Rabbi Eliyahu ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen ha-Itamari (1640-1729) was a Dayan, almoner and preacher. He was born in Smyrna, where he was educated by R. Benjamin Melamed (he records the eulogy in Midrash Eliyahu), a leading Rabbi of Izmir (Smyrna) and became a homiletic preacher. R. Eliyahu's opposition to Shabbetai Zevi and his associates earned him much grief at home. He apparently cared for orphans as his writings display an extremely detailed knowledge of the physical and psychological suffering of the poor. A prolific writer he is best remembered for his ethical work Shevet Mussar (Rod of Admonition), which has seen numerous editions and been translated into many languages. The first edition of Shevet Mussar was issued in Constantinople in 1712.

Works

Eliyahu produced over 30 works, of which the principal, according to (''Orient, Lit.'' p. 579), are as follows: * ''Midrash Eliyahu,'' eleven funeral sermons and a commentary on the Talmudic sayings relative to the

Book of Esther The Book of Esther ( he, מְגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר, Megillat Esther), also known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as "the Scroll" ("the wikt:מגילה, Megillah"), is a book in the third section (, "Writings") of the Judaism, Jewish ''Tanak ...

(Constantinople, 1693) * ''Midrash ha-Izmiri,'' homilies (ib. 1695) * ''Midrash Talpiyyot,'' glosses and comments taken from 300 works and containing 926 (the numerical value of the word "Talpiyyot") paragraphs in alphabetical order: only the first part, from "alef" to "kaf," was published (Amsterdam, 1698) * ''Me'il Ẓedaḳah,'' a treatise on charity (ib. 1704) * ''Shebeṭ Musar,'' on ethics, the best known of his works, divided into fifty-two chapters corresponding to the weeks of the year, and taken for the most part from the ''Or Ḳadmon'' of

Moses Ḥagis Moses Hagiz (1671 – c. 1750) (Hebrew: משה חגיז) was a Talmudic scholar, rabbi and writer born in Jerusalem during the time of the Old Yishuv. He was also one of the most prominent and influential Jewish leaders in 17th-century Amsterdam. Du ...

, the ''Tokaḥot'' of the Spanish poets, the ''Orḥot Ḥayyim,'' and the ''Roḳeaḥ'' of

Eleazar of Worms Eleazar of Worms (אלעזר מוורמייזא - also מגרמייזא of Garmiza or Garmisa) (c. 1176–1238), or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, also sometimes known today as Eleazar Rokeach ("Eleazar the Perfumer" אלעזר רקח) from t ...

(Constantinople, 1712) * ''Megalleh Ẓefunot,''

kabalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defi ...

treatises (Porizk, 1785) * ''She'elot u-Teshubot,''

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 ...

(Sudilkov, 1796) * ''Minḥat Eliyahu,'' sermons (Salonica, 1824) * ''Semukim le-'Ad,'' homiletic treatise on the parashiyyot (ib. 1826) * ''We-Lo 'Od Ella,'' a treatise on the Talmudic and Midrashic passages beginning with these words (Smyrna, 1853). Elijah's other works are not yet published (as of 1906). They include: * a commentary to the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

* ''Ezor Eliyahu,'' a commentary to

Abot Pirkei Avot ( he, פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth''), which translates to English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from ...

and to the Pesaḥ Haggadah * ''Ṭa'ame ha-Miẓwot,'' a treatise on the 613 commandments * ''Sheloshah Mahadurot,'' a commentary to the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

* ''Shiṭṭah,'' on the

Abodah Zarah ''Avodah Zarah'' (Hebrew: , or "foreign worship", meaning "idolatry" or "strange service") is the name of a tractate of the Talmud, located in ''Nezikin'', the fourth Order of the Talmud dealing with damages. The main topic of the tractate is ...

* a commentary to the difficult passages in the

Ta'anit A ta'anit or ta'anis (Mishnaic Hebrew: תענית) is a Fasting, fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water. Purposes A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including: * Atonement for sins: Fasting is n ...

* a commentary to the Hafṭarot * ''Ḥiddushim Nifradim'', ''Yado ha-Kol,'' comprising commentaries to the Song of Songs,

Book of Ruth The Book of Ruth ( he, מגילת רות, ''Megilath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the ...

, and

, each under a different title * mystical glosses to the Song of Songs and Esther * a commentary to Lamentations * commentaries to Pirḳe Rabbi Eliezer, Otiyyot de-Rabbi Aḳiba,

Kallah Yarchei Kallah (Hebrew: "''months of the bride''") is the name of a teachers' convention that was held twice a year in Babylonian Academies, by the Jews then in captivity in Babylon, after the beginning of the amoraic period, in the two months Ad ...

, Semaḥot, Derek Ereẓ Rabbah and Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa,

Tanna debe Eliyahu ''Tanna Devei Eliyahu'' (Hebrew: תנא דבי אליהו; alternate transliterations include ''Tana D'vei Eliyahu'' and ''Tana D'vei Eliahu'') is the composite name of a midrash, consisting of two parts, whose final redaction took place at the en ...

, and Tiḳḳune ha-'Aberot * one treatise and three sermons on repentance * a commentary to various prayers * a commentary to the

Aggadah Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...

of the

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

* Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i. 22; *

Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim Heimann (Hayyim) Michael (April 12, 1792 – June 10, 1846) was a Hebrew bibliographer born at Hamburg. He showed great acuteness of mind in early childhood, had a phenomenal memory, and was an indefatigable student. He studied Talmudics and rec ...

, No. 407: *

Jellinek Jellinek is a Germanized variant of the Czech name Jelínek meaning "little deer" (diminutive of ''jelen''). When used as a kinnui, it refers to the Biblical allusion to Naphtali. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolf Jellinek (1821–1 ...

, B. H. i. 16, Preface; * Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 932; *Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 238; *Friedenstein, 'Ir Gibborim.

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia article on Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen
by Kaufmann Kohler and

M. Seligsohn Max Seligsohn (April 13, 1865 – April 11, 1923 Manhattan) was an American Orientalist, born in Imperial Russia. Having received his rabbinical training at Slutsk, government ('' guberniya'') of Minsk, he went in 1888 to New York City, where he s ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ha-Kohen, Elijah Ben Solomon Abraham 1640 births 1729 deaths Smyrniote Jews Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature 18th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire