Sefer kise Shelomoh (Solomon’s Throne)
Raphael Laniado
1787
When our teacher Rabbi Solomon, who was a rabbi here in Aleppo, passed away without any male children, the rabbis [of the city] consulted among themselves, and with the elders of the people and the ministers who were the great and magnificent masters, elected as the chosen among the fathers my father, the wonderful rabbi who was full of God’s…
Creator Bio
Raphael Laniado
An Aleppo-born rabbi, Raphael Solomon ben Samuel Laniado came from a prominent Sephardic family of scholars and judges; he compiled a family history to stress the eminence of his lineage. Laniado served as chief rabbi of Aleppo from 1740 until his death and was known for his firm and uncompromising stance toward Sephardic tradition. For example, in the 1760s, he attempted to impose his authority and community customs on the “Francos,” a group of Jewish merchants originally from France and Italy who had neither paid taxes to nor recognized the authority of the Aleppo Jewish community. He defends here the local custom of chief rabbi serving as lone judge rather than the traditional three-member rabbinic court. His opponent, Rabbi Judah Kassin, defended the Francos, and the controversy lasted for a number of years.
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