Del Bene

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DEL BENE

DEL BENE (Heb. מַה טּוֹב, Mah Tov), ELIEZER DAVID BEN ISAAC (d. 1635), rabbinical author, born in Mantua. In his youth Del Bene won popularity as a preacher in the local synagogue; however, he provoked fierce opposition by frequently quoting Italian poets in his sermons and as a result was forced to retire from the pulpit. He then turned to talmudic studies, instructed by Menahem Azariah da *Fano, later becoming a member of the yeshivah of *Ferrara where he lived for 36 years until his death. His work Ir David, responsa, sermons, and novellae, remained unpublished.

bibliography:

Kaufmann, in: jqr, 8 (1896), 513–24.

[Umberto (Moses David) Cassuto]

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