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Rabbi Don Isaac Abarbanel & the Spanish Expulsion Yehuda Azoulay fter living on the Iberian peninsula for centuries, 1391 safety. In some instances, Spanish ship captains charged Jewish pas- marked the begin- sengers exorbitant sums, and Aning of a mass then threw them overboard scale of forced in the middle of the ocean. conversions to Christianity. The Additionally, in the final days Spanish Inquisition, a religious before the expulsion, rumors committee established in 1478 spread throughout Spain that by the Catholic monarchs King the fleeing refugees had swal- Ferdinand II of Aragon and lowed gold and diamonds, and Queen Isabella I of Castile, Spain many Jews were knifed to death was convened to guarantee the by brigands hoping to find trea- orthodoxy of the new Jewish con- sures in their stomachs. verts to Christianity. The word “Inquisition” literally means Facing the threat of “detailed or relentless ques- death, the Jewish leadership tioning” and refers to the tactic was afraid to intervene and employed by the Spanish priests, protest the persecution. The who relentlessly questioned and most notable exception was tortured those convicted of dis- Rabbi Don Yizhak Abarbanel loyalty to Christianity, in an effort (5197/5268 – 1437/1508), a to have them confess. well-connected public figure The primary objective of who used his political prestige the Inquisition was to expel to help alleviate the suffering the Jews from Spain. Tomas of Spanish Jewry. de Torquemada, who led the Inquisition, believed that as long A Rabbi in the as the Jews remained in Spain, R’ Don Yizhak Abarbanel P o r t u g u e s e they would influence the tens of thousands of recent Jewish converts to Christianity Government and persuade them to continue practicing Judaism. Rabbi Don Yizhak was born into a wealthy King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella initially rejected and learned family in Lisbon, Portugal in the year Torquemada’s demand that the Jews be expelled, 5197/1437. His family traced its roots to David until January 1492, when the Spanish Army defeated Hamelech, and consisted of a distinguished lin- Muslim forces in Granada, thereby restoring the eage that consisted of many Torah scholars, suc- whole of Spain to Christian rule. On March 30 of cessful businessmen, political figures and Jewish that year, the king and queen issued the expulsion communal leaders. Rabbi Don Yizhak inherited decree, ordering that it be carried out precisely four all the talents and qualities of his illustrious ances- months thereafter. The short time frame meant that tors, emerging as a towering Torah scholar and a the Jews would have to sell their homes and business wealthy, influential leader and public figure. at outrageously low prices, which obviously served His father, Rabbi Yehuda, served as minister the interest of the rest of the population. Capitalizing of the Portuguese National Treasury under King on the Jews’ distress, Spanish priests throughout Alfonso V. Rabbi Don Yizhak received a compre- this period actively encouraged Jews to convert to hensive Torah education, and took a great interest Christianity. in languages and philosophy. Later, he followed in While it is commonly believed that the Inquisition his father’s footsteps and joined the service of the took place only in 1492, the brutality actually began R’ Don Yizhak Abarbanel Sefer king as treasurer. “Mayani Yeshua” around 1480, and persecution of all sorts continued As a government figure, Rabbi Don Yizhak for approximately fifty years. exerted great influence upon Jews everywhere. In Tens of thousands of Jewish refugees died while trying to reach the year 1471, King Alfonso captured the town of Arzilla, Morocco, 42 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE and two hundred and fifty Moroccan Jews offer of money. were among the captives. Rabbi Don Yizhak And so, in spite of Rabbi Don Yizhak’s efforts, appointed twelve representatives to gather funds the expulsion took place on the ninth of Av, 5252 to ransom the Jewish captives, and he himself /July 30, 1492. He did manage however to have made the largest donation. After the Jews were the expulsion delayed by two days, affording the ransomed, Rabbi Don Yizhak supported them refugees a bit of extra time to complete the sales entirely from his own wealth for approximately of their assets before leaving Spain. two years, until they learned the new language & could earn their own livelihood. A Ray of Light in the Darkest Moment A New Jewish