SHINDOOKH, MOSES BEN MORDECAI

SHINDOOKH, MOSES BEN MORDECAI , nasi of the *Baghdad community in the first half of the 18^th century. He was also *ṣarrāf-bashi ("chief banker") to the governor of the city. A man of generous disposition, he gave his support especially to religious scholars. In 1743 he was reported to Ahmed Pasha, the city governor, and sentenced to death. After Baghdad Jews paid a large sum to the pasha and Shindookh wrote off a debt the pasha owed him, the sentence was quashed and Shindookh was reinstated in office.

His grandson sason ben mordecai shindookh (1747–1830) was born in Baghdad, and became well known as a rabbi and kabbalist, a poet and preacher, and especially as the author of many works in the field of traditional and mystical Jewish studies. The poems that he composed were both of a religious and secular nature and some are didactic. They were written in the rhyme of Spanish-Hebrew poetry. Some of his piyyutim were included in siddurim and in books of piyyutim in the Babylonian rite. He also served as the permanent ḥazzan of the Great Synagogue in Baghdad. He was a practicing kabbalist, and became the subject of legends.

His published works include Imrei Sason (Baghdad, 1891); Devar Beito (2 parts, Leghorn, 1862, 1864); Mizmor le-Asaf (Leghorn, 1864); Kol Sason (Leghorn, 1859); Sadeh Lavan (Jerusalem, 1904); and Tehillah le-David (Baghdad, 1892). He also wrote many works which are extant in manuscript.

bibliography:

A. Ben-Yaacob, Yehudei Bavel (1965), index.

[Abraham Ben-Yaacob]