Chaim Benveniste (1603–1673) was a prominent

rabbinic authority Rabbinic authority in Judaism relates to the theological and communal authority attributed to rabbis and their pronouncements in matters of Jewish law. The extent of rabbinic authority differs by various Jewish groups and denominations throughout ...

in 17th century

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. He was a student of

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 ...

Joseph Trani Joseph Trani (1568–1639) or Joseph di Trani was a Talmudist of the latter part of the 16th century who lived in Greece. By contemporary scholars he was called Mahrimat (), and regarded as one of the foremost Talmudists of his time. Today he is mo ...

and a brother of Joshua Benveniste. Born in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, he was appointed Rabbi of Tita (a town near

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban agglo ...

) in 1644. In 1658, he was appointed one of the rabbis of İzmir. He initially followed

Shabtai Tzvi Sabbatai Zevi (; August 1, 1626 – c. September 17, 1676), also spelled Shabbetai Ẓevi, Shabbeṯāy Ṣeḇī, Shabsai Tzvi, Sabbatai Zvi, and ''Sabetay Sevi'' in Turkish language, Turkish, was a Jewish Jewish mysticism, mystic and ordained r ...

, but later repented.

Writings

He authored several scholarly works, most notably the widely cited ''Shiyurei Kenesset HaGedolah'' and ''Kenesset HaGedolah'',

halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

commentaries to the

Arba'ah Turim ''Arba'ah Turim'' ( he, אַרְבָּעָה טוּרִים), often called simply the ''Tur'', is an important Halakhic code composed by Yaakov ben Asher (Cologne, 1270 – Toledo, Spain c. 1340, also referred to as ''Ba'al Ha-Turim''). The f ...

and

Shulhan Arukh The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...

. These two commentaries are characterized by extensive analysis of halakhic sources from the mid-16th century to the mid-17th century. The Chida recommended that these commentaries be consulted prior to rendering any halakhic decision. He also compiled the two volume Questions and Responsa, ''Ba'ei Chayei'', covering the four sections on the ''

''.

References

1603 births 1673 deaths Rabbinic legal texts and responsa 17th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Rabbis from Istanbul Authors of books on Jewish law {{Judaism-bio-stub