Joseph Solomon Delmedigo

Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, also known as Yashar Mi-Qandia, was a prominent rabbi, author, physician, mathematician, and music theorist born on June 16, 1591, in Candia, Crete. He hailed from a lineage that had settled in Italy and Germany. Delmedigo pursued his medical studies in Padua, where he also attended astronomy classes taught by Galileo Galilei, even being granted the rare privilege of using Galileo's telescope. After graduating in 1613, he spent time in Venice with notable figures like Leon de Modena and Simone Luzzatto. His travels then took him to the Near East, including Alexandria and Cairo, where he participated in a public mathematics contest. He later journeyed to Istanbul, where he observed the comet of 1619, and then traversed Eastern Europe, interacting with Karaite communities before arriving in Amsterdam in 1623. Throughout his life, Delmedigo earned his living as a physician and teacher. He died in Prague on October 16, 1655, shortly before his 65th birthday. His sole known published work is 'Elim' (Palms), a comprehensive treatise covering mathematics, astronomy, natural sciences, and metaphysics, structured in response to questions posed by a Karaite Jew. The book was published in Amsterdam by Menasseh ben Israel and divided into twelve major and seventy minor problems, mirroring the biblical description of the wells and palms at Elim. However, due to censorship, only four of the major problems were included in the published version. 'Elim' also delved into music theory, discussing the physics of sound, intervals, consonance, and dissonance. Delmedigo used his work to argue that Jewish intellectualism had become too focused on the Talmud, urging a return to broader philosophical and scientific pursuits to integrate with surrounding cultures. He also authored 'Matzreif LaChachma,' a defense of Kabbalah, a subject he initially critiqued in his youth but later came to appreciate after encountering scholars who saw its parallels with Platonic philosophy.