David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo (21 May 1808 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

– 11 April 1890 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch

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

ist and prominent communal worker. He was sent at an early age to the celebrated ''

bet ha-midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kne ...

'' 'Etz Chayyim, studied under Rabbi Berenstein at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, and received his diploma of "Morenu" in 1839. The same year he was appointed '' ab bet din'' of the Portuguese synagogue of Amsterdam, and in 1852 ''ab bet din'' and preacher of that synagogue, Aron Mendes Chumaceiro being made ''

hakham ''Hakham'' (or ''chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i)''; he, חכם ', "wise") 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 ...

'', and Vaz Diaz and Montezinos '' dayyanim'' (civil judges) at the same time. He became dean of the intermediate classes of 'Etz Chayyim, which office he held for nearly half a century. Cardozo was founder of the Chebrah 'Abodat ha-Qodesh, instituted for the study of Jewish law and its commentaries. After having been decorated by the king of the Netherlands with the

Royal Order of the Lion The Royal Order of the Lion (french: Ordre Royal du Lion; nl, Koninklijke orde van de Leeuw) was established by King Leopold II of Belgium on 9 April 1891, in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State, and was awarded for services to th ...

for services rendered to his country, he retired from his various offices in 1888.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardozo, David De Jahacob Lopez 1808 births 1890 deaths Talmudists Dutch Orthodox Jews Dutch Sephardi Jews People from Amsterdam Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion People of Portuguese-Jewish descent 19th-century Sephardi Jews 19th-century Jewish theologians