Galante, Jedidiah ben Moses

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GALANTE, JEDIDIAH BEN MOSES

GALANTE, JEDIDIAH BEN MOSES (17th century), scholar and emissary. From 1607 to 1613 Galante visited the Italian communities as an emissary of Safed, possibly on behalf of its Italian community to which his family belonged. During his travels he wrote several halakhic responsa in reply to problems addressed to him and relayed the remarkable deeds attributed to Isaac *Luria (the Ari). In 1608 he published in Venice the responsa of his father, Moses *Galante. When some Italian Jews, who objected to one of Jedidiah's rulings on a subject that divided the rabbis of Italy, accused him of embezzling the donations for Ereẓ Israel, he took dramatic action. On a Sabbath in Elul 1609, after his sermon to a large Venetian congregation before which he had been invited to preach, he took a Scroll of the Law from the Ark and in the presence of the whole congregation swore to his complete innocence. The incident, which made a profound impression, was publicized by the lay leaders and rabbis of Venice in a specially printed notice circulated among the Italian communities.

bibliography:

Sonne, in: Koveẓ-al-Yad, 5 (1950), 205–12; Yaari, Sheluẓhei, 152, 247, 842–3.

[Avraham Yaari]