Joseph Molcho ( he, יוסף מולכו) born 1692, died 1768 was a rabbi and judge from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, Greece. He is considered one of the most important Greek-Jewish rabbis of his generation, having published several books, including the ''Shulḥan Gavoah'' ( he, שולחן גבוה), a restatement of 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 the '' Shulḥan Arukh'' to reflect the dominant customs in Thessaloniki at the time. He moved to Jerusalem in 1750 and died there.

Biography

Joseph Molcho was born in 1692 to Rabbi Abraham Molcho, a descendant of Jews who fled the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

. He became the student of the chief rabbi of Thessaloniki, Joseph David. At eighteen he married and had at least three sons. He was considered an expert in

shechita In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; he, ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to ''kashrut''. Sources states that sheep and cattle should be slaughtere ...

and became the head shokhet of Thessaloniki. In 1750 he left his children with his brother and moved to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

with his father.

Books

* ''Shulchan Gavoah'', a restatement of the ''Arba'ah Turim'' and ''Shulchan Aruch'' * ''Ohel Yosef'' (, a book of responsa first published in Thessaloniki in 1757 * ''Zobach Todah'' () on the laws of shechita, first published in Thessaloniki in 1741

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molcho, Joseph 1692 births 1768 deaths 18th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Rabbis from Thessaloniki Sephardi Jews in Ottoman Palestine