Estori, ha-Parḥi, active 13th century-14th century

LC control no.	n 95027568
Descriptive conventions	rda
Personal name heading	Estori, ha-Parḥi, active 13th century-14th century *Browse this term in* LC Authorities or the LC Catalog
Variant(s)	Eshtori, ha-Parḥi, active 13th century-14th century Estori, ha-Parḥi, 13th/14th cent. Farchi, Estori ben Mose, active 13th century-14th century Farḥi, Estori, active 13th century-14th century Farḥi, Estori, ca. 1282-ca. 1357 Isaac ben Moses, ha-Parḥi, active 13th century-14th century Ish Tori ben M., ha-Parḥi, active 13th century-14th century Parḥi, Estori, active 13th century-14th century Parḥi, Ish Tori ben M., active 13th century-14th century אסתורי, הפרחי, מאות ה13/14 אשתורי, הפרחי אשתורי, הפרחי, active 13th century-14th century אשתורי, הפרחי, המאה ה-13/14 איש, הפרחי אישתורי פרחי, ?1282־?1357 אישתורי הפרחי אישתורי הפרחי, 1282?־1357? אישתורי, הפרחי, מאה ה13־14
Beginning date	12
Ending date	13
Located	Montpellier (France) Barcelona (Spain) Toledo (Spain) Jerusalem Bet Sheʼan (Israel) Perpignan (France) Cairo (Egypt)
Place of birth	Provence (France)
Place of death	Palestine
Field of activity	Medicine Palestine--Historical geography Cities and towns--Palestine Coins, Ancient Weights and measures, Ancient Plants--Palestine--Identification Jewish clothing and dress--Palestine Talmud
Profession or occupation	Physicians Travelers
Special note	Machine-derived non-Latin script reference project. Non-Latin script references not evaluated.
Found in	Sefer Kaftor ṿa-feraḥ, 1994- : v. 1, t.p. (Rabenu Eśtori ha-Parḥi) Encyc. Judaica, 1971 (Estori (Isaac ben Moses) ha-Parḥi; 1280-1355?) index (ref. from Parḥi, Estori ha-) Rabi Eśtori ha-Parḥi, 2015: Title page (Rabi Eśtori ha-Parḥi) Encyclopaedia Judaica online, 2007, viewed April 14, 2016 (ESTORI (Isaac ben Moses) HA-PARḤI (1280-1355?), first topographer of Ereẓ Israel. The family was originally from Florenza, Andalusia, Spain--hence, the name ha-Parḥi, a Hebrew translation of the Spanish flor ("flower"). In the introduction to his main work Estori refers to himself as Ish Tori ("Man of Tours") in Touraine, France. It appears that he was born in Provence. He studied in Montpellier with his relative Jacob b. Makhir Ibn Tibbon and with Asher b. Jehiel. He obtained a broad general education, including the study of medicine as well. When the Jews were expelled from France in 1306, Estori went to Perpignan and Barcelona and then to Toledo. He stopped in Cairo in 1313 on his way to Ereẓ Israel. He studied with Baruch Ashkenazi in Jerusalem but left because of the negative attitude to Maimonides among the scholars of the city. Estori then settled in Beisan (Beth-Shean), where he was respected as a physician. He continued to earn his livelihood as a physician wherever he went. From Beisan he traveled throughout the land investigating ancient sites. He spent two years studying the Galilee and five years, other parts of the country. In Beisan he wrote Sefer Kaftor va-Feraḥ (Venice, 1549), which was completed in 1322. In this book he delineated the names of the towns and villages in the land. He also presented a complete discussion of the topographic principle that applied to the land. The book, based upon first hand visits to the sites, is rich in information. The book gives the borders of Ereẓ Israel as presented in the Bible and in the halakhah. It describes Jerusalem and the various regions of the country and presents a list of the biblical, talmudic, and Arabic names of the sites. Most of the 180 identifications of ancient sites that he made were correct. He was the first person to identify the sites of Usha, Modi'in, Bethar, and others. His ruling that the biblical and talmudic names of villages and rivers are preserved in the Arabic, with only slight changes, is accepted by modern scholarship. Especially important is his study of ancient coins, which he compared with contemporary coins. He also compared the weights and measures of the Bible and the Talmud with contemporary weights and measures. He investigated plants, noting their Arabic names and attempting to determine their Hebrew names according to the Mishnah and Talmud. He also described the appearance of Jewish dress in Ereẓ Israel and in those countries of the Diaspora with which he was acquainted. He discovered the ruins of an ancient synagogue in Beisan and also described the remnants of an ancient synagogue in Hukok. He also provides information about the different religions and religious sects: Muslims, Christians, Jews, Samaritans (whom he calls Sadducees), and Karaites. He gives valuable information on the Jewish settlements in Israel during his time. He mentions 11 Jewish communities, three of which were in Transjordan. A.M. Luncz published a critical edition of Kaftor va-Feraḥ (Jerusalem, 1897), in which he mentions a number of other books that Estori wrote, though most of them are not extant. Estori's books include a translation of the book of medicine De Remediis by the physician Armengaud (Eremenganus) of Montpellier; a translation of the book Hakabusim containing articles and notes on medical matters, probably collected by the physician Elijah b. Judah; an exposition of some chapters from the Canon of Avicenna; Battei ha-Nefesh, words of admonition and moral rebuke; Shoshannat ha-Melekh, on the humanities and the sciences in the Talmud; and Sha'ar ha-Shamayim, expositions and novellae on the Talmud.) LC manual cat. (hdg.: Farḥi, Estori, ca. 1282-ca. 1357) Jewish encyc., c1904 (Farḥi (Parḥi), Estori; b. ca. 1282 at Florenza Spain; d. Palestine prob. 1357) Encyc. Judaica, 1930 (Farchi, Estori (ben Mose); b. last quarter of 13th cent.) Sefer Kaftor ṿa-feraḥ, 1852: t.p. (Ish le-vet Parḥi) added t.p. (Pharchi, Parchi [in rom.]) p. xiii (Ish Tori b.R. M. ha-Parḥi)
Associated language	heb