The Chacham Of Izmir

Rabbi Chaim Benveniste (1603-1673), Author of the Kenesset HaGedolah 

In 16th and 17th century Turkey, the Sephardic surname Benveniste denotes great importance. The Benveniste family originated from the old Sephardic kehillahs in Spain, where a Don Vidal Benveniste participated in the famed Disputation at Tortosa (1413-1414) in which Rabbi Yosef Albo (author of Sefer HaIkkarim) played a central role, see The Rishonim (Judaica Press) pp. 305-306.

Rabbi Chaim Benveniste was born in Constantinople in 1603 to Rabbi Yisrael Benveniste. In his youth, Rabbi Chaim studied under the great rabbis of Turkey, including Rabbi Tzemach Narboni, Rabbi Yosef Samigah, and Rabbi Yosef of Trani (Maharit), son of Rabbi Moshe of Trani (Mabit). As the Chida reports, Rabbi Yosef of Trani had a deep and profound love for his student, Chaim Benveniste.

By the age of seventeen, Rabbi Chaim responded to complex monetary questions in the realm of ChoshenMishpat, and a short while later, served as dayan in Constantinople. In 1643, Rabbi Chaim Benveniste left Constantinople to serve as rabbi of a town near Izmir. Around 1658, Rabbi Benveniste moved to Izmir to become a disseminator of Torah. Although he initially did not occupy a rabbinic position in Izmir, when Rabbi Yosef Eskapah (author of Rosh Yosef on Tur and Beis Yosef) became too ill to continue leading the rabbinate, Rabbi Chaim Benveniste, together with Rabbi Ahron Lapapah were appointed rabbinic leaders of Izmir.

{The Kenesset HaGedolah: The Great Collection

The Chida (in Sheim ha-Gedolim) describes the prominence of Rabbi Chaim Benveniste’s magnum opus, the Kenesset HaGedolah:

“The Rabbi mentioned is from the book, “Kenesset HaGedolah,” which was printed in eight parts, and without him, no teacher, knowledgeable in the ways of teaching, and who fears teaching, will raise his hand in any teaching. Let him go quickly to the synagogue and see what is in his mouth and what his wise eyes will see, and after he leaves the synagogue, he will have peace of mind…” 

Rabbi Benveniste’s additions to his Kenesset HaGedolah formed Shiurei Kenesset HaGedolah.

Rabbi Chaim Benveniste’s other writings include: Chamra v’Chaya, chiddushim on Sanhedrin, Ba’ei Chayei, covering the four sections on the Shulchan Aruch, Dina D’Chaya, a commentary on Rabbi Moshe of Coucy’s Semag (Sefer Mitzvos Gadol), and Pesach Me’uvin, on the Haggadah shel Pesach.

Shabbetai Tzvi arrived in Izmir in September of 1665, shortly before Rosh Hashanah, but remained secluded from the public eye for approximately three months until the beginning of December. Some scholars attribute his seclusion to the fact that Shabbetai was then in a state of deep depression. During these months, Shabbetai attended the local shuls and his behavior was relatively normal. Although Shabbetai did not make any messianic proclamations during the fall of 1665, rumors about his identity as a messiah circulated Izmir and became the subject of many conversations.

The situation changed dramatically in the first week of December when Shabbetai entered a manic state. As he had done previously during his manic episodes, Shabbetai Tzvi performed maasim zarim (strange acts) including uttering the Ineffable Name of Hashem and eating forbidden foods. On this occasion, Shabbetai convinced others around him to do the same. A second thing that altered the course of events in Izmir was the arrival of a delegation from Aleppo. Two prominent rabbis, Moshe Galante and Daniel Pinto, along with some elders of Aleppo arrived in Izmir to pay homage to the messiah.

A brief description of Rabbi Moshe Galante and his credentials will suffice to explain why his visit carried so much weight. Rabbi Moshe Galante of Jerusalem was the first Rishon LeZion (a term used instead of “Chief Rabbi,” which was discontinued for political reasons). A renowned rabbi, Talmudist, and Halakhist, Rabbi Galante was the teacher of the illustrious Rabbi Hezekiah da Silva, author of Pri Chadash. He was also the father-in-law of Rabbi Yakov Chagiz (Nathan of Gaza’s former teacher). Rabbi Galante’s recognition of Shabbetai as the messiah played a crucial role in the movement’s development.

The visit of the rabbis of Aleppo caused a mass outbreak of messianic fervor in Izmir, something that demanded an immediate response from the rabbinic court.

Although the majority of Izmir’s Jewish population excitedly joined the camp of believers, the rabbinic leaders were highly suspicious. After carefully examining Nathan’s messianic doctrine, Rabbi Shlomo Nissim Algazi (1610-1683), an esteemed rabbi and Kabbalist in Izmir, rejected the messiah’s claims.

The rabbinic court of Izmir, which had been under the leadership of Rabbi Yosef Eskapah (Shabbetai’s teacher) until his passing in 1661, was now under the leadership of two chief judges: Rabbi Chaim Benveniste and Rabbi Ahron Lapapah. After collecting the evidence and discussing the matter at length during a series of private meetings, the rabbinate of Izmir pronounced Shabbetai Tzvi a fraud. This ruling against Shabbetai Tzvi enraged those who believed he was the messiah. The residents of Izmir who remained loyal to Rabbi Benveniste and his rabbinic court were targeted by the angry mobs of believers, who labeled them infidels.

