ZECHARIAH BEN SOLOMON-ROFE

ZECHARIAH BEN SOLOMON-ROFE (RaZaH ; known in Arabic as Yahya ibn Suleiman al-Tabib , first half of 15^th century), Yemenite scholar and physician. Zechariah lived in *Sanʿa, *Yemen. His midrashic anthology of the Torah and haftarot, Midrash ha-Ḥefeẓ, compiled in 1428, is considered one of the most important Yemenite Midrashim. The *Midrash ha-Gadol is the main source of his work. He was also influenced by *Maimonides' philosophical opinions. All the sources are in Hebrew and Aramaic; he enlarges upon the ideas and comments on them in Arabic.

Zechariah also wrote a commentary, al-Durrah al-Muntakhabah ("The Choicest Pearl"), on the Midrash ha-Gadol. His admiration for Maimonides is also expressed in several works which he wrote on Maimonides' books: (1) Sharḥ al-Ḥigbur, comments in Arabic on the unknown sources of Yad ha-Ḥazakah and Sefer ha-Mitzvot; (2) an explanation for Maimonides' commentary on the Mishnah, set out in the form of questions and answers; (3) a commentary in Arabic on Moreh Nevukhim. His own medical work, al-Wājiz ("the Compendium"), consists of three parts and includes the anatomy of the human body, a detailed list of various diseases, and a description of their cures by the use of herbs and other remedies. Two of his works, which were written at the request of his pupils, indicate that he taught in public. Of his works, only the commentary on the haftarot (1950) and the Midrash on Song of Songs (1962) have been published.

bibliography:

Steinschneider, Arab Lit, 249–50, no. 198; idem, in: jqr, 9 (1896/97), 626.

[Yehuda Ratzaby]