ר׳ שלמה הלוי אלקבץ

ר׳ שלמה הלוי אלקבץ (c.1505–1584) was an Ottoman Sephardi kabbalist, biblical commentator and liturgical poet. Born probably in Salonica to a family descended from Spanish exiles, he studied under ר׳ יוסף טאיטאצאק. In 1529, around his marriage, he completed מנות הלוי, a commentary on Esther presented as a wedding gift. Before emigrating to the Land of Israel he taught and wrote in Adrianople, and encountered ר׳ יוסף קארו in the Balkan scholarly network. By about 1535 he had settled in Safed, where he became a formative member of its mystical circle. His student and brother-in-law ר׳ משה קורדובירו became a leading systematic kabbalist. Alkabetz’s enduring contribution is לכה דודי, whose acrostic spells שלמה הלוי and which expresses the Safed practice of welcoming the Sabbath Bride outdoors. His writings include commentaries on Esther, Song of Songs and Ruth and a kabbalistic commentary on the Passover Haggadah.