Joseph Saragossi, ( he, יוסף סרגוסי) (1460 – 1507) was a Spanish-born

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 ...

and kabbalist of the 15th and 16th centuries. He is credited with developing Safed into an important

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and kabbalistic centre. Due to a legend he is known as ''Tzaddik ha-Lavan'' (White Saint) or ''Tzaddik ha-Tarnegolim'' (Cockerel Saint.)

Biography

Although Saragossi was born in 15th-century Spain, it is possible that his family did not originate in the Spanish town of

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

, as his name implies, but rather Saragossa ( Syracuse) in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. He was banished with the rest of the Jewish community in 1492 and travelled through Sicily to

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

and

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...

. He settled in Safed, where he became a rabbi.Joseph Saragossi
''Jewish Encyclopedia''. There were about 300 Jews there who had originally come from the Berbers,

Sephardim 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 ...

and

Moriscos Moriscos (, ; pt, mouriscos ; Spanish for "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Roman Catholic church and the Spanish Crown commanded to convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed the ope ...

, but they had no natural leader. Saragossi became a rabbi and a leader of the Jewish people despite his quiet manner. His charismatic personality was used to foster the growth of peace and harmony within the community. He endeavored to show reconciliation and mutual respect towards Safed's Muslim and Arab inhabitants. Saragossi's influence in Safed has been compared to the Italian Obadyah di Bertinoro who made a similar contribution to the community in Jerusalem. When Saragossi indicated his intention to leave Safed, the people of Safed persuaded him to remain, offering to pay him an annual retainer. The respect of the Arab community was demonstrated when their Muslim governor promised to provide 33 of the 50 ducats that was offered to Saragossi as an annual payment. Combining Talmudic with kabbalistic knowledge, Saragossi created a movement interested in Kabbalistic Jewish study in Safed. His kabbalistic teachings attracted the attention of David ibn Abu Zimra. In accordance with his wish, Saragossi was buried adjacent to the tomb of

Judah bar Ilai Judah bar Ilai (), also known as Yehuda bar Ma'arava (, lit. "Judah of the West") and Rabbi Judah, was a rabbi of the 2nd century (fourth generation of tannaim). Of the many Judahs in the Talmud, he is the one referred to simply as "Rabbi Judah" a ...

, the site where he experienced a revelation of the prophet

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

. The object of a legend in which a salvation was wrought at his graveside involving the procurement of 500 pure white chickens, he was thereafter called the ''Tzaddik ha-Lavan'' (White Saint) or the ''Tzaddik ha-Tarnegolim'' (Cockrel Saint.) A similar story is told of the tanna Abba Yosef haBanai. At the turn of the 19th-century, Saragossi's tomb at 'Ain Zaitun was the object of a weekly pilgrimage from the morning after Passover (22nd Nisan) until the 18th Iyyar.Pilgrimage
''Jewish Encyclopedia''.

Footnotes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saragossi, Joseph Spanish rabbis Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 Kabbalists 15th-century rabbis from the Mamluk Sultanate 16th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Rabbis in Safed Rabbis in Ottoman Galilee Sephardi rabbis Sephardi Jews in Ottoman Palestine Sephardi Jews in the Mamluk Sultanate 1460 births 1507 deaths