Hacham David Zakut


Hacham David Zakut

Date of Birth: 5538 (1778)
Date of Death: 29th of Iyar, 5625 (1865)
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A Short Tribute

Hacham David Zakut, son of Mazal Tov, was born in Modena, Italy, circa 1778. He was appointed Rabbi of the Modena community in 1849.

Hacham David Zakut delved into the laws governing ritual circumcision and studied its medical aspects. He wrote several halakhic works on the topic, based on the anatomical and medical knowledge of his times.

Hacham David Zakut also focused on educational issues and was against assimilation; he sought to reconcile the science and culture of his day with the principles of Jewish faith.

Hacham David Zakut passed away on 29 Iyar, 5625 (1865) and was buried in Modena. He is the author of Zecher David – sermons on the Torah, and a book on ethics, Limudei Hashem.

A few quotes from the Rabbi on Torah Study
in which he teaches that the name of Heaven becomes beloved by those who are pleasant with people

"As it was taught: 'And you shall love the Lord your God' which means that you shall make the name of Heaven beloved. One should do so by reading Torah, and learning Mishna, and serving Torah scholars; one should be pleasant with people in conversation and in business transactions. What do people say about such a person? "How fortunate is the one who learned Torah"… It says "one should be pleasant with people" in business transactions and in conversation, which means that being pleasant with people brings about that the name of Heaven is pleased…However, the name of Heaven is not pleased with those people of unpleasant speech etc., despite their reading and learning.

Hacham David Zakut, Zecher David on Torah, a eulogy, p. 240, Ahavat Shalom Publishing, Jerusalem 2001 From 'The Daily Sage'
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"It is our custom to light a yahrzeit candle in honor of the memory of the Sages, as it is said: “the life breath of man is the lamp of the Lord”. And it is good to add from the light of the Torah to the light of the candle, as it is said “For the commandment is a lamp, the teaching is a light”.

But even a few righteous are also good, and thanks to the sacred Torah and the teachings that Israel will learn in the Sage’s name on the anniversary of his death, the Holy One Blessed be He, will share our part with them, and we will never be ashamed because of our faith in the Holy One Blessed be He, and on his great benevolence and truth will we lean, for He hides his abundant goodness for those who are worthy and revere Him.”

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Rabbi Chananaia son of Akashia stated, God wanted to grant merits to Israel, therefore he gave them many laws and commandments as it states, "Because God wants righteousness he increased the amount of Torah and splendor."