An illustration of the violence and hatred between the two parties can be seen from the attack on Chaim Pena which occurred on Friday afternoon, December 11, 1665. Pena, one of the wealthiest merchants in Izmir, and an ardent supporter of Rabbi Benveniste, became engaged in a fierce debate with a group of believers. When the debate escalated and Chaim Pena feared he would be physically harmed, he fled into the safety of his home and hid behind a keg of beer. The mob of believers, led by Shabbetai himself, pursued the infidel into his home.

The Friday afternoon clash between the believers and non-believers escalated into an outright warfare on Shabbos morning December 12, 1665, when Shabbetai Tzvi, followed by a mob of five hundred supporters, charged toward the Portuguese synagogue to take revenge against Chaim Pena. The Portuguese synagogue, considered to be the “headquarters” of the non-believers, was where Rabbi Benveniste davened each Shabbos. The congregants locked the synagogue doors, but when Shabbetai asked for an axe and began smashing at the doors, the congregants opened up.

While most believe that The Algazi shul in Izmir, Turkey was originally built by Ishak Algazi in 1724, others claim that it was in this shul that Shabbetai Tzvi made his messianic proclamations in the winter of 1665.

Shabbetai and his mob entered the synagogue as nishmas was being chanted. Shabbetai interrupted the davening and began to read the weekly Torah portion from a printed Chumash instead of a sefer Torah. Shabbetai then climbed the podium, and, after the congregation grew silent, announced that he was appointing one of his brothers as the new sultan of Turkey and his other brother as the new emperor of Rome. In a bout of rage, Shabbetai began hurling insults and curses at Rabbi Benveniste and the other non-believing rabbis in town. He opened the ark, removed a sefer Torah, and began chanting a Spanish melody. He subsequently proclaimed the precise date of the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people: the 15th of Sivan, 1666.

After witnessing all the drama and being the target of Shabbetai’s vulgar rant, Rabbi Benveniste approached the fraudulent messiah and asked him for a sign to prove he was the messiah. This request enraged Shabbetai, and he began a second verbal assault against Rabbi Benveniste. Eventually, the tensions died down and Shabbetai and his followers exited the Portuguese synagogue.

On Sunday morning, December 13, 1665, the inconceivable occurred. Rabbi Chaim Benveniste openly declared himself a fervent supporter of Shabbetai Tzvi and his messianic movement. This was a decision he made to save himself from being attacked and killed by followers of Shabbetai Tzvi. Rabbi Ahron Lapapah, who remained an opponent of Shabbetai Tzvi, was removed from his rabbinic post and Rabbi Chaim Benveniste was instated as the sole chief rabbi of Izmir.

The news that Izmir’s rabbinate fully endorsed Shabbetai Tzvi spread like wildfire and the city’s Jews erupted in messianic euphoria. Trade and commerce came to a halt; shops and businesses closed and the Jews of Izmir spent their days celebrating and dancing in the streets and marketplaces. Within twenty-four hours, the city of Izmir united around the belief in this false messiah.

The fast of the 10th of Teves, which fell of Friday, December 18, was proclaimed as a day of celebration. Rabbi Shlomo Algazi, one of the last non-believers in Izmir, refused to partake in the celebrations and was nearly killed by an angry mob of supporters. At the last moment the rabbi managed to escape and fled Izmir.

Shabbetai’s last messianic activity in Izmir was “The Appointment of Kings,” a process which he had already initiated on that fateful Shabbos in the Portuguese synagogue when he appointed his two brothers as kings over Rome and Turkey. On that Shabbos and on the days that followed, Shabbetai appointed at least twenty-one followers and friends as kings over certain regions. Included in those to receive the title of king in Shabbetai’s kingdom was none other than the infidel turned supporter Chaim Pena. Following the appointment of kings, Shabbetai and three of his most dedicated followers (Rabbis Moshe Galante, Daniel Pinto, and Eliyahu of Poland), boarded a ship bound for Constantinople. The date was December 30, 1665.

The readiness of the Jews to believe Shabbetai Tzvi’s messianic claims can be explained by the desperate state of European Jewry in the mid-17th century. The bloody pogroms of the Khmelnitsky Uprising had wiped out an estimated 10,000–20,000 Jews in Eastern Europe and destroyed many centers of Jewish learning and communal life. While initially a follower of Shabbetai Tzvi, albeit under duress, Rabbi Benveniste later repented. His son, Israel (1644-1729) succeeded him as chief rabbi of Smyrna. n

Nosson Wiggins (@jewishhistorysheimhagedolim) is the author of two books on the subject of Jewish history, “The Tannaim & Amoraim” and “The Rishonim” (Judaica Press). He researches Jewish History at the Klau Library, HUC-JIR in his hometown of Cincinnati and leads tours of Klau’s Rare Book Room. He is a passionate enthusiast of Jewish history and when he’s not in the hospital working as a nurse, he can be found researching and writing posts for his Substack, “Jewish History—Sheim Hagedolim.”