Shlomo ben Afeda Ha-

Kohen Kohen (, ; , ، Arabic كاهن , Kahen) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic Priest#Judaism, priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakha, halakhically required, to ...

or Solomon Afeda

Cohen Cohen () is a surname of Jewish, Samaritan and Biblical origins (see: Kohen). It is a very common Jewish surname (the most common in Israel). Cohen is one of the four Samaritan last names that exist in the modern day. Many Jewish immigrants ente ...

(in ) (1826–1893) was a Karaite

hakham ''Hakham'' (or ''Chakam(i), Haham(i), Hacham(i), Hach''; ) is a term in Judaism meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise th ...

of the 19th century considered the last of the Karaite sages of

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 is famous for his two abridgements of

Elijah Bashyazi Elijah ben Moses Bashyazi of Adrianople or Elijah Bašyazi (in ; c. 1420 in Adrianople – 1490 in Adrianople) was a Karaite Jewish hakham of the fifteenth century. After being instructed in the Karaite literature and theology of his father ( ...

's masterpiece "Aderet Eliyahu" (The Mantle of Elijah): Sefer Gefen Ha-Adderet composed in 1860 and Sefer Yeriot Shelomoh composed in 1862. Solomon Cohen proposed shortening the prayers of the Karaite festivals with the aim to attract more Karaites to the temple (Knessa). He also worked as a scribe and composed many poems.

Biography

His biography has been reported by

Abraham Danon Abraham Danon (; 15 August 1857 – 22 April 1925) was a Turkish rabbi, Hebraist, writer, and poet. Biography Abraham Danon was born into a rabbinical family in Adrianople, Turkey, in 1857. He attended the Talmud Torah in that city, pursuing his ...

in 1925.The Karaites in European Turkey. Contributions to Their History Based Chiefly on Unpublished Documents, The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Jan., 1925), p 354 He was born in

in 1826 (5586 in the

Hebrew calendar The Hebrew calendar (), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance and as an official calendar of Israel. It determines the dates of Jewish holidays and other rituals, such as '' yahrze ...

). He learned to read and write in the small communal school from a teacher whose knowledge did not go beyond reading and he left school at a young age. Driven by the love of Jewish studies, he returned to student life under the supervision of his uncle Isaac Cohen who was a hakham.Avraham Firkowicz in Istanbul 1830-1832 : Paving the Way for Turkic Nationalism By Dan Shapira 2003 After that, Solomon Cohen did not have recourse to any teacher but studied by himself all the works of the Karaite authors, both printed and manuscript, as well as the works of the Jews of Spain, which he said were "truly inspired by God". In 1860 and 1862, he wrote his most famous works on the Karaite Halakhah. Having given up his small business to devote himself definitively to his literary career, he was appointed head of the community of the

Constantinopolitan Karaites The Constantinopolitan Karaites or Greco-Karaites are a Karaite Judaism, Karaite community with a specific historical development and a distinct cultural, linguistic, and literary heritage stemming from their residency in the capital of the Easte ...

, as well as officiating minister and teacher. He resigned in 1870 and was replaced by Sabbatai Mengoubi (born about 1835). The following year he left for

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

(

History of the Jews in Egypt The history of the Jews in Egypt goes back to ancient times. Egyptian Jews or Jewish Egyptians refer to the Jewish community in Egypt who mainly consisted of Egyptian Arabic-speaking Rabbanites and Karaites. Though Egypt had its own community ...

Egypt), where he was appointed head of the local Karaite community, and remained there until 1874. His successor, Sabbatai Mengoubi, resigned from his post in Constantinople and went to Cairo to take his place. Solomon Cohen then returned to Constantinople and was again appointed head of the community there (1874–1881).

Family

Shlomo ben Afeda Ha-

and Shlomo-Yedidia ben Eliezer Afeda Yerushalmi Kohen belong to the same family. They belong to the Beghi family of Karaite scholars from Constantinople.

References

{{reflist

Resources

Mikdash Me'at: An English Language Abridgement of Adderet Eliyahu
Translation with commentary, by Tomer Mangoubi, of Khacham Elijah Bashyazi's 15th century masterpiece of Jewish law.
The Yeriot Shelomo text in Hebrew

Sefer ha-mitsṿot Gefen ha-Adderet

Sefer ha-mitsṿot Yeriʻot Shelomoh
Writers from Istanbul Philosophers of Judaism Karaite rabbis Karaite Jews Karaite Judaism 1826 births 1893 deaths 19th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century philosophers