הרב יום טוב צהלון

Rabbi Yom Tov Tzahalon (c. 5319/1559–5379/1618), known as the Maharitatz, was one of the chachamim of Tzfat — a dayan and rosh yeshiva in the city and the author of a large collection of teshuvot. He was born to Rav Moshe Tzahalon, of a Sephardic rabbinic family; in the introduction to one of his works he calls himself “Yom Tov ben Moshe HaSefardi,” and the family’s Spanish origin is all that is known of where he came from. He learned under Rav Yosef Karo and under the Mabit, Rav Moshe of Trani, and received semicha from Rav Moshe Alshich; he in turn gave semicha to Rav Aharon Berachiah of Modena.

His first sefer, Lekach Tov, a commentary on Megillat Esther, was printed in Tzfat in 5337/1577, when its author was eighteen — apparently the first sefer ever printed in Eretz Yisrael — and in his introduction he rejoices that a Hebrew press had arisen in the Holy Land. At twenty-five he was asked by Rav Shmuel Yafeh of Constantinople to rule on a difficult question that had come before him, and from then on he corresponded with most of the poskim of his time, Rav Moshe Galante the Elder being his chief opponent in these exchanges. Though a Sephardi, he ruled for the Ashkenazi kehilla in a dispute between the Sephardim and Ashkenazim of Yerushalayim.

Between 5350/1590 and 5360/1600 he travelled as a shadar for Tzfat through Italy and Holland, and afterwards to Egypt and Istanbul; in these years he wrote hundreds of teshuvot. They were printed in Venice in 5454/1694 by his grandson and namesake Rav Yom Tov ben Akiva Tzahalon, rav of Istanbul, as the Teshuvot Maharitatz; he mentions a second volume of which nothing more is known, though Machon Yerushalayim published further teshuvot from manuscript in 5740/1979. His Magen Avot on Avot deRabbi Natan remained in manuscript until it was printed in Bnei Brak in 5770/2010. He is buried, in all likelihood, in the old cemetery of Tzfat; a grave on Har HaZeitim bearing a similar name and the year 5457 belongs to another Yom Tov Tzahalon, not to him.