Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 Samuel ben Moses de Medina (abbreviated RaShDaM, Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

 רשד"ם or Maharashdam), was a Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

ist and author; born 1505; died October 12, 1589, at Salonica. He was principal of the Talmudic college of that city, which produced a great number of prominent scholars during the 16th and 17th centuries. His teachers were the noted Talmudists Joseph Taitazak

Joseph Taitazak

Joseph ben Solomon Ṭaiṭazaḳ , also referred to by the acronym MahaRITaTS, was a talmudic authority and kabalist who lived at Salonica in the 15th and 16th centuries...

 and Levi Ibn Chaviv

Levi Ibn Chaviv

Levi ibn Habib was Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem from 1525 until his death.Under King Manuel of Portugal, and when about seventeen, he was compelled to submit to baptism, but at the first opportunity fled to Salonica, where he could follow the dictates of his conscience in safety...

, and among his schoolmates were Isaac Adarbi

Isaac Adarbi

Isaac Adarbi , was a casuist and preacher of the Shalom Congregation of Salonica during the 16th century...

, Joseph ibn Leb, and Moses Almosnino

Moses Almosnino

Moses ben Baruch Almosnino was a distinguished rabbi; born at Thessaloniki about 1515, and died in Constantinople about 1580....

. While on a mission to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 he met the noted grammarian Menahem Lonzano

Menahem Lonzano

Menahem ben Judah ben Menahem de Lonzano was a rabbi, Masoretic scholar, lexicographer, and poet. He died after 1608 in Jerusalem. His nativity is unknown, but it has been supposed that he was born in Italy. According to Jellinek, who identified Lonzano with Longano, a seaport of Messenia, his home...

, who studied under him for some time and who therefore speaks of him as his teacher (David Conforte

David Conforte

David Conforte was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title Ḳore ha-Dorot.-Biography:...

, Kore ha-Dorot, ed. Cassel, p. 44a).

Among Samuel's many disciples who attained prominence were Abraham de Boton

Abraham de Boton

Abraham Hiyya de Boton was aTalmudist and rabbi, a pupil of Samuel de Medina, who later dwelt for the most part at Salonica as rabbi and leader of a Talmudic academy. The name "Ḥiyya" was given him during a dangerous sickness...

 and Joseph ibn Ezra

Joseph ibn Ezra

Rabbi Josef ben Isaac ibn Ezra was an oriental rabbi of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, descended from Ibn Ezra family of Spain. Brought up in Salonica, he studied under the direction of Rabbi Samuel de Medina, and became head of the Talmudic school there; among his pupils were Aaron...

. He had a controversy with Joseph Karo and other rabbis at Safed

Safed

Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...

, against whom he wrote a polemic

Polemic

A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...

al letter (Ketav Tochachah; see Azulai

Chaim Joseph David Azulai

Chaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...

, Shem haGedolim, s.v.). A grandson of his was Samuel Hayyun, author of Bene Shemuel, novella

Novella

A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...

e and responsa

Responsa

Responsa comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them.-In the Roman Empire:Roman law recognised responsa prudentium, i.e...

(Salonica, 1613?).

Writings

Samuel's works include:

• Ben Shemuel, Mantua
  Mantua
  Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
  
  , 1622, thirty sermons on various subjects, published with a preface by his grandson Shemaiah
• Hiddushim (unpublished), novellae on some Talmudic tractates
  Talmud
  The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
  
   (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).