Shalem, Samuel

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SHALEM, SAMUEL

SHALEM, SAMUEL (d. 1760), scholar and emissary. Born in *Salonika, Shalem was a pupil of R. Abraham Gategno. In 1745 he went to Constantinople, emigrating from there to *Tiberias. During his time in Salonika he spoke with Ereẓ Israel emissaries, and in his writings he quoted several Torah novellae that he heard from Hebron and Safed emissaries. From 1755 he traveled for about five years as an emissary from Tiberias to *Turkey, *Italy, *France, and *Germany. The letter concerning his mission – written by the ḥakhamim of Tiberias and describing the troubles of Tiberias in the wake of the wars between the sons of the sheikh Ḍāhir el-Omar, ruler of Tiberias – is extant. The collection of his responsa includes many of his halakhic replies to problems raised in the communities of *Izmir, Turin, Avignon, Ferrara, Verona, Leghorn, Trier, Metz, Hamburg, etc. He died in Izmir on his return journey. His responsa and halakhic novellae were collected and published as Melekh Shalem (Salonika, 1769).

bibliography:

Yaari, Sheluḥei, 511–4; S. Shalem, Melekh Shalem (1769).

[Avraham Yaari]