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1 From Spain to the Ottoman Empire The Life and Contexts of Jacob ibn H . abib 17 rabbi Jacob ibn H . abib, the original creator of the En Yaaqov, authored this work in response to a particular Spanish intellectual orbit. But the development of his ideas about the nature and meaning of the aggadot of the Talmud was also an outgrowth of his encounter with the challenges that Iberian Jews faced during the fifteenth century. Like many in his generation , he confronted the rise of a class of conversos,1 Inquisitorial strife, the tumultuous expulsion of the Jewish community at the hands of the Spanish monarchs in 1492, the Portuguese edict of forced conversion in 1497, the agonies of resettlement, and the internal social conflicts that defined Jewish communal life in the Ottoman empire. Through the En Yaaqov, ibn H . abib responded to this turbulent moment in Jewish history, offering his perspective on how the Jewish community should cope. Thus it is necessary at this juncture to explore the context that shaped ibn H . abib’s life and that contributed to his decision to compile the En Yaaqov. Ibn H . abib’s life story spans four cities—Zamora, Salamanca, Lisbon, and Salonika—beginning with his birth in Zamora, a Spanish city in Castile , in the middle of the fifteenth century (between 1440 and 1450). He was a student of rabbi Samuel Valensi, who had trained under the wellknown rabbinic figure rabbi Isaac Canpanton. Valensi had succeeded Canpanton as head of the Jewish academy in Zamora. After completing his studies ibn H . abib assumed a leadership role in the academy of Salamanca. The expulsion of Spain’s Jews in 1492 resulted in his relocation to Lisbon and his confrontation with a decree of forced conversion instituted by the 01 Text.indd 17 10/19/11 10:13 AM 18 C H A P T E r 1 Portuguese monarchy in 1497. By the year 1501, ibn H . abib had again relocated . Along with many other Iberian Jews, ibn H . abib resettled in the Ottoman city of Salonika.2 In Salonika he resumed his role as a prominent rabbinic leader and began his work on the En Yaaqov. As noted earlier, he was unable to complete this work before his death in 1516; his son, Levi ibn H . abib, produced the second volume of the En Yaaqov, titled Bet Yaaqov, beginning with tractate Yebamot of Seder Nashim. Life Alongside Conversos In Castile, ibn H . abib had lived among such men as the Jewish-born diego de Zamora. diego had become a monk in the Order of San Jeronimo, and eight of his siblings followed the same course. Inquisition documents attest both to the fact that diego was a devout Christian as well as to his commitment to performing certain mitsvot. When accused of observing Jewish practices, diego was brought to trial in 1489 before Spain’s Inquisitorial court. While diego was never allowed to reassume his duties within the order, he was acquitted of the accusations against him. In the end, his good (Christian) name was restored among the men of the order, with whom he continued to identify.3 To examine ibn H . abib and diego even in a most cursory way is to observe something common to Jewish communal life of the fifteenth century. Both committed Jew and convert lived side by side, each able to align himself with a competing religious institution, each in tension with the other. Without specific documentation it is difficult to determine what provoked these two men to follow the paths they did. Jacob ibn H . abib’s family may have been more fortunate than that of diego de Zamora, possibly escaping from the fanatical zeal of the anti-Semitic clerics who forcibly were converting Jews to Christianity. Yet the divergent stories of these two men may be due to the ability of one man and the refusal of another to withstand anti-Jewish decrees that affected the religious, political, and economic lives of Jews. Indeed, to be labeled a Christian offered converts many privileges denied to Jews, as it provided them with opportunities to enter occupations, acquire wealth, and reside in communities once forbidden to them. Conversion was an attractive option for some and not uncommon.4 That diego become a monk in the Order of San Jeronimo may, however, attest to his sincere desire to live as a Christian, in contrast to ibn H . abib, who chose to remain a Jew. Converts like...

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