Simone (Simcha) Luzzatto ( he, שמחה לוצאטו) (1583–1663) was a prominent

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 ...

in the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

Venice, Italy Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. He shared the rabbinate of Venice with another famous rabbi, Leone de Modena.

Works

Simone Luzzato Discorso circa il stato de gl'Hebrei

Simone Luzzatto Socrate ouero Dell'humano sapere

Luzzatto was educated by some of the most outstanding rabbis of his period. By the age of 22, many of his works were being published and discussed throughout the Jewish community. These works, called '' responsa'', gained him a good deal of popularity; including a rather interesting work that deemed it was acceptable to travel by

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...

on Shabbat (a day during which travelling on water is normally forbidden to religious Jews). Another of his important works written in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

is entitled ''Socrate'', which argues that human reason cannot attain its goals if unaided by divine revelation.

Expulsion of Jews

During this period there were a great many

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

who were being expelled from their homes throughout Italy (and, indeed, the rest of Europe). Fearing the same fate might befall Venetian Jewry, Luzzatto took preemptive action, writing a

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a f ...

in classical

Socratic style Socratic means "related to Socrates". Socratic may also refer to: Common * Socratic dialogue * Socratic method * Socratic problem * Socratic questioning Other uses * Socratic (band) Socratic is an American rock band from Cranford and ...

which presented clear and rational arguments against such an expulsion taking place in Venice.

Discourse

The resulting work, entitled ''Discorso circa il stato de gl'Hebrei et in particolar dimoranti nell'inclita città di Venetia'' ("Discourse Concerning the Condition of the Jews, and in particular those living in the Fair City of Venice"), was completed in 1638. The discourse broke from tradition in that it was not directly addressed to Venetian Jewry or the official rabbinate of the time, but to the leaders of the Venetian Republic (called the ''

doge A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as "crowned republics". Etymology The ...

'', amongst others). Luzzatto argued for

toleration Toleration is the allowing, permitting, or acceptance of an action, idea, object, or person which one dislikes or disagrees with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as a ...

of the Jews on the basis of their economic and social usefulness. He stated that Jews performed tasks which would normally be taken on by foreign merchants, but could instead remain under control of the republic. Further breaking from tradition, the discourse was not written in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, but rather in eloquent Italian. As a result, the discourse was successful in convincing the ''Doge'' to rule against the expulsion edict, allowing the Jewish population of Venice to remain.

External links

Museum of the Jewish People EntryJewish Encyclopedia entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luzzatto, Simone 17th-century Republic of Venice rabbis 1583 births 1663 deaths Jewish Italian writers

Simone Simone may refer to: * Simone (given name), a feminine (or Italian masculine) given name of Hebrew origin * Simone (surname), an Italian surname Simone may also refer to: * ''Simone'' (1918 film), a French silent drama film * ''Simone'' (1926 fi ...

17th-century Italian male writers 17th-century Venetian writers