ר׳ יעקב כולי

ר׳ יעקב כולי (c.1689–1732) was a Jerusalem-born scholar, editor and pioneering author in Judeo-Spanish. His maternal grandfather was ר׳ משה בן חביב, whose manuscripts he helped prepare for publication. After moving to Constantinople, he formed a close scholarly relationship with ר׳ יהודה רוזאניס and edited the latter’s משנה למלך and other posthumous writings. ר׳ יעקב’s lasting achievement was מעם לועז, begun in 1730 as an expansive Torah commentary in Ladino. It wove together biblical interpretation, halakhah, Midrash, ethics and practical religious instruction in language accessible to the broad Sephardic public. He completed Genesis and much of Exodus before his early death; later scholars continued the project across the remaining biblical books. The work became one of the foundational monuments of Judeo-Spanish religious literature and was subsequently translated into Hebrew and other languages. His editorial labours also preserved important works of both his grandfather and ר׳ יהודה רוזאניס. He died in Constantinople on 19 Av 5492, corresponding to 9 August 1732.