ISRAEL BEN JONATHAN FROM LECZYCA

ISRAEL BEN JONATHAN FROM LECZYCA (first half of 17th century), kabbalistic author. Israel lived in Leczyca and Shklov, where he acted as rabbi. Around 1650 he had to leave his country and became an exile in Italy. He had friendly contacts with Abraham Joseph Solomon b. mordecai graziano in Modena. Israel published Or Israel (Amsterdam, 1657), kabbalistic homilies in the spirit of the zohar , in verse form, with ten chapters arranged according to the order of the Ten Commandments. A copy of this book with glosses in the handwriting of Abraham Graziano is in the library of the Academy of Sciences, Leningrad. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Steinschneider, Cat Bod, 1166, no. 5462; Fuerst, Bibliotheca, 2 (1863), 148; S. Wiener, Kohelet Moshe, 1 (1893), 59, no. 472. (Joseph Elijah Heller)