A Short Tribute

Hacham Samuel Saul Serero, son of David Serero, an expulsed Castilian Jew, was born in 1556 in Fes, Morocco. At the age of nineteen, in 1575, he completed his book Hanoch LaNa'ar.

In 1589, at the age of 33, he was appointed Rosh Yeshiva in Fes and, two years later, was appointed as a dayan in Hacham Vidal Hatzarfati's rabbinic court. In 1612, when Hacham Samuel Even Denan died, he was appointed to lead the sages of Fes. He made amendments and rulings, leading the community with reason and common sense, rescuing the oppressed and striving for unity and peace. His extensive knowledge in the fields of philosophy, Jewish thought and Kabbala, as well as in secular wisdom, is conveyed in his writings and sermons. His known works are Drushei MehaRaSHa"SH, Hanoch LaNa'ar – a commentary on the Book of Proverbs, and Divrei Haymim Shel Fes.

Hacham Samuel Saul Serero passed away on 5 Shevat, 5405 (1645) at the age of 90.