NORZI:

By: Joseph Jacobs, Isaac Broydé

Italian family, many members of which were distinguished as scholars and rabbis. Probably the family name is derived from the town of Norcia. According to Mortara, there were two distinct families of the name at Mantua—one from Tizzana and the other from Torazzo.

Benjamin ben Emanuel Norzi:

Wrote, in 1477, a work on the calendar entitled "Sod la-'Asot Luaḥ"; it is still extant in manuscript (Michael, "Oẓrot Ḥayyim," No. 353; see Wolf, "Bibl. Hebr." i. 252; Benjacob, "Oẓar ha-Sefarim," p. 417).

Eliezer ben David Norzi:

Scholar of the sixteenth century; mentioned in the responsa of Moses Provençal. Eliezer's name is connected with the "Perush ha-Temunot," which contains explanations of the geometrical figures of the sixth chapter of the "Sefer ha-Shem" of Abraham ibn Ezra (see Steinschneider, "Hebr. Bibl." viii. 28).

Ḥayyim ben Johiel Norzi:

Lived at Mantua in the sixteenth century. Together with the rabbis of Mantua he signed a halakic decision (responsum No. 8) of Moses Zacuto. Ḥayyim's authority is invoked by Mattithiah Terni in his "Sefat Emet" (p. 87b) and by Samuel Aboab in his "Debar Shemuel" (§ 181; see Nepi-Ghirondi, "Toledot Gedole Yisrael," p. 11).

Isaac ben Moses Norzi:

Talmudist; lived at Ferrara in the eighteenth century. He was the author of "'Iṭṭur Bikkure Ḳaẓir" (Venice, 1715), on a dispute in a case of sheḥiṭah brought before the Talmud Torah of Ferrara during the presidency of Isaac Lampronti (Nepi-Ghirondi, "Toledot Gedole Yisrael," p. 133; Steinschneider, "Cat. Bodl." col. 1140).

Jedidiah Solomon ben Abraham Norzi:

Rabbi and exegete; born at Mantua about 1560; died there after 1626. He studied under Moses Cases, and received his rabbinical diploma in 1585. Toward the beginning of the seventeenth century he was elected corabbi of Mantua, a position which he held until his death. Jedidiah Solomon consecrated the greater part of his life to a critical and Masoretic commentary on the Bible, which was considered a standard work. The author spared no pains to render his critical labors as complete as possible, and to leave the Biblical text in as perfect a condition as thorough learning and conscientious industry could make it. He noted all the various readings which are scattered through Talmudic and midrashic literatures, and consulted all the Masoretic works, both published and unpublished.

To collate all the manuscripts to which he could gain access, and to find the Masoretic work "Massoret Seyag la-Torah" of Meïr ben Todros Abulafia, Jedidiah Solomon undertook extended voyages and lived for a long time abroad. Among the manuscripts consulted by him was that of Toledo of the year 1277 (now known as the Codex De Rossi, No. 782). He compared all the texts of the printed editions and availed himself of his friend Menahem Lonzano's critical labors in connection with the Pentateuch. The work was completed in 1626 and was entitled by its author "Goder Pereẓ." It was divided into two volumes, the first embracing the Pentateuch and the Five Megillot, and the second comprising the Hagiographa and the Prophets, with two small treatises at the end—"Ma'amar ha-Ma'arik," on the "Meteg," and "Kelale BeGaDKaFaT," on the six letters and the "Ḳameẓ, ḥaṭuf." The work was first published under the title "Minḥat Shai" by Raphael Ḥayyim Basila, who added to it some notes and appended a list of 900 variations (Mantua, 1742-44). A second edition, without the grammatical treatises, appeared at Vienna in 1816; the commentary on the Pentateuch alone, with the Hebrew text, was published at Dubrovna in 1804; the commentary on the Hagiographa and theProphets, at Wilna in 1820. Jedidiah Solomon's introduction was published by Samuel Vita della Volta in 1819, and republished by Jellinek at Vienna in 1876. A commentary on the "Minḥat Shai" was published by Ḥayyim Zeeb Bender of Babruisk under the title "Or Ḥayyim" (Wilna, 1867).

Jehiel Vidal Norzi:

Rabbi at Mantua in the first half of the seventeenth century. Appointed first as overseer of the "shoḥeṭim," he was in 1628 elected a member of the rabbinate, at a time when the community was undergoing many and severe trials Mortara, in "Corriere Israelitico," 1863, pp. 56 et seq.).

Moses ben Jedidiah Norzi:

Probably grandson of Moses ben Jedidiah Solomon; lived at Mantua in the seventeenth century. Several consultations of his are found in the "Debar Shemuel" (§§ 328, 329, 341) of Samuel Aboab (Nepi-Ghirondi, "Toledot Gedole Yisrael," p. 247).

Moses ben Jedidiah Solomon Norzi:

Rabbi at Mantua; died in 1590. He was the author of a commentary on Middot and of novellæ on Ḥullin, none of which has been published. Abraham Portaleone, in his "Shilṭe ha-Gibborim" (p. 94b), invokes his authority in regard to the weight of a dinar. A letter of consolation, entitled "Iggeret Tanḥumin," was written by Hananiah ben Solomon Finzi to Moses' children at the death of their father (Steinschneider, "Hebr. Bibl." v. 132; see Nepi-Ghirondi, "Toledot Gedole Yisrael," p. 247, where Moses ben Jedidiah Solomon is confounded with Moses ben Jedidiah, who was probably grandson of the former).

Raphael ben Gabirol Norzi:

Ethical writer; lived at Ferrara, later at Mantua, in the sixteenth century. He wrote the following ethical works: "Se'ah Solet," in six chapters (Mantua, 1561); "Marpe la-Nefesh" (Mantua, c. 1561; Venice, 1571); "Oraḥ Ḥayyim" (Venice, 1579; Amsterdam, 1757; see Steinschneider, "Cat. Bodl." col. 2128; Zunz, "Z. G." p. 254; Fürst, "Bibl. Jud." iii. 40).

Solomon ben Samuel Norzi:

Scholar of the sixteenth century. His responsa were published at Mantua in 1588 (see Benjacob, "Oẓar ha-Sefarim," p. 561).

J. I. Br.