Divre shalom (Words of Peace)

Isaac Adarbi was a rabbi and halakhist of great distinction. Adarbi lived in Salonika, where he was the preacher of the community of Jews originating from Lisbon. He was later appointed as rabbi of Congregation Shalom in that city. Adarbi endeavored to unite the various communities living in Salonika, as is evident in his collection of thirty sermons, Divre shalom (Words of Peace, 1580). His homiletic comments on the Pentateuch remain in manuscript form; additionally, 430 of his responsa were published in Divre rivot (Words of Contention). Adarbi did not hesitate to adopt opinions that differed to those of his contemporaries, such as Samuel de Medina. Although at times this led to disagreements, the scholars always approved one another’s rulings.