Joseph ben Hayyim Jabez (also "Yaavetz") (1438-1539)
was a
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
-Jewish theologian. He lived for a time in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, where he associated with
Joseph Hayyun, who inspired him with that taste for
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...
which he subsequently displayed in his writings. When the Jews were
banished from Spain Jabez settled at
Mantua
Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name.
In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. There he met his compatriot, the
kabbalist Judah Hayyat, whom he induced to write the commentary ''Minḥat Yehudah'' on the kabbalistic work ''Ma'areket Elahut.''
Jabez was an opponent of
philosophy. For him the truth of the Jewish religion is demonstrated by the miracles recorded in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
. He criticizes the thirteen articles of faith of
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
, the six of
Hasdai Crescas
Hasdai ben Abraham Crescas (; he, חסדאי קרשקש; c. 1340 in Barcelona – 1410/11 in Zaragoza) was a Spanish-Jewish philosopher and a renowned halakhist (teacher of Jewish law). Along with Maimonides ("Rambam"), Gersonides ("Ralbag"), ...
, and the three of
Albo. According to him, only the following three, alluded to in the verse "I am that I am" (
Ex. iii. 14), are the fundamental principles of
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...
:
# That God is one
# That He governs the world
# That in the end all mankind will believe in His unity
These dogmas are expounded by him in the following books:
* ''Ḥasde Adonai'' (Constantinople, 1533), an ethical work wherein the author demonstrates that the wise man is more grateful to God for his misfortunes than for worldly advantages
* ''Ma'amar ha-Aḥdut'' (Ferrara, 1554), on the unity of God
* ''Perush 'al Masseket Abot'' (ib. 1555), on the sayings of the Fathers, mentioned by the author of ''Yesod ha-Emunah''
* ''Or ha-Ḥayyim'' (ib. 1555), against philosophy
* A commentary on 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 ...
(Salonica, 1571)
Jabez left also a great number of manuscript works, which, according to
Ghirondi, are still (as of 1906) in the possession of the author's descendants.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
*
David Conforte David Conforte (c. 1618 – c. 1685) () was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title ''Ḳore ha-Dorot.''
Biography
Conforte came of a family of scholars. His early instructors were rabbis ...
, Ḳore ha-Dorot, p. 30a;
*
Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, ii. 4;
*
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 ...
-
Mordecai Ghirondi, ''Toledot Gedole Yisrael'', p. 158;
*
Adolf Jellinek
Adolf Jellinek ( he, אהרן ילינק ''Aharon Jelinek''; 26 June 1821 in Drslavice, Moravia – 28 December 1893 in Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar. After filling clerical posts in Leipzig (1845–1856), he became a preacher at t ...
, in Orient, Lit. vii. 262;
*
Moritz Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 1474;
*
Hermann Vogelstein and
Paul Rieger
Paul Warren Rieger (born ) is a former New Zealand local-body politician. He served as mayor of Palmerston North from 1985 to 1998, and was a member of the Horizons Regional Council between 1998 and 2019.
Rieger served on the Council of Massey ...
, ''Geschichte der Juden in Rom'', ii. 66.
References
Spanish Jews
15th-century births
16th-century deaths
16th-century Sephardi Jews
Kabbalists
Philosophers of Judaism
Jews expelled from Spain in 1492
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