Solomon Alami

Solomon Alami, probably Solomon Ibn laughter mixed (* around 1370 in Spain, † 1420 in Portugal), was a Spanish Jewish moralist. He has a work Iggeret ha - Musar ( German: letter about the morality ), a 1415 written some thirty -side reminder letter left behind.

Life

Solomon Alami, is known about his life little left Spain and fled to Portugal after he had become a witness to the 1391 riots against the Jews by the Christian population in the year. The massacres were thousands of Jews fell victim and had many moved to convert to Christianity.

In his 1415 exile in Portugal written to a student in rhymed Hebrew prose Dunning Iggeret Musar Alami laments the living conditions of the Jews in Spain, who had suffered from the 1391 frequent persecutions and anti-Jewish legislation, but castigates the same time, the decline of morals among his Jewish contemporaries, whom he holds responsible for the persecutions.

The consequences of the January 12, 1412 adopted anti-Jewish edict he describes as follows: " The lived in palaces, were shown into miserable angle at low dark huts. Instead of rushing garments we had to carry wretched clothes and fell into contempt. Instead of shaven beard we had as mourners wander. The wealthy tax farmers fell into penury because they did not understand and crafts, to feed them. And the craftsmen did not find any food. Noth turned one in Allen. Children died in the bosom of the mothers before Noth and nudity. "

Alami's epistle was formerly much read. It first appeared in 1510 in Constantinople, Opel and was reprinted several times, most recently in 1946 in Jerusalem. In the German -speaking area best known is the 1854 published in Leipzig edition of Adolf Jellinek, who wrote in the preface of this document could " the rich, the notables, scholars, merchants, the rabbis, the leaders, the reformer and the Pilpulheroen learn which task Judaism provides its adherents ".

Leopold Zunz has parts translated into German and published in 1844 in Vienna Yearbook of the Israelites and recorded under the title " an old voice" in his collected writings.

Expenditure ( selection)

• Iggeret Musar ( אגרת מוסר ). Erstdruck Konstantin Opel in 1510, several editions.
• R. Solomon Alami 's moral teachings written in the form of an epistle to a disciple in 1415 in Portugal. Edited by Adolph Jellinek. Leipzig 1854, Vienna 1872 Online, (Hebrew with German preface by the editor )
• Iggeret Musar. Edited by Abraham Meir Haberman. Jerusalem 1946