"Chida"-Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulay
He was known in his literary name: Chida, born in 1724 in Jerusalem. His father, R. Raphael Yitzchak Zerachia, is the fourth generation of Rabbi Avraham Azulai, the Kabbalist, who immigrated to Israel from Fes to Eretz Israel and died in Hebron in the year 544. In his youth, he studied Torah at Yeshivat Yifar Haneimim at Rabbi Yona Navon's Yeshiva Knesset Yisrael, founded by Rabbi Hayyim Ben Attar in 1882 in Jerusalem, and even managed to study with the Rabbi for a short time. He also mentions in his books his teacher, Rabbi Yitzchak HaCohen.
He was still at the beginning of his life, at the age of 16 years, and had already begun to write the book "The Youth Davar", which served as the basis for his great book "Shem ha-Gadolim". This book was awoken to composition because he saw in some of the greatest authors' books errors and omissions because they ignored the order of generations and the nature of the books of the Rishonim. In the same period, he also wrote his books Sha'ar Yosef (on Tractate Horayot) and "Acharei Tira" and more.
In 1863, he was sent by the community in Hebron as an emissary to Europe, and on this five-year journey, was introduced to great Torah scholars and heads of the community in Europe. He negotiated with them in Halakhah and succeeded in influencing many of them to work for the Land of Israel.
From Egypt he traveled to Italy, moved to Germany, Holland, England, Paris and South France. He read the memoir he wrote during his journeys called "A Good Circuit". The book contains interesting details about the state of the communities in which it was passed, and its importance to the history of the Jewish communities in these places during the period of its journey, and it also contains interesting information about the history of literature.
During his stay in Italy, he did not stop working for the Land of Israel, and in his small books, which he wrote for the masses, he often spoke of the Land of Israel and its holiness. In his famous prayer which is customary to this day. He writes excited words about the lowness of the exile:
"And see that the Gentile nation ... and their exile and poverty and humiliation ... For several hundred years are calling on your behalf ... And will be filled with mercy to all our brethren in the House of Israel common in the four corners of the earth ".It is not clear why he did not return to Eretz Israel at the end of his life, and he always aspires to this. In his letters to his son, Rabbi Raphael Yeshaya, he even sets dates for the time of his aliyah, but various impediments, like his weak health and Napoleon's war caused the trip to be postponed. He died in Livorno on the 11th of Adar 1806 and in many cities in Israel eulogized him and lamented him.
He was one of the greatest authors to arise in Israel after the exile of Spain. He wrote a lot and composed more than eighty books. His most important book of science is the "Name of the Greats", which is unparalleled in importance to the history of the Sages and their books. The book is divided into two parts: "The Writers System" and "The Book System". It includes more than a thousand and three hundred sages from the time of Rabbenu Soverei and Geonim until the time of the author, and more than a thousand Hebrew books, including many manuscripts. The value of the book is as long as it is at the time of its connection, because several important things are only learned from this book. His pure scientific method and his developed sense of criticism came to be well expressed in this book. He was the first to distinguish between things attributed to the author and not to him. His notes, which are indeed very short, are astonishing in their ability to write and define them.
He had three sons and two daughters.
Encyclopedia of Founders and Builders of Israel.
