Remembering Suffering: Who Was Rabbi Yosef the Physician?

"Who is the harsh person who won’t weep upon seeing my book?" wrote Rabbi Yosef the Physician in the foreword to his work. While it might not sound like an advertisement for a thrilling read, this book details the harsh realities he faced.

Rabbi Yosef the Physician was a learned Italian Jewish scholar in the 15th century, also known as "Rabbi Yosef HaKohen." Born in French Avignon to his father, Rabbi Yehoshua, who was expelled from Spain, they didn’t find peace in Avignon. After a few years, the Jews of Provence were expelled, leading his family to Genoa, Italy, where he studied both Torah and medicine.

After a few years of respite, the family was expelled again, along with all the Jews of Genoa. Rabbi Yosef detailed all these trials, along with those faced by his city's Jews, in his famous book "Emek Habakha." The book became so renowned that Italian Jewish tradition held to read it on Tisha B'Av, akin to the Book of Lamentations. The book starts from the destruction of the Temple and recounts the past troubles of the Jewish people, aligning with the troubles Rabbi Yosef himself faced.

In the introduction, Rabbi Yosef writes with great simplicity: "The book's title, Emek Habakha, embodies the truth of its content." The narrative is filled with accounts of hardship and expulsions, detailing ways rulers exploited wealthy Jews through various means. When the famous wealthy man Rabbi Mordechai Meisel passed away, he left his fortune to the Prague community. Meisel funded Emperor Rudolph II’s wars against the Turks. The emperor explicitly promised Meisel that he could decide the fate of his wealth. Meisel used his vast wealth to build up the Prague community, and having no children, he wanted to leave a fund to support scholars. Yet, Rudolph broke the rule and confiscated the money, claiming that a Jew with no heirs had the emperor as his inheritor.

A tragically similar episode occurred in Istanbul: a very wealthy Jewish woman, not named by Rabbi Yosef, was connected to the royal court. High-ranking officials would beseech her for jobs and appointments. Failing to satisfy one such court seeker, he came to her home with soldiers, killed her, and sent her child to a monastery. This all occurred without any voice raised in protest, leaving none to cry out for the oppressed.

In the same year (1602), an Italian priest named Bartolomeo arose, deciding that the Jews didn’t suffer enough and increased their persecution. Rabbi Yosef describes how Bartolomeo came to Mantua in "the fifth month of the troubles," meaning Av, and delivered hateful speeches against Jews. Wandering Mantua one Shabbat afternoon, he saw Jewish children playing, perhaps laughing. He immediately incited local officers, alleging the Jews mocked Christians. Without further investigation, the children and their parents were jailed. Some Jews were expelled, others endured severe suffering. Bartolomeo continued his torment across Italian cities, but Jews preemptively sent an envoy to the Ferrara bishop, detailing the priest’s relentless actions. In this instance, the bishop showed mercy to the Jews and apprehended Bartolomeo. His fate is unknown, but he did not reappear among the Jews.

These are just a few of the hair-raising stories, as Rabbi Yosef notes. "Emek Habakha," true to its name, begs the question: Who is the heartless one that could read it without shedding tears?