Abraham Hiyya de Boton (c. 1560 – c. 1605) (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: אברהם די בוטון) was a

Talmudist 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 center ...

and rabbi, a pupil of

Samuel de Medina Rabbi Samuel ben Moses de Medina (abbreviated RaShDaM, or ''Maharashdam''; 1505 – October 12, 1589), was a Talmudist and author from Thessaloniki. He was principal of the Talmudic college of that city, which produced a great number of promine ...

, who later dwelt for the most part at

Salonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

as rabbi and leader of a Talmudic academy. The name "Ḥiyya" was given him during a dangerous sickness (Ḥiyya = "life"; "may he live!"). He was for a time rabbi at Polia;

Heimann Joseph Michael Heimann (Hayyim) Michael (April 12, 1792 – June 10, 1846) was a Hebrew bibliographer born at Hamburg. He showed great acuteness of mind in early childhood, had a phenomenal memory, and was an indefatigable student. He studied Talmudics and rec ...

, ''Or ha-Ḥayyim,'' p. 95 in 1601 he lived in Palestine, and in 1603 was at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. He died between 1603 and 1609.

Works

Even during his lifetime Boton was distinguished as a Talmudist of wide learning and acumen. His chief work is ''Lehem Mishneh'' (Double Bread; also Dispute of the Mishnah), Venice, 1609: it bears also the title ''Mishneh Torah.'' It is a commentary on

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 ...

' ''

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law ('' ...

'', especially on those passages which apparently contradict the

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 ...

. He not only refers to such passages as had been previously noticed, but discovers a large number of others. At the same time, Boton endeavors to establish harmony between the seeming discrepancies by every possible method of interpretation. ''Leḥem Mishneh'' also contains many remarks on ''Maggid Mishneh,'' Don

Vidal of Tolosa Vidal of Tolosa, alternate spelling Vidal de Toulouse (Hebrew: וידאל די טולושא), was a Spanish rabbi and scholar of the late 14th century, and is often referred to by the sobriquet, ''Harav Ha-Maggid'', or the ''Maggid Mishneh'', name ...

's commentary on the ''Mishneh Torah''. The work is now widespread, and is incorporated with most editions of the ''Mishneh Torah'' that have appeared in the last two centuries.

Conforte Conforte is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *David Conforte (c. 1618 – c. 1685), Greek-born Hebrew literary historian and writer * Joe Conforte (1925–2019), American brothel owner See also * Comfort (disambiguation) * Con ...

relates(ib. p. 45a that his teacher

Mordecai Kalai Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed. Biblical acco ...

told him and other pupils that the ''Leḥem Mishneh'' was the joint work of Kalai and Boton, who were fellow-students; and Kalai is even reported to have said that most of the observations in ''Leḥem Mishneh'' were his own. This aspersion loses force through the fact that though Kalai lived in the same city, he never made this claim against Boton publicly. Another work of Boton's was ''Leḥem Rav'' (Great Meal, or Great Dispute), responsa, published by his grandson Abraham (No. 4), Smyrna, 1660. The ''novellae'' on ''Baba Ḳamma'' in

Abraham Akra Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

's ''Meharere *Nemerim'' must be the work of another and earlier Abraham de Boton.

References

* Its 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,'' pp. 37b, 43a, 43b, 44a, 45a, 48a, 50b, 51a; * Azulai, ''Shem ha-Gedolim,'' ed. Benjacob, i.7; *

, ''Or ha-Ḥayyim,'' No. 182; *

Benjacob Isaac ben Jacob Benjacob (January 10, 1801, Ramygala – July 2, 1863, Vilnius) was a Lithuanian Jewish Maskil, best known as a bibliographer, author, and publisher. His 17-volume Hebrew Bible included Rashi, Mendelssohn, as well as his own ''M ...

, ''Oẓar ha-Sefarim,'' p. 260; *idem, ''Leḥem Mishneh,'' Amsterdam, 1703. {{DEFAULTSORT:Boton, Abraham de 1560s births 1600s deaths 17th-century Greek clergy 17th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Talmudists Rabbis from Thessaloniki 16th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire Sephardi rabbis in Ottoman Palestine