Abraham Saba

Abraham Saba (1440–1508) was a preacher in

He fled to Lisbon, but before reaching there was told of a new order of the king decreeing the death of any Jew with whom a Hebrew book or tefillin (phylacteries) were found. He hid his manuscripts and tefillin under an olive-tree and entered the city. Upon leaving Lisbon he attempted to recover his hidden treasure, but being discovered by the king's guards, he was thrown into prison, and after a six months' confinement was sent across the frontier. He went to Fez, Morocco, where he resided for ten years. Soon after his arrival he fell ill; his great privations and terrible sufferings having undermined his health.

Works

On his recovery he recommitted to paper from memory the following works, the original manuscripts of which had been lost in Portugal:

• Eshkol ha-Kofer (A Cluster of Camphire), a commentary on the Book of Ruth and Book of Esther
• Ẓeror ha-Ḥayyim (Bundle of Life), commentaries on the
  Berakot
• Ẓeror ha-Mor (Bundle of Myrrh), a commentary on the
  Pentateuch, containing interpretations according to both the ordinary sense and the mystical method of the Zohar
• Ẓeror ha-Kesef (Bundle of Silver), legal decisions[1]
• A manuscript of his commentary on the Book of Job was in Jellinek's library. Saba wrote also a commentary on Pirkei Avot, mentioned in his commentary on Genesis, pp. 3 and 5.

According to

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "Abraham Saba". The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Its bibliography:
• Steinschneider
  , Cat. Bodl. No. 4301;
• H. Grätz
  , Gesch. d. Juden, 2nd ed., viii.219, 379;
• H.J. Michael
  , Or ha-Ḥayyim, No. 199.