and death year as 1573.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Louis Ginzberg and Isaac Broydé (1901–1906). "David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra". In Singer, Isidore; et al. Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company. 

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography: David Conforte, Dore ha-Dorot, p. 36b; Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i.44; Moritz Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 888; Reuben Joseph Wunderbar, in Orient, Lit. ix.498; Michael, Or ha-Chaim, p. 347, No. 779; Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 234; Frumkin, Eben Shemuel, pp. 47–51.

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