Moses ben Mordecai Bassola or simply Moses Bassola, alternative spelling: Moshe Basola, Basilea, Basila (Hebrew באסולה or simply: משה באסולה; alternative Hebrew spelling: באזלה ,איש באזולה ,ב(א)סולה ,באסל ,באזילא);Basilea, Basila, Bassola, Basola, Basla

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

article born 1480 (year ה'ר"מ, Hebrew calendar), in

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

, Italy - died in 1560 (year ה'ש"כ, Hebrew calendar)) was a

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 o ...

and a cabalist. His travel book has been published in English and modern Hebrew by Abraham David under the titles ''In Zion and Jerusalem: The Itinerary of Rabbi Moses Basola (1521–1523)'' (Jerusalem: C. G. Foundation Jerusalem Project Publications, 1999. 148 pp. nglish 48 pp. ebrew)

Biography

Since he called himself ''Ẓarfati'' (the Frenchman), his family may have originated from France. R. Moses was the son of a famous rabbinical family in the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

and in Italy, living between the 15th century - 18th century. His last name - ''Bassola'' - shows that the family probably originated from Basel (the Latin form of the name is ''Basil'') in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. He served in his youth in his hometown of

as a rabbi.

Land of Israel tour (1521–1523)

In 1521, he sailed to the

via Cyprus and Crete and toured it for a year and a half. His impressions from this visit are documented in his book ''Sefer '', in which he describes various sites in Ottoman Palestine (partial list), such as

Bar'am Bar'am ( he, בַּרְעָם, ''lit.'' Son of the People), sometimes spelled as Baram, is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located approximately 300 meters from Israel's border with Lebanon near the ruins of the ancient Jewish village of Kfar Bar' ...

, Ein Zeitim,

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...

Meron Meron may refer to: People * Meron (surname), including a list of people with the name * Meron Abraham (born 1995), an Eritrean cyclist * Meron Amanuel (born 1990), an Eritrean cyclist * Meron Benvenisti (born 1934), an Israeli political scienti ...

, Kefar Hananiah,

Akbara Akbara ( ar, عكبرة) is an Arab village in the Israel, Israeli municipality of Safed, which included in 2010 more than 200 families. It is 2.5 km south of Safed City. The village was rebuilt in 1977, close to the old village destroyed i ...

Peki'in Peki'in (alternatively Peqi'in) ( he, פְּקִיעִין) or Buqei'a ( ar, البقيعة), is a Druze in Israel , Druze–Arab citizens of Israel, Arab town with Local council (Israel), local council status in Israel's Northern District (Is ...

, Amuka, Gush Halav, Dalton,

Huqoq Huqoq or Hukkok ( he, חוקוק) was an ancient Jewish village, located 12.5 km north of Tiberias. The area had been settled since ancient times and is mentioned in the Book of Joshua. The Palestinian village Yaquq was built at Huqoq's lo ...

, Jethro's Tomb near the Horns of Hittin,

Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...

, Jerusalem, Hebron, among other places. In every place he visited, Rabbi Moses described the inhabitants of the country, the number of Jews living in each locality and their important occupations, including the burial sites of the righteous, synagogues, etc. During this period, Rabbi Moses resided in the settlement of Ein Zeitim, which had then a Jewish community of some forty families. The book became a primary source of information for Jewish life in the land of Israel and the country's attractions during those years.

Later life

After returning to Italy, R. Moses lived in Ancona and headed the Yeshiva there. In his later years, R. Moses made

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

to the Land of Israel and settled in

, where he was in a friendly relationship with the rabbis of the city, especially with R. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero. R. Moses' son, R.

Azriel ben Moses Bassola Azriel, Asriel or Ezriel may refer to: People * Azriel of Gerona (c. 1160–c. 1238), Catalan kabbalist * Azriel Hildesheimer (1820–1899), German rabbi * Azriel Rabinowitz (1905–1941), Lithuanian rabbi and Holocaust victim * Azriel Rosenfeld (1 ...

, was a known scholar, whom among his students was R. Leon of Modena.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassola, Moses ben Mordecai 1480 births 1560 deaths Kabbalists Rabbis from Ancona Rabbis in Safed 16th-century travelers Rabbis of the Land of Israel Holy Land travellers 16th-century Italian rabbis Explorers of Asia Jewish explorers Medieval Jewish travel writers Italian explorers 16th-century writers Pilgrimage accounts People from Pesaro