Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Samuel ben Moses de Medina (abbreviated RaShDaM, or Maharashdam; 1505 – October 12, 1589), was a

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ist and author from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. He was principal of the Talmudic academy of that city, which produced a great number of prominent scholars during the 16th and 17th centuries. His teachers were the noted Talmudists

Joseph Taitazak Joseph ben Solomon Ṭaiṭazaḳ (), also referred to by the acronym ''MahaRITaTS'', was a Talmudic authority and Kabbalist who lived at Salonica in the 15th and 16th centuries. He was a member of the Taitazak family. With his father and brothe ...

and Levi Ibn Chaviv, and among his schoolmates were Isaac Adarbi, Joseph ibn Leb, and Moses Almosnino. While on a mission to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

he met the noted grammarian

Menahem Lonzano Menahem ben Judah ben Menahem de Lonzano (), often Menahem di Lonzano, was a rabbi, Masoretic scholar, lexicographer, and poet. He died after 1608 in Jerusalem. Biography His origin is unknown, but it has been supposed that he was born in Ital ...

, who studied under him for some time and who therefore speaks of him as his teacher. Among Samuel's many disciples who attained prominence were Abraham de Boton, Joseph ibn Ezra and Ḥayyim Shabbethai. He had a controversy with

Joseph Karo Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, also spelled Yosef Caro, or Qaro (; 1488 – March 24, 1575, 13 Nisan 5335 A.M.), was a prominent Sephardic Jewish rabbi renowned as the author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the ''Beit Yosef'', and its ...

and other rabbis at

Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...

, against whom he wrote a

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

al letter (''Ketav Tochachah''). He died at

Salonica Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. A grandson of his was Samuel Hayyun, author of ''Bene Shemuel'', '' novellae'' and ''

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

'' (Salonica, c. 1613).

Writings

Samuel's works include: *''Ben Shemuel'',

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

, 1622, thirty sermons on various subjects, published with a preface by his grandson Shemaiah *''Hiddushim'' (unpublished), ''novellae'' on some Talmudic tractates *a collection of 956 ''responsa'' in four parts, of which the first two were published during the lifetime of the author (1578-87?) under the title ''Piskei RaShDaM''. A complete edition of the last-named work was undertaken later by the author's son Moses, who added a preface.Salonica, 1594–97; new ed. ib. 1798

Legacy

De Medina is considered one of the most influential halakhic authorities of Sephardic Judaism after the expulsion from Spain. His responsa continue to be cited in contemporary Jewish legal discussions. Among his most notable works is the She'elot u-Teshuvot (Questions and Answers), a collection of legal rulings addressing a wide range of halakhic topics. His approach combines profound Talmudic knowledge with practical sensitivity to the needs of exiled Sephardic communities. He died in Salonica in 1589.Singer, Isidore; Adler, Cyrus (eds.).
Medina, Samuel de
'. *Jewish Encyclopedia*. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901–1906.

References

* Its bibliography: *

Moritz Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (; 30 March 1816 – 24 January 1907) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist, and an important figure in Jewish studies and Jewish history. He is credited as having invented the term ''antisemitism.'' Education Mo ...

, ''Cat. Bodl.'' No. 8909; * Joseph Zedner, ''Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus.'' s.v. {{DEFAULTSORT:Medina, Samuel de 1505 births 1589 deaths 16th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Rabbis from Thessaloniki Rosh yeshivas Authors of books on Jewish law