Solomon Nissim Algazi


Solomon Nissim Algazi was rabbi in Smyrna and in Jerusalem in the 17th century. He was a prolific writer on all topics of rabbinical literature, and won distinction by his treatment of Talmudic hermeneutics and methodology.
His attempts to rationalize Talmudic aggadot, while not scientific in a modern sense, still prove him to have been superior to the average Talmudist of his age. His best work is his Talmudic methodology, Yabin Shemu'ah, which is written in the form of a commentary to Yeshu'ah Ha-Levi's Halikot 'Olam. He wrote two other works on Talmudic methodology; namely, Halikot Eli, and Gufe Halakot. Algazi was also the author of: