Joseph Tirshom

Joseph Tirshom lived in Salonika. Little is known about his life. However, from his work Shoshan yesod ha-‘olam (Lily of the Foundation of the World), a compendium of 2,174 numbered paragraphs that is perhaps the most comprehensive manuscript of medieval magical kabbalah in existence, he was evidently acquainted with magico-mystical traditions from all over the Jewish world. Tirshom encountered these traditions among the Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities in Salonika and also traveled widely, copying into his manuscript works on magic that he discovered in Damascus, Jerusalem, Egypt, and other locations. His work includes extensive sections from earlier and contemporary works. It served as an important source for subsequent kabbalists and copyists. Indeed, the margins of the manuscript include various annotations and signatures, including that of Shabbetai Zvi. Shoshan yesod ha-‘olam contains many exorcism rituals.