Elijah ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen
Rabbi Eliyahu ben Solomon Abraham ha-Kohen ha-Itamari was a Dayan, almoner and preacher. He was born in Smyrna, where he was educated by R. Benjamin Melamed, a leading Rabbi of İzmir, and became a homiletic preacher. R. Eliyahu's opposition to Sabbatai Zevi and his associates earned him much grief at home. He apparently cared for orphans as his writings display an extremely detailed knowledge of the physical and psychological suffering of the poor. A prolific writer, he is best remembered for his ethical work Shevet Mussar, which has seen numerous editions and been translated into many languages. The first edition of Shevet Mussar was issued in Constantinople in 1712.
Works
Eliyahu produced over 30 works, of which the principal, according to, are as follows:, eleven funeral sermons and a commentary on the Talmudic sayings relative to the Book of Esther , homilies , glosses and comments taken from 300 works and containing 926 paragraphs in alphabetical order: only the first part, from "alef" to "kaf," was published , a treatise on charity , an ethical and moral treatise composed of 52 chapters, each intended to be studied weekly throughout the year. First published in 1712, the book quickly gained widespread popularity across Jewish communities. Its accessible style and deep spiritual insights led to numerous reprints and translations into several languages, including Ladino, making it a cornerstone of Sephardic ethical literature. The work offers guidance on personal conduct, repentance, and spiritual growth, and remains influential in both traditional and modern Jewish thought. It was taken for the most part from the Or Ḳadmon of Moses Ḥagis, the Tokaḥot of the Spanish poets, the Orḥot Ḥayyim, and the Roḳeaḥ of Eleazar of Worms , commentary on the Chumash She'elot u-Teshubot, responsa , sermons , homiletic treatise on the parashiyyot , a treatise on the Talmudic and Midrashic passages beginning with these words , a commentary to Pirkei Avot- a commentary on the aggadic passages of the Jerusalem Talmud of Zeraim and Moed
- a commentary to the PsalmsEzor Eliyahu, a commentary to the Pesaḥ HaggadahṬa'ame ha-Miẓwot, a treatise on the 613 commandmentsSheloshah Mahadurot, a commentary to the PentateuchShiṭṭah, on the Abodah Zarah
- a commentary to the difficult passages in the Ta'anit
- a commentary to the HafṭarotḤiddushim Nifradim, Yado ha-Kol, comprising commentaries to the Song of Songs, Book of Ruth, and Book of Esther, each under a different title
- mystical glosses to the Song of Songs and Esther
- a commentary to Lamentations
- commentaries to Pirḳe Rabbi Eliezer, Otiyyot de-Rabbi Aḳiba, Kallah, Semaḥot, Derek Ereẓ Rabbah and Derek Ereẓ Zuṭa, Tanna debe Eliyahu, and Tiḳḳune ha-'Aberot
- one treatise and three sermons on repentance
- a commentary to various prayers
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i. 22;
- Michael, Heimann Joseph, Or ha-Ḥayyim, Frankfort-on-the-Main, No. 407:
- Jellinek, B. H. i. 16, Preface;
- Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 932;
- Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 238;
- Friedenstein, 'Ir Gibborim.