- Samuel de Medina
Rabbi Samuel ben Moses de Medina (abbreviated RaShDaM, Hebrew רשד"ם or "Maharashdam"), was aTalmud ist and author; born 1505; diedOctober 12 ,1589 , atSalonica . He was principal of the Talmudic college of that city, which produced a great number of prominent scholars during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His teachers were the noted TalmudistsJoseph Taitazak andLevi Ibn Chaviv , and among his schoolmates wereIsaac Adarbi ,Joseph ibn Leb , andMoses Almosnino . While on a mission toConstantinople he met the notedgrammarian Menahem Lonzano , who studied under him for some time and who therefore speaks of him as his teacher (David Conforte , "Kore ha-Dorot," ed. Cassel, p. 44a).Among Samuel's many disciples who attained prominence were
Abraham de Boton andJoseph ibn Ezra . He had a controversy withJoseph Karo and other rabbis atSafed , against whom he wrote apolemic al letter ("Ketav Tochachah"; see Azulai, "Shem haGedolim", s.v.). A grandson of his wasSamuel Hayyun , author of "Bene Shemuel", "novella e" and "responsa " (Salonica, 1613?).Writings
Samuel's works include:
*"Ben Shemuel",
Mantua , 1622, thirty sermons on various subjects, published with a preface by his grandson Shemaiah
*"Hiddushim" (unpublished), "novellae" on some Talmudictractate s (Benjacob , "Oẓar ha-Sefarim," p. 183)
*a collection of 956 "responsa" in four parts, of which the first two were published during the lifetime of the author (1578-87?) under the title "Piske RaShDaM" (Benjacob, l.c. p. 491; Conforte, l.c. p. 38a, Cassel's note;Steinschneider , "Cat. Bodl." No. 7056).A complete edition of the last-named work was undertaken later by the author's son Moses, who added a preface (Salonica, 1594-97; new ed. ib. 1798).
Bibliography
*
Moritz Steinschneider , "Cat. Bodl." No. 8909;
*Joseph Zedner , "Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus." s.v.References
*JewishEncyclopedia
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