Ishtori Haparchi
Ishtori Haparchi (1280-1355) (also Estori Haparchi, Ashtori ha-Parhi) (Hebrew: אשתורי הפרחי) is the pen name of the 14th century Jewish physician, topographer, and traveler, Isaac HaKohen Ben Moses.[1]
Biography
Ishtori Haparchi was born in France in 1280. HaParhi was descended from a line of sages and rabbis of fame. His Father was Rabbi Moshe HaParhi, a distinguished Talmudical scholar. His grandfather was, Rabbi Nathan of Trinquetaille, author of "Shaar HiTefisa"[2] His great grandfather was Meir ben Isaac of Carcassonne, author of the "Sefer ha-'Ezer". His family originally came from Florenzia, Spain.[3] The surname Haparchi means "the Florentine" in Hebrew (perach is Hebrew for flower). He is commonly known by the title Kaftor Vaferach taken from the name of his work, the expression being additionally a pun on his surname. When the Jews were expelled from France in 1306, he travelled to Spain and Egypt, and then settled in Eretz Yisrael. He worked as a physician in Bet She'an, where he died in 1355.
Writings
Ishtori Haparchi was the author of the first Hebrew book on the geography of Eretz Yisrael [4] Sefer Kaftor Vaferech (Hebrew: ספר כפתור ופרח (literally "Button and Flower"), written in 1322 and published in Venice in 1549.[3] Kaftor Vaferech ("Book of Button and Flower") is a Hebrew idiom derived from the description of the menorah in the Temple (Exodus 37:17) and means a "work of art". In the context of the book it refers to the lay of the land. Haparchi lists the names of towns and villages in Eretz Yisrael and discusses the topography of land based on first-hand visits to the sites. Modern scholarship has determined that most of the 180 ancient sites he identified were correct, among them Usha, Modi'in and Betar.[1]
References
- ^ a b Encyclopedia Judaica Keter, Jerusalem, 1972, "Estori Ha-Parchi," vol. 6, p.918. Yeshurun vol. 21 p. 855
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b "Rabbi Ishtory HaParhi". Farhi.org. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
- ^ "Ashtori ha-Parhi (Jewish topographer) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
- 1280 births
- 1355 deaths
- Early Acharonim
- Jewish explorers
- French topographers
- Holy Land travellers
- 14th-century rabbis
- 14th-century French people
- French people of Spanish descent
- Medieval French physicians
- Medieval Jewish physicians of France
- Medieval Jewish physicians of Spain
- Jewish refugees
- French rabbis
- Medieval Jewish travel writers
- Jews in the Land of Israel
- Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature
- People from Northern District (Israel)
- People from Beit She'an