Shimon Lavi ( he, שמעון לביא, also Shimon ibn Lavi, he, שמעון אבן לביא, anglicized as Simeon Labi, 1486–1585)
was a
Sephardi
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
Hakham,
kabbalist, physician, astronomer, and poet. He is credited with the founding of religious institutions and the revival of
Torah study in
Tripoli, Libya, in the mid-sixteenth century, where he served as spiritual leader and ''
dayan'' (rabbinical court judge) for more than three decades. He authored a commentary on the
Zohar titled ''Ketem Paz'' and the ''
piyyut'', "''
Bar Yochai''", a kabbalistic hymn which became widely popular in the Jewish world. Libyan Jews consider him their greatest scholar.
Biography
As a child, Lavi was expelled from his homeland of Spain together with his family in the
Spanish Expulsion of 1492. They resettled in
Fez, Morocco
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès, Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the List of cities in Morocco, second largest city i ...
, where Lavi studied both Torah and Kabbalah.
[ In 1549 Lavi set out to ]immigrate
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to Israel, but was kidnapped and held for ransom by "Arab bandits". He was redeemed and came to Tripoli, where he found the community lacking spiritual guidance and decided to settle there instead.[
Lavi is credited with the founding of the Tripoli Jewish community's religious institutions, the revival of Torah study, and the establishment of '' takkanot'' (Jewish community regulations).] Serving as a posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
and '' dayan'' (rabbinical court judge), Lavi put the rabbinical court
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
on a firm footing and appointed more judges to lead the community into the future.[ In later generations, Tripoli Jews had the custom of reciting a memorial prayer every ]Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...
eve on behalf of all the judges who had served on the rabbinical court from Lavi's time to the present. Lavi's efforts to revive Torah education also halted the spiritual decline among Tripoli Jewry; 300 years after his death, eleven rabbinical academies were operating in the city. Libyan Jews consider Lavi their greatest scholar.[
An outstanding kabbalist, Lavi incorporated the study of Jewish mystical texts into the community's daily ritual. The Zohar took its place as a holy book alongside the ]Tanakh
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' 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 ...
, with people reading from it on weekdays, Shabbats, and at special social gatherings.[ Lavi fixed the prayer rite in Tripoli according to the Sephardi ]custom
Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to:
Traditions, laws, and religion
* Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom
* Norm (social), a r ...
.[ His ''piyyut'', "'' Bar Yochai''", was sung every Friday night by Tripoli Jews to the melody that Lavi himself composed.][ Lavi also served as a physician to the Turkish governor and represented the Jewish community to the ruling authorities.][ He was said to be highly respected by the government ministers.][
]
Works
''Ketem Paz''
Around 1570 Lavi authored a commentary on the Zohar (Books of Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
and Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
).[ The commentary was noted for its emphasis on the '']peshat
''Peshat'' (also ''P'shat'', ) is one of the two classic methods of Jewish biblical exegesis, the other being Derash. While ''Peshat'' is commonly defined as referring to the surface or literal (direct) meaning of a text,Goldin, S. (2007). Unloc ...
'' (direct meaning) of the Zohar text rather than on '' derush'' (comparative analysis).[ In addition to his kabbalistic discussion, Lavi displayed knowledge of ]alchemy
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...
. The manuscript remained in handwritten form until 1795, when wealthy Tripoli Jews arranged for the publication of the commentary for the Book of Genesis only, in two parts.[ The title of this work, ''Ketem Paz'', was chosen by the Chida, who was in Livorno while the work was being printed there.][
Additionally, Lavi wrote the commentary ''Bi'ur Millot Zarot she'b'Sefer HaZohar'' (Explanation of Foreign Words in the Book of the Zohar), which displays his mastery of Spanish and Arabic.][ This work was published in ''Yad Ne'eman'' (1804) by Rabbi Avraham Miranda.][ Lavi also wrote the ''Seder Tikkunei Kallah'', readings for Shavuot night (Venice, 1680).][
]
"''Bar Yochai''"
Lavi composed numerous ''piyyutim'',[ the most well-known of which is "'' Bar Yochai''", written in praise of Rabbi ]Shimon bar Yochai
Shimon bar Yochai ( Zoharic Aramaic: שמעון בר יוחאי, ''Shim'on bar Yoḥai'') or Shimon ben Yochai (Mishnaic Hebrew: שמעון בן יוחאי, ''Shim'on ben Yoḥai''), also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-century ''tannaiti ...
, author of the Zohar. This composition displays Lavi's mastery of Torah and Kabbalah, as the rhyming stanzas incorporate expressions from the Tanakh, rabbinical teachings and ideas, and expressions from the Zohar and other mystical texts. The first letter of each stanza forms an acrostic of the author's name.[
Lavi sang the song both in Hebrew and in a ]Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic dialects (, ; ; ) are ethnolects formerly spoken by Jews throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Under the ISO 639 international standard for language codes, Judeo-Arabic is classified as a macrolanguage under the code jrb, enco ...
translation.[ The song was brought to Safed, Palestine, and was accepted by the students of the Arizal, who in turn brought it to Europe. It was first printed at the beginning of the seventeenth century in ]Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
and Krakow. In the 1795 printing of ''Ketem Paz'', this and other compositions by Lavi were included.[ The song became widely popular in the Jewish world.][ Customs vary regarding singing the song on the Shabbat, but all communities, Sephardi and Ashkenazi alike, sing it on ]Lag BaOmer
Lag BaOmer ( he, , ''LaG Bāʿōmer''), also Lag B'Omer or Lag LaOmer, is a Jewish religious holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar.
According to some Rishonim ...
, the Yom Hillula
A ''Yom Hillula'' ( he, יום הילולא, day of festivity) is another word for ''yahrzeit'' (the anniversary of a death). However, it differs from a regular ''yahrzeit'' in two respects. It refers specifically to the ''yahrzeit'' of a great Tz ...
of Shimon bar Yochai.[
]
Tomb
Lavi's tomb in Tripoli was visited by Jewish pilgrims from throughout Libya both during the year and on his Yom Hillula
A ''Yom Hillula'' ( he, יום הילולא, day of festivity) is another word for ''yahrzeit'' (the anniversary of a death). However, it differs from a regular ''yahrzeit'' in two respects. It refers specifically to the ''yahrzeit'' of a great Tz ...
. The tomb was also venerated by Muslims, who called him "Ibn Limam".
Notes
References
Sources
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External links
''Ketem Paz'' – Part I
at HebrewBooks
''Ketem Paz'' – Part II
at HebrewBooks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavi, Shimon
1486 births
1585 deaths
Libyan rabbis
Authors of Kabbalistic works
Jews expelled from Spain in 1492
15th-century Sephardi Jews
16th-century Sephardi Jews
People from Tripoli