Rabbi Don Yizhak was pained by the tragedy, Leader Arrives in Spain and felt a keen sense of mission, realizing that When Alfonso V died, and his son John XI Hashem put him in a position to help his fellow succeeded him to the throne of Portugal, Rabbi Jews. After his efforts to avoid the expulsion did Don Yizhak’s life took an abrupt, drastic change. not succeed, he turned his attention to promot- King John began a policy aimed at eliminat- ing and reinforcing the Messianic belief among ing the nobility, especially the ministers who Jews, which would provide a glimmer of hope had served under his father. Rabbi Don Yizhak and strengthen their resolve in the face of reli- learned that the king had beheaded several of gious persecution. He composed several impor- the highest ranking officials, and that he was tant works challenging the beliefs of Christianity slated to share a similar fate. The rabbi immedi- The Edict. Source: The Nahum Goldman Museum and elucidating the Jewish Messianic concept. ately fled to Toledo, Spain, where his family had of the Jewish Diaspora, Israel Among his books are Maayan HaYeshuah once lived. Accompanied by his wife and two (Wellsprings of Salvation), Yeshuot Meshicho children, Rabbi Don Yizhak arrived in Toledo (The Salvation of His Anointed One) and nearly penniless, as King John had confiscated Mashmia Yeshua (Proclaiming Salvation). all his wealth. After the expulsion, Rabbi Don Yizhak moved to Monopoli in Northern Africa, and eight years Rabbi Don Yizhak quietly obtained a posi- later he settled in Venice. The government offi- tion with a Jewish banking firm, which afford- cials eventually invited him to the council of ed him the time and peace of mind to pursue state, and Rabbi Don Yizhak became one of the his studies and compose his works. Soon after- leading statesmen of the Republic. He remained ward, he entered the service of the Kingdom of in the service of the Venetian government until Castile, the rulers of the Iberian Peninsular at his passing in the year 5268/1508, at the age that time. of seventy one. The leading officials of Venice attended his funeral, and he was laid to rest in The Abarbanel family coat of arms King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain Padua, however the exact location of his grave recognized Rabbi Don Yizhak’s unmatched is unknown. knowledge and skills in finance. The same year when the notorious Torquemada became head of The Spanish Expulsion ranks among the the Inquisition in Spain, Rabbi Don Yizhak was worst tragedies in Jewish history. Appropriately appointed royal treasurer – just two years before enough, it occurred on the 9th of Av – the same the expulsion of the Jews from Spain! day as the destruction of the first and sec- Together with his friend, the influential Don ond Temples. Just as the Temple’s destruction Abraham Senior of Segovia, he undertook the marked the end of a glorious period of service responsibilities of farming state revenues and of Hashem, the expulsion from Spain similarly supplying provisions for the royal army. His suc- brought a tragic end to a magnificent “Golden cessful management of these affairs earned him Age” of Torah scholarship and observance in the trust and admiration of Queen Isabella. Spain. Rabbi Don Yizhak, who was among In the late 1400’s, the Spanish authorities con- the greatest and last Torah personalities of sidered expelling the Jews a number of times. that glorious era, was unable to prevent the Rabbi Don Yizhak spent huge sums from his catastrophe, but most certainly succeeded in personal fortunes to bribe the Spanish monarchy shining a ray of light – the light of faith and into permitting the Jews to remain in Spain. hope – amid the darkness and despair of the A Converso being condemned by the Spanish Inquisition & When the expulsion decree was finally issued in wearing duns cap as a sign of embarrassment. Inquisition. When the Jewish people were 1492, ordering all Jews to either convert or leave desperate for a courageous leader to lift them the country, Rabbi Don Yizhak worked tirelessly from the depths of sorrow and crisis, Hashem to avert the catastrophe. He appealed to the king and queen to recon- ensured that they would have such a leader – a man of stature, lead- sider, and even offered an enormous sum of 30,000 ducats to the king’s ership and unbridled devotion to Gd and His people. treasury. But Ferdinand and Isabella ignored his pleas and declined his 44 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE.
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