Rabbi Abraham Portaleone (1542-1612), and the book of the future

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HIS LIFE
Rabbi Abraham Portaleone (אברהם משער אריה) was born in the city of Mantua (Mantova), Italy in the year 1542. The family of Rabbi Abraham was in a very good economic position, that allowed them, among other things, to have access to the best education, both in Tora and in secular studies.

The young Abraham began studying Tora with his father, as was the tradition at that time, and then with private tutors who were great Tora luminaries, like Rabbi Moshe Kazés and other famous Talmudists. He also studied in depth the books and ideas of Maimonides with Rabbi Yosef Sinai and the famous Rabbi Ya’aqob MiPano, from the city of Bologna. His rabbinic ordination was granted by the famous Rabbi Abraham Provenzal, who ended up being his main teacher (רבו המובהק)

Parallel to his Tora studies, the young Rabbi Portaleone studied medicine. The Portaleone family already had four generations of doctors. His teacher was Rabbi Provenzal himself, who also taught him physiology, Latin and sciences. After 3 years of intensive studies, Rabbi Portaleone received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Pavia, an Italian city near Milan, at the age of 21 (sic!). In his book he asserts that even during those years that he studied medicine he never spent a day without also studying Torah. At the age 24 he received his license to practice medicine from 35 doctors in the city of Mantua. He helped his father and little by little he replaced him in his medical office, because his father was no longer in good health.

In those days, Jewish doctors were forbidden to treat non-Jewish patients, unless they had special permission. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIV granted Rab Portaleone a special dispensation to treat Christian patients.

In that year, he was appointed as the Doctor of the Principality of Don Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantova. At the request of the Duke of Montova, Rabbi Portaleone wrote two treatises on medicine. The best known is a book about the healing properties of gold. Throughout his life he also served as the Mohel and the chief physician of the Jewish community, whose members he treated for free.

SHILTE HAGUIBBORIM
At the age of 62, Rabbi Portaleone was affected by hemiplegia, a paralysis of one side off his body. He spent 9 months prostrated in a bed. When he was able to recover, he began to write his masterpiece, the book “Shilte haGuiborim”.

This book was written as a guide for prayer and Tora study for his three children. Two of them were also physicians. Most of the book, 90 chapters, are dedicated to the Bet haMiqdash, the great Temple of Jerusalem. The Rabbi describes the Temple Mount, the building of the Temple, the sacred utensils that were used there, the divine service in the Temple, the sacrifices, the incenses, etc. Shilte haGuibborim is one of the most important books written on this subject. Not only because it is practically an encyclopedia of the Bet HaMiqdash. In every Halakhic topic that the Rabbi analyzes, he enriches our knowledge with scientific, technical and historical information that helps us to better understand and visualize the subjects related to the Bet HaMiqdash. Examples: Thanks to his profound knowledge of music Rabbi Portaleone describes the songs Levites used to sing, and the instruments, one by one, that they used and played in their performance. Rabbi Portaleone’s wide knowledge of gemology and mineralogy was fundamental to identify the stones that the Cohen Gadol used to wear. Thanks to his vast knowledge in botanics, Rabbi Portaleone explores, analyzes and identifies throughout eleven chapters (78-88) each one of the eleven species of plants that were used in the Qetoret.

In the following chapters Rabbi Portaleone established a daily Torah study curriculum for his children, which is nothing less than the basis of what is known today as Hoq leIsrael, the daily dose of Tora that is studied every morning in virtually all Sephardic communities around the world (attributed to Rabbenbu Hayim Vital, z”l). He also wrote the curriculum of the daily ma’amadot.

How did I find this book?
This book came to my hands, literally, from heaven. Around three months ago, there was a big snowstorm in NY on a Thursday. The next day, JFK Airport was closed, and hundreds of Shomer Shabbat Jews got stacked in NY for the weekend. In our community we hosted for Shabbat 12 young boys and girls from Argentina. And we had also an unexpected guest of honor, also affected by the storm, who visited anonymously our Synagogue: Mr. Shlomo Neeman, the current mayor of Gush Etzion, Israel.

Among many other things we discussed, he told me about a special Kolel in the city/settlement Karme Tsur, where he and his family live. In this Kolel, Bet haBehira, the students study EXCLUSIVELY the laws and subjects pertaining to the Bet haMiqdash. A short time later, Mr. Neeman graciously mailed me a copy of the book Shilte haGibborim, which I never knew before. It is a new modern and beautiful edition, published in 2010 by the Kolel Bet haBehira, with an introduction by Rabbi Shalva, the head of the Kolel, and commentaries by Rabbi Abigdor Neventzal, an expert in the field.

I’m holding the book right now in my hands…. and I can’t let go!

The book Shilte haGibborim is really unique. I call it “the book of the future”, because BH, very soon this book will probably serve as the main reference we will use for everything related to the Abodat haQodesh of our Third Bet haMIqdash, תותבב”א

If any reader wants to order the book, or make a donation to this wonderful Kolel כולל בית הבחירה, I suggest to do it via PayPal using the following email address of the Kolel: kolelb@gmail.com.

Fuente: halakhaoftheday.org