About Sabbateanism and Zioinism

One of the great opponents of the messianic movement was the former rabbi of Hamburg, rabbi David Coen de Lara[1] zi"a (Lisbon?, c. 1602; Hamburg, 1674). The rabbi retired in March 1665, giving way to rabbi Moisés Israel zi"a, previous rabbi in Morocco. rabbi David Coen de Lara zi"a, assumed his convictions and demonstrated his contempt and repudiation of Sabbateanism, openly leaving the synagogue every time the prayer in honor of the fake-messiah was said.

But his discontent bothered those who believed they lived in the middle of the messianic era. One time he found the synagogue door closed, other times they changed the order of the rituals to include prayer to the messiah at a time when no one could fail to be present. On one of these occasions, and unable to leave, rabbi David Coen de Lara zi"a. became angry (ריתחא דאורייתא), shaking his fist at the mention of the fake-messiah's name and when he turned his back with the intention of leaving, a great commotion surrounded the rabbi Coen de Lara zi"a, how protected by his disciples, returned to pray.

On another occasion, on the night of Kippur after Kol Nidre (a prayer that cancels unfulfilled promises), at a time of forgiveness and reconciliation, new confusion broke out between rabbi David Coen de Lara zi"a and Dr. Baruch Namias de Castro. Sitting side by side, they insulted and threatened each other, which caused a scandal (Scholem, Sabbatai: 517−18 prayer, 553, 561; Sasportas, letter 4: 238–39; letter 6: 241 blessing, letter 7: 242–43). In this way, a certain empathy on the part of the Portuguese authorities towards the Shabatai movement becomes clear, repressing attempts to demonstrate dissent.

[1] Haham, lexicographer, and writer on ethics; born about 1602 (according to some writers, at Lisbon; according to others, at Hamburg); died at Hamburg Oct. 10 (20), 1674; son of Isaac Cohen de Lara of Amsterdam; pupil of Rabbi Isaac Uzziel of Amsterdam; lived at Hamburg, where he was appointed haham of the Spanish-Portuguese congregation at a salary of 300 marks. In the fall of 1656 he went to Amsterdam, remained there for several years, and then returned to Hamburg. He translated several sections of Elijah de Vidas' ethical work "Reshit Ḥokmah" under the title "Tratado del Temor Divino" (Amsterdam, 1633), and Maimonides' dogmatic treatises, under the title "Tratado de los Articulos de la Ley Divina" (ib. 1652), and wrote "Tratado de Moralidad, y Regimiento de la Vida" (Hamburg, 1662).

David Cohen de Lara's "Dibre Dawid" is an exposition of Abraham ibn Ezra's puzzle on the letters , with a Latin translation (Leyden, 1658). He was prominent as a rabbinical lexicographer. His "'Ir Dawid sive de Convenientia Vocabulorum Rabbinicorum cum Græcis et Quibusdam Aliis Linguis Europæis," which he dedicated to Joh. Silvius de Tulingen, the Swedish ambassador to Germany, is a lexicon of the foreign words found in the rabbinical writings (Amsterdam, 1638); it is really a prodromus to his greater "Keter Kehunnah: Lexikon Thalmudico-Rabbinicum," the leading work in this field, next to the 'Aruk and Buxtorf's "Lexicon Rabbinicum." This work, on which he was engaged for forty years, and which shows his familiarity with the Greek and Roman classics as well as with the Church Fathers and the Christian philologists, was completed down to the letter ר, according to Esdras Edzard, but only a portion, down to the letter י, was printed (Hamburg, 1668). He corresponded with Johann Buxtorf the younger, who thought highly of him and his work, and with other Christian scholars. His intimacy with Esdras Edzard, the Hamburg missionary, occasioned much suspicion. Of his works the following have never been printed: a dictionary to the Talmud entitled "Bet Dawid," or "Nomenclator," on which he worked for twelve years, and of which he sent a specimen to Buxtorf in 1660; "Pirḥe Kehunnah," or "Florilegium," a collection of ethical maxims; "Ohel Dawid," a book of rabbinical synonyms; "Oẓar Rab," a glossary of Arabic and other technical terms used by the rabbinical writers; and some other works, all of which have doubtless perished. He was probably also the author of a work on the "seventy weeks" of Daniel, preserved in manuscript in the city library of Hamburg.