FANO, MENAHEM AZARIAH DA

FANO, MENAHEM AZARIAH DA
FANO, MENAHEM AZARIAH DA (1548–1620), Italian rabbi and kabbalist. The scion of a wealthy family and a prolific author, he was a recognized authority on rabbinic law and the foremost exponent in the West of the kabbalistic system of moses cordovero . Under the influence of israel sarug , who during his stay in Italy spread the knowledge of the mystical system of isaac luria , Menahem Azariah became an admirer of the latter, though without departing from the system of Moses Cordovero. A pupil of R. Ishmael Hanina of Valmontone in Ferrara, he was active in Ferrara, Venice, Reggio, and Mantua. Together with his brothers he aided the victims of the earthquake of 1570. He was a patron of Jewish learning, contributing funds for the publication of such works as Cordovero's Pardes Rimmonim (Salonika, 1584) and Joseph Caro's commentary Kesef Mishneh (Venice, 1574–76) on Maimonides' Code. Fano's fame as a talmudist is borne out by the collection of 130 responsa bearing his name which was published in 1600 in Venice and in 1788 in Dyhernfurth. His style of writing was precise and he displayed considerable originality in the views he expressed. He enjoyed great popularity as a teacher, attracting students from far and wide, from Germany as well as Italy. One of his disciples compared him to an angel of God in appearance. His gentleness and humility showed themselves in his refusal to answer adverse criticism leveled against him by a contemporary scholar on account of certain statements he made with regard to the ritual of the lulav on the festival of Tabernacles. Amadeo Recanati dedicated to him his Italian translation of Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed; isaiah horowitz praised his theological treatise Yonat Elem (Amsterdam, 1648) saying of it, "the overwhelming majority of hiswords, and perhaps all of them, are true, and his Torah is true" (introduction to Novelot Ḥokhmah (Basle, 1631) by joseph delmedigo ). Seventeen of his works have been published. These include a summary of the legal decisions of isaac alfasi and his own major work on the Kabbalah, entitled Asarah Ma'amarot (only parts have been printed, Venice, 1597); Kanfei Yonah (Korzec, 1786), a kabbalistic work on prayer; and Gilgulei Neshamot (Prague, 1688. on the transmigration of the soul. Many of his kabbalistic interpretations must have been made for the first time in the course of sermons delivered by him. Extant in manuscript are liturgical poems, elegies, comments on the teachings of Isaac Luria, and a voluminous correspondence. He died in Mantua. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: L. Woidislawski, Toledot Rabbenu Menahem Azaryah mi-Fano (1903); S. Simonsohn, Toledot ha-Yehudim be-Dukkasut Mantovah (1964), 665, index, S.V.; M.A. Szulwas, Hayyei ha-Yehudim be-Italyah bi-Tekufat ha-Renaissance (1955) 196, 220. (Samuel Rosenblatt)

Encyclopedia Judaica. 1971.

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  • Fano, Menahem Azariah — (1548 1620)    Italian rabbi and kabbalist. He was active in Ferrara, Venice, Reggio nell Emilia and Mantua. He published a collection of 130 responsa and also wrote works on the kabbalah, prayer and the transmigration of the soul …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Menahem Azariah da Fano — (also called Immanuel da Fano, and Rema MiPano) (1548, Fano – Mantua, 1620) was an Italian rabbi, Talmudist, and Kabbalist. Contents 1 Life 2 Works 3 References …   Wikipedia

  • Menahem Azariah da Fano — (souvent appelé Fano), né à Fano dans les Marches en 1548, mort à Mantoue en 1620, est un rabbin, talmudiste et kabbaliste italien. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Œuvres 3 Références …   Wikipédia en Français

  • FANO — FANO, Italian family name, in use from about 1400. Noted are AVIGDOR FANO (second half of 15th century), poet. His short poem Ozer Nashim was composed in reply to Sone ha Nashim, an attack on the feminine sex by Abraham of Sarteano; menahem… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Menachem Asarja da Fano — (* 1548; † 5. August 1620[1] in Mantua), auch genannt Immanuel da Fano, hebräisches Akronym: ‏רמ ע‎ Rama, war ein italienischer Kabbalist, Rabbiner und jüdischer Gelehrter. Er entstammte der angesehenen und wohlhabenden[2] jüdisch italienischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Ezra ben Isaac Fano — was Rabbi of Mantua and cabalist who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fano was a pupil of the cabalist Israel Saruḳ, and among his own pupils were Menahem Azariah da Fano, Jacob the Levite, and Issachar Baer Eulenburg. On July 14, 1591, Fano …   Wikipedia

  • KABBALAH — This entry is arranged according to the following outline: introduction general notes terms used for kabbalah the historical development of the kabbalah the early beginnings of mysticism and esotericism apocalyptic esotericism and merkabah… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • ITALY — Jews have lived in Italy without interruption from the days of the Maccabees until the present, through a period of 21 centuries. Although they were never subjected to general expulsion, there were frequently partial ones. They often enjoyed good …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • SARUG (Saruk), ISRAEL — (fl. 1590–1610), Egyptian kabbalist. Sarug probably belonged to an Egyptian family of rabbinic scholars with kabbalistic leanings. A manuscript written in 1565 in cairo (British Museum 759) was copied for Isaac Sarug; Israel Sarug, whose… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

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