viernes, 20 de febrero de 2015

R. Isaac Campanton, and the great sages that flourished in Spain, all of them on their own right

Book of the Tradition (written in the 16th century), Abraham ben Solomon of Torrutiel, translated from Hebrew by Jaime  Bages, Granada, 1920, 270-71. (1)
 
The great sage Isaac (ben Jacob) Campanton (2) studied with his father, taught the Law to Israel and had many disciples, among them my own father and R. Solomon –of blessed memory-, who had a great knowledge of the Talmud, and learned from his teacher for more than twenty years.


Another disciple of Campanton was the great Isaac de Leon (3), who was a scholar on all sciences and taught many disciples on his own, among them, the saint and compassionate R. Shimom Maimi – of blessed memory (4)-, who sanctified Portugal.

Other disciples of Campanton were the great sages Isaac Aboab II (5), R. Moshe the French, R. Shem Tob ben Shem Tob (6), and the great Samuel El Valensi - of blessed memory- (7), who supported his friends, and also had many disciples, among them, the strong hammer, of clever ingenuity, the sage Joseph Uzziel (8), and the sage Moshe Alliegna (Alami?)

Beside the mentioned above, many other sages studied with Campanton during his first years as a teacher, by the end of his life Moshe El Valensi studied with him along with several others not named here.

The great, and compassionate R. Shem Tob Lerma was one of the distinguished disciples of Isaac Aboab II. Lerma died in prision in the capital of Portugal after the expulsion, and many expelled Jews, like the sage Mori, the teacher Jacob Lual and R. Abraham Saba (9) arrived to Fez.

Later these sages went to Arcila by means of an injured boat lent by their enemies with the intention of making these men to die on the sea, but God did a miracle to the sages since they could land in Arcila despite of a badly damaged ship, without a captain, and without a sailor; only God’s clemency guided them.   

The sage Campanton died in Peñafiel, (Hebrew) year 5223 (1463ce), after overcoming several misfortunes, and going like a wanderer, and as a vagabond across the land (refers to Old Castile, and Leon), from here to there because actual terror. I have heard that when Campanton was persecuted by the princes he lied down over the tomb of his notable teacher R. Isaac Gikatilla (10), and when he got up from his teacher’s sepulcher, he said to his disciples: “ Eight days from today, I will die”.   

All these sages mentioned above were disciples of Campanton, they taught the Law in Spain until the time of the expulsion when we all were forced to leave, as I will refer next.  

Notes 
1- Torrutiel's book is a follow up in the 16th century to the another one by Abraham ibn Daud of same title written on 1161. Torrutiel's work covers from 1180 to 1525.  
2-All references to sages will be linked to the Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906 edition, unless is indicated differently. You need to click on the name:  R. Isaac Campanton
3-  R. Isaac de Leon
4- R. Simón Memmi (o Maimi), he was called "the portuguese" went from Portugal to Zamora to study at the Rabbinical School led by Campanton. According to Abraham Gross, Memmi was in Segovia on 1492 (Iberian Jewry, page 27, note 13), and he returned to Portugal along his family through Zamora that same year. Memmi died a few months later due to his suffering in prison. This information comes from Abraham Saba's account of what occured to several sages with whom he traveled to Portugal after the expulsion.   
5-  R. Isaac Aboab II
6-  R. Shem Tob ben Shem Tob
7-  R. Samuel Alvalensi
8-  R. Joseph ben Uzziel
9- R. Abraham Saba
10-R. Isaac Gikatilla
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El maestro Isaac  Campantón y los grandes sabios que florecieron  en España, cada uno maestro en su lugar



El gran maestro Isaac  Campantón estudió con su padre (llamado Jacob), enseñó la Ley a Israel y formó  muchos discípulos, siendo de ellos mi padre y R. Salomón—de bendita memoria—gran conocedor del Talmud, que aprovechó las enseñanzas del maestro durante  más de 20 años, el maestro Isaac de León, que fue un sabio en todas las ciencias y formó también numerosos discípulos, siendo  uno de los mejores el maestro, santo y piadoso que santificó a Dios en Portugal, el maestro R. Simeón Maimí—de bendita  memoria. El maestro Isaac Aboab (II), R.  Moséh el Francés, R. Shem Tob ben Shem  Tob y el gran maestro, favorecedor de sus amigos, Samuel El-Valensí— de bendita memoria —quien a su vez tuvo  muchos discípulos entre los mejores, el martillo fuerte, el de agudeza de ingenio, el maestro Josef Uzziel y el maestro Moseh Alliegna (¿Alami?).

Otros,  además de los mencionados, estudiaron con el maestro Isaac Campantón, en los primeros años de su vida, siendo ya en el final de ella, cuando lo hicieron el maestro santo y piadoso R.  Moséh El-Valensí—de bendita memoria—y algunos grandes sabios aquí no mencionados. El grande y piadoso maestro R. Shem Tob Lerma, que fue uno de los más distinguidos discípulos del maestro Isaac Aboab, se quedó en la cárcel, en la capital de Portugal, después que llegaron a Fez los judíos expulsados, junto con el sabio Morí, el maestro R. Jacob Lual y R. Abraham Saba. 

Al cabo de un tiempo fueron a la ciudad de Arcila, en un barco frágil, siendo la intención de sus enemigos que se sumergiesen en el mar,  mas Dios hizo un milagro con ellos, pues desembarcaron en Arcila,  como hemos dicho, maltrecha la nave, sin patrón ni marinero, solo por la misericordia de Dios que los guiaba. Murió el maestro Isaac  Campantón en Peñafiel, en el año 5223 (1463ec), después de haberle sobrevenido varias desgracias, yendo errante y vagabundo por todas las tierras, de aquí para allá, por causa del terror real. He oído decir, respecto de él, que cuando era perseguido por los príncipes se echó sobre el sepulcro
del grande e insigne maestro R. Isaac Gikatilla, y que, al levantarse de dicho sepulcro, dijo a sus discípulos: «De hoy en 8 días moriré». 

Estos maestros mencionados, discípulos todos ellos del maestro, enseñaron la Ley en España hasta el tiempo de la expulsión, en que hubimos de salir de allí, como  vamos a referir luego.