משה פרובינצאלו

Rav Moshe Provençal (5263/1503–4 Elul 5336/1576), known in English sources as Moshe Provencal or Provenzali, was among the leading poskim of Italian Jewry in the generation after the expulsion from Provence — his family had been driven from that land around 1501 and found refuge in Italy shortly before his birth. Son of Rav Avraham Provençal, he served in his youth as a dayan in Modena, and rose to become rav of the Italian-rite kehillah of Mantua, where he stood at the head of a yeshiva whose circle of talmidim he called the Chaburah; among them were Rav Yehuda Moscato and Rav Menachem Azariah of Fano, the Rema MiPano. In 5295/1535 he composed B’shem Kadmon, a guide to the rules of dikduk set in verse, which his grandchildren printed in Venice in 5357/1596.

His rabbanut passed through storms. In 5308/1548 he declared a cherem on Rav Moshe ben Shushan, the shaliach of Rav Yosef Karo for the printing of the Beit Yosef, after the latter refused to appear before him in a din Torah between printers — a dispute that split the chachamim of Italy and Tzfat. Greater still was the storm over the Tamari-Venturozzo get of 5325/1565: a get arranged in the beit din of Venice, which Rav Moshe led a camp of poskim in declaring invalid. When he would not come before the chachamim of Venice to argue his position, they ruled to strip him of his authority to judge and rule, and the Radbaz joined against him — while Rav Yosef Karo rose to his defense. His standing among his own kehillah in Mantua never wavered, and teshuvot continued to go out from him to all of Italy; in 5335/1575, through the efforts of Rav Eliezer Ashkenazi, he was restored to his office. Keep in mind that the Beit Yosef is the most important commentary on the Tur and is the precursor to the Shulchan Aruch, which were both authored by Rav Yosef Karo.

Later generations held him in esteem: the Rema, Rav Yosef Karo, the Mabit and Rav Shmuel Kaidanover all mention him with regard, and the Chida brings in the name of Rav Moshe Zacuto that among the teshuvot of the acharonim one should attend above all to those cited by the Knesset HaGedolah and those of Maharam Provençal. Rav Azariah min HaAdumim writes that Rav Yosef Karo sent his Kesef Mishneh to him to be printed in Mantua. In psak he labored to uphold the minhagim of Italian Jewry — preferring yibum over chalitzah, permitting benefit from stam yeinam — and among his rulings he forbade the printing of a sefer Torah, forbade a wig as a covering for a married woman’s hair, forbade ball-playing on Shabbat, and required tefillin on Chol HaMoed against the kabbalah-based ruling of his talmid the Rema MiPano. He was niftar on 4 Elul 5336/1576, and his talmid Rav Yehuda Moscato delivered the hesped. His responsa, She’elot uTeshuvot Rabbeinu Moshe Provençal, printed from manuscript in Yerushalayim in two chalakim (5749/1989 and onward), are learned and quoted by later poskim.