Rabba, Menahem

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RABBA, MENAHEM

RABBA, MENAHEM (16th century), preacher in Padua. Rabba wrote Beit Mo'ed (Venice, 1605), a homiletic work containing sermons for every religious occasion during the year. A large number of his sermons deal with the concept of repentance (teshuvah) to which he ascribes a metaphysical dimension. Although the work exhibits certain philosophic influences, no specific philosophic thought is dominant. The book was published posthumously by Rabba's son, Elijah, who in the introduction lists other works of his father similar in style to Beit Mo'ed: Ot ha-Berit, Ḥavvat Rabba, Netivot Olam, Kelil Tekhelet, Ma'aneh Rakh, and Kiryat Arba, none of which was published.