Yosef Karo: Encyclopedia II - Yosef Karo - Biography

Yosef Karo - Biography

If his birthplace was Spain, his family probably left for Portugal after the Spanish expulsion in 1492. After the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal, in 1497, Karo went with his parents to Nicopolis in European Turkey, where he received his first instruction from his father, who was himself an eminent Talmudist. He married, first, Isaac Saba's daughter, and, after her death, the daughter of Hayyim Albalag, both of these men being well-known Talmudists. After the death of his second wife he married the daughter of Zechariah Sechsel (or perhaps Sachsel), a learned and wealthy Talmudist.

Between 1520 and 1522 Karo settled at Adrianople, where he probably met the enthusiast Solomon Molcho, who stimulated his mystical tendencies. When the latter died at the stake in 1532, Karo also was filled with a longing to be "consumed on the altar as a holy burnt offering," to sanctify the name of God by a martyr's death. Like Molkho, Karo had fantastic dreams and visions, which he believed to be revelations from a higher being. His genius, he thought, was nothing less than the Mishnah personified, which instructed him because he had devoted himself to its service. These mystical tendencies probably induced Karo to emigrate to Palestine, where he arrived about 1535, having en route spent several years at Salonica (1533) and Constantinople.

Yosef Karo - Authority recognized

At Safed he met Rabbi Jacob Berab, who exerted a great influence upon him, Karo becoming an enthusiastic supporter of Berab's plans for the restitution of ordination. After Berab's death Karo tried to carry out these plans, ordaining his pupil Moses Alshech, but he finally gave up his endeavors, convinced that he could not overcome the opposition to ordination.

His reputation during the last thirty years of his life was greater than that of almost any other rabbi since Maimonides. The Italian Azaria di Rossi, though his views differed widely from Karo's, collected money among the rich Italian Jews for the purpose of having a work of Karo's printed; and the Pole Moses Isserles compelled the recognition of one of Karo's decisions at Kraków, although he thought Karo was wrong.

When some members of the community of Carpentras, in France, believed themselves to have been unjustly treated by the majority in a matter relating to taxes, they appealed to Karo, whose letter was sufficient to restore to them their rights (Rev. Etudes Juives 18:133-136). In the East, Karo's authority was, if possible, even greater. His name heads the decree of excommunication directed against Daud, Joseph Nasi's agent; and it was Karo who condemned Di Rossi's Me'or 'Enayim to be burned. Karo's death, therefore, caused general mourning, and several funeral orations delivered on that occasion have been preserved (Moses Albelda, Darash Mosheh; Samuel Katzenellenbogen, Derashot), as well as some elegies.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Biography", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki