Judah ben Eliezer ha-Levi Minz (c. 1405 – 1508), also known as Mahari Minz, was the most prominent Italian

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 ...

of his time. As his surname suggests, he immigrated around 1462 from

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

to Italy. He officiated as rabbi of

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

for forty-seven years, during which time he had a great number of pupils, among whom were his son Abraham Minz, and the latter's son-in-law

Meir Katzenellenbogen Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (c. 1482 – 12 January 1565) (also, Meir of Padua, or Maharam Padua, he, מאיר בן יצחק קצנלנבויגן) was a German rabbi born in Katzenelnbogen. Biography Meïr ben Isaac, who was often called afte ...

. In a dispute he had with

Elia del Medigo Elia del Medigo, also called Elijah Delmedigo or Elias ben Moise del Medigo and sometimes known to his contemporaries as Helias Hebreus Cretensis or in Hebrew Elijah Mi-Qandia (c. 1458 – c. 1493). According to Jacob Joshua Ross, "whil ...

, he was supported by

Elijah Mizrachi Elijah Mizrachi ( he, אליהו מזרחי) (c. 1455 – 1525 or 1526) was a Talmudist and posek, an authority on Halakha, and a mathematician. He is best known for his ''Sefer ha-Mizrachi'', a supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the To ...

. It appears from

Solomon Luria Solomon Luria (1510 – November 7, 1573) ( he, שלמה לוריא) was one of the great Ashkenazic ''poskim'' (decisors of Jewish law) and teachers of his time. He is known for his work of Halakha, ''Yam Shel Shlomo'', and his Talmudic commenta ...

's responsa that Minz was the author of a number of ordinances (''

takanot A ''takkanah'' (plural ''takkanot'') is a major legislative enactment within ''halakha'' (Jewish law), the normative system of Judaism's laws. A ''takkanah'' is an enactment which revises an ordinance that no longer satisfies the requirements of t ...

'') at Padua. According to

Mordecai Ghirondi Mordecai Samuel ben Benzion Aryeh Ghirondi (; October 1799 – January 4, 1852) was an Italian Jewish author and Chief Rabbi of Padua. Biography Mordecai Samuel Ghirondi was born into a rabbinic family in Padua. He studied at the rabbinical coll ...

, Minz was professor of philosophy at the

University of Padua The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

. Ghirondi further states that in recognition of Minz's services as professor, the authorities of the university placed his portrait, with an appreciative inscription, in the hall of the university, over the staircase. It is very likely, however, that Ghirondi confounded Minz with

Elijah Delmedigo Elia del Medigo, also called Elijah Delmedigo or Elias ben Moise del Medigo and sometimes known to his contemporaries as Helias Hebreus Cretensis or in Hebrew Elijah Mi-Qandia (c. 1458 – c. 1493). According to Jacob Joshua Ross, "whil ...

or Abraham de Balmes, both of whom lectured on philosophy before Christian audiences. In 1505, he partook in

Birkat Hachama ''Birkat Hachama'' (ברכת החמה, "Blessing of the Sun") refers to a rare Jewish blessing that is recited to the Creator, thanking Him for creating the sun. The blessing is recited when the sun completes its cycle every 28 years on a Tuesday ...

and was then already over one hundred years old. He died at Padua in 1508; he died 5 days after

Isaac Abarbanel Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel ( he, יצחק בן יהודה אברבנאל;‎ 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (), also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel, or Abrabanel, was a Portuguese Jewish statesman, philosopher, Bible commentator ...

and would be buried side-by-side with him. In the

Siege of Padua The siege of Padua was a major engagement early in the War of the League of Cambrai. Imperial forces had captured the Venetian city of Padua in June 1509. On 17 July, Venetian forces commanded by Andrea Gritti marched quickly from Treviso wit ...

, soon after Minz's death almost all of his writings were destroyed. Joseph ben Abraham Minz, his grandson, discovered sixteen of his ''responsa'', and these were published by Meïr Katzenellenbogen, who printed in the same volume his own ''responsa'' and the ''Seder Gittin wa-chalitzah'' of Abraham Minz. These ''responsa'' have been edited, and supplemented with an extended commentary and preface, by Johanan ben Moses Preschel.(Munkacs, 1898) Judah's ''responsa'', though scanty, afford interesting information on the history of his age and on Jewish customs in Padua.

References

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

* Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 412; *Frankel, in Orient, Lit. vii. 520 et seq.; *

Heinrich Grätz Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective. Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (now Książ Wielkopo ...

, Gesch. 3d ed., viii. 253 et seq.; *Michael, Or ha-Ḥayyim, No. 1020; *

Graziadio Nepi Graziadio (Hananel) Nepi (; 1759 – January 18, 1836), also known by the acronym Ḥen (), was an Italian rabbi, Kabbalist, and physician. Biography Graziadio Nepi studied at Ferrara for twelve years under Rabbi and subsequently was himself th ...

, ''Toledot Gedole Yisrael'', pp. 122–124; *Preschel, in the preface to his edition of Minz's responsa; *

Moritz Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (30 March 1816, Prostějov, Moravia, Austrian Empire – 24 January 1907, Berlin) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider ( 1782; ...

, Cat. Bodl. col. 1344.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minz, Judah 1400s births 1508 deaths Italian centenarians 15th-century Italian rabbis 16th-century Italian rabbis Men centenarians