RAPAPORT, DAVID HA-KOHEN

RAPAPORT, DAVID HA-KOHEN (second half of 17^th century), rabbi and Jerusalem emissary. Rapaport's family originated in Lublin. He emigrated to Ereẓ Israel and settled in Jerusalem, where he served as a dayyan in the bet din of Moses *Galante. A responsum to a halakhic query from Mordecai ha-Levi, chief rabbi of Egypt, signed by Rapaport, Abraham *Amigo, and Moses ibn Ḥabib, is mentioned in Ha-Levi's Darkhei No'am (Even ha-Ezer, no. 18), where he refers to Rapaport as "one of the three great men of Ereẓ Israel" (ibid., 17, 31). In 1679, apparently, Rapaport went as an emissary to Germany, and his mission seems to have terminated in 1682. When he passed through Belgrade he appended his signature in approval to two rulings of Joseph b. Isaac *Almosnino (see Edut bi-Yhosef, pt. 1 (Constantinople, 1716), nos. 1 and 3), who refers to him in the most laudatory words, stating that "his decision is final since the halakhah is according to him" (ibid., no. 23).

His responsum on the subject of a will in the town of Ạrta in 1675 is no longer extant, but it was seen by Moses b. Jacob Shilton of Constantinople, who agreed with his decision (Resp. Benei Moshe (Constantinople, 1712), no. 4). Rapaport's responsum is also mentioned in Shenei ha-Me'orot ha-Gedolim of Elijah Covo (Constantinople, 1739), pt. 1, nos. 21–22). In 1700 Rapaport signed in Jerusalem the authentication of a Safed bill of debt (Mishkenot ha-Ro'im of Uzziel Al-Haïk, 1860, 153c). He was the author of Da'at Kedoshim (Leghorn, 1809), source references to the posekim – both rishonim and aḥaronim – on the four sections of the Shulḥan Arukh, arranged alphabetically and published by his grandson Jacob David Jekuthiel, who added his own commentary, entitled Shelal David. Rapaport's novellae together with the sermons and memorial addresses he delivered on various occasions were published under the title Ben He He (Leghorn, 1821).

His son jacob was rabbi of Safed. His daughter married her relative Judah ha-Kohen Rapaport of Lublin, who emigrated to Jerusalem. Their son isaac ha-kohen, author of the Battei Kehunnah, was rabbi of Smyrna.

bibliography:

Azulai, 2 (1852), 30, no. 36; Frumkin-Rivlin, 2 (1928), 86f.; 3 (1929), 61; S.M. Chones, Toledot ha-Posekim (1910), 165; Rosanes, Togarmah, 4 (1934–35), 320; Yaari, Sheluḥei, 299f., 705.

[Yehoshua Horowitz]