ARDIT () or ARDOT ():

By: Richard Gottheil, Meyer Kayserling

The name of a family that emigrated from Aragon to Turkey, where their descendants still live. The following members are known:

1. Abraham Ardit:

Lived in 1483 at Barcelona.

2. Ephraim Ardit:

Lived in Smyrna; wrote, under the title "Maṭṭeh Ephrayim" (Ephraim's Staff), a commentary on Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah." It was printed at Salonica, together with several of his responsa and sermons, and published there in 1791.

3. Ḥayyim Abraham Ardit:

A resident of Smyrna; wrote additional notes to the work of his uncle, Ephraim Ardit (No. 2), and appended several sermons of his own.

4. Ḥayyim Moses Ardit:

Was in possession (at Smyrna) of a manuscript of Joseph Caro's "Responsa," which collection was printed under the title "Abḳat Rokel" in 1791 at Salonica. A second edition of this work was issued at Leipsic, in 1859, very probably at Ardit's initiative.

5. Isaac Abraham Ardit:

Possibly a son of No. 1; embraced Christianity, but retained the name of Ardit ("Rev. Et. Juives," iv. 59, 62).

6. Isaac b. Solomon Ardit:

Author of a voluminous commentary on the Talmudic treatise 'Arakin (Salonica, 1823).

7. Raphael Ardit:

Wrote "Marpeh Lashon" (Healing for the Tongue), a commentary on the Talmudic treatise Shebu'ot, with an appendix containing novellæ to Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah" (Salonica, 1826).

8. Raphael Solomon Ardit:

A relative of No. 6, to whose commentary he added some notes.

9. Solomon ben Jacob Ardit:

Cabalist, of Smyrna. Wrote, under the title "LeḦem Shelomoh" (Solomon's Bread), a commentary on the Pentateuch; also novellæ, etc., which were published in 1751 at Salonica, together with the writings of Meïr Bekkayam, who, before he died, set apart money sufficient to cover the expenses of printing. Solomon was also in possession of a manuscript of NaḦmanides' novellæ to the Talmudic treatise, Baba Meẓi'a (Steinschneider, "Die Hebr. Handschriften der K. Bibliothek zu Berlin," i. 44).

Ardot, with the prefix Cohen, is the name of a family which also migrated from Aragon, and among whose members were the following:

10. Abraham Cohen Ardot:

The learned son of Asher Cohen Ardot (No. 11); died 1634.

11. Asher Cohen Ardot:

Great-grandson of Isaac Arama; lived at Salonica in the first half of the seventeenth century; died 1645. He was taught the Talmud by A. Brudo, and was instructed in other branches of Jewish learning by David ibn Shushan. Wealthy and learned, he presided over the Talmudic college at Salonica, and maintained a correspondence with several learned rabbis of his time.

12. Eleazar Cohen Ardot:

A physician of the fourteenth century at Majorca where he was on friendly terms with Joseph Caspi (Kayserling, "Gesch. der Juden in Spanien und Portugal," i. 168).

13. Joseph Ardot

was delegated by the community of Alcañiz to the disputation with Geronimo de Santa Fé at Tortosa in 1413 (Ibn Verga, "Shebeṭ Yehudah," § xl.).

14. Meshullam ben Solomon Cohen Ardot:

A contemporary of Solomon ben Adret; lived at Barcelona toward the end of the thirteenth century (Solomon Adret, "Responsa," i. No. 415 et seq.).

15. Solomon Cohen Ardot:

Lived about 1500 at Arta.

G. M. K.