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The
Abarbanel on the Yom Kippur Service
in the Beis Hamikdash
A Brief History
Rendered into English
by Rabbi Elimelech Lepon
Rabbi Yitzchak
Abarbanel was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1437 (5197) to an
old and prestigious Sephardic family, which traced its lineage all the way
back to the royal line of King David. He studied Talmud and Jewish law
under Rabbi Yitzchak Abohab ll
and Rabbi Yosef Chayon, and was an adept student
of Jewish philosophy. Like many Torah scholars of Spain's Golden Age, Rabbi
Yitzchak also acquired a broad familiarity with the writings of the secular
scholars of his time. At an early age he began to compose works on such
complex topics as Biblical commentary and prophecy.
King Alfonso V
of Portugal soon became aware of
his wisdom and appointed him treasurer of the kingdom, and his time became
increasingly consumed with the political affairs of his country. Abarbanel was often able to use his wealth and
influence for the sake of his brethren. On one occasion, when the Jewish
residents of a town in Morocco were taken captive to
be sold as slaves, he organized the collection of the ransom, donating a
large sum from his own fortune.
In 1481,
fleeing from an accusation brought against him by King Alfonso's son and
successor, John ll, he settled in Castille. Spain. There Rabbi Yitzchak
was free to devote himself to his writing, and in a very short time he
composed wide-ranging commentaries on the books of Yehoshua,
Shoftim, and Shmuel. Abarbanel's literary accomplishments during this period
were astounding. His commentary of Yehoshua was
completed in sixteen days; on Shoftim in
twenty-five; while the much longer commentary on Shmuel
took only two and a half months to compose.
However, his
solitude was not destined to last. After beginning his commentary on Melachim, Abarbanel was asked
to serve as treasurer of the joint monarchies of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Aragon and Castille. He served them
well, increasing revenues and advancing large sums of money to finance
Ferdinand's conquest of Moslem-ruled Granada. He remained in this
post until 1492, when the expulsion of the Jews of Spain was decreed. Rabbi
Yitzchak tried to negotiate with the rulers, offering bribes to revoke
their heartless edict. When his offer was refused, he joined his persecuted
brethren and went into exile.
Rabbi Yitzchak
relocated to Naples, Italy, and there finished
his commentary on Melachim, which he had started
eight years previously. But his wandering was not yet over. Fleeing the
French invasion of Naples, he was forced to move
to Corfu. By a stroke of
Heavenly Providence, an extensive commentary on Devarim
which he had composed in his youth in Portugal and believed lost was
returned to him. This work was at first published separately as Mirkeves Hamishnah,
but later was included in all editions of his commentary on the Torah.
Abarbanel then moved to Monopoli, in Southern Italy, and finally settled
in Venice in 1503 where he lived
until his death in 1508. There he completed many unfinished works,
including his Torah commentary. Abarbanel's
literary output was prolific and varied. It ranged from Bible commentary to
philosophy and discourses on the Messianic period. He did not hesitate to
attack Christian theologians and examine at length such concepts as the
"antichrist." His broad comprehension of the topics and his bold
style added much to the popularity of his books.
His
better-known literary works include a commentary on Rambam's
Moreh Nevuchim
(Guide for the Perplexed, Prague, 1831); Nachalos Avos,
a commentary on the Passover Haggadah, (Zevach Pesach (Constantinople 1505).
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