ALFALAS, MOSES

ALFALAS, MOSES (late 16th century), preacher, lived in Tetuan, Spanish Morocco. Alfalas, in common with R. judah loew of Prague, employed philosophical terms in his preaching, without retaining their accepted meaning. Many of his sermons were delivered in Salonika, and he probably lived there some time. His printed works are Ho'il Moshe (1597), 13 chapters of homiletic treatment of the midrashic sayings that refer to the meaning of the Torah and the relationship between Israel and the Torah; Ba Gad (printed together with the above), which contains seven chapters of homilies explaining the significance of the milah ("circumcision"); Va-Yakhel Moshe (1597), 25 homilies which he had preached in Venice, Salonika, Tetuan and other towns, including some homilies written by his students under his supervision. All three books include an index of contents and sources, compiled by Samuel ibn Dysoss. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Steinschneider, Cat Bod, 1769 no. 6428.