Author of Asara Maamaros
Rav Menachem Azaria was born to Rav Yitzchok Berachia--a wealthy wise man and chassid-- in 1548 ש''ח in Fano, Italy
Rav Yitzchok had four sons: Rav Avraham, Rav Yehudah, Rav Elchanan and Rav Menachem Azaria.
In שכ''ו at age 44 Rav Yitzchok Berachia tragically died in an avalanche when his house caved in (his son, Menachem, was seventeen at the time). Rav Yitzchok Shabsi Roko of Orevno composed a kinnah of lamentation which detailed the piety and character of Rav Yitzchok Berachia and which expressed the great sadness and mourning of his sons over their loss.
Rav Yitzchok ben Mordechai of Polnoy who was a disciple of the Rama M’Fano testified that his rebbe's family was one of great yichus whose lineage extends back to the famed leaders and princes of Bnei Fano.
The Rama inherited his father's wealth and his cousin Rav Azaria, author of Meor Eynaim, testified that he was a very generous baal tzedaka with this inheritance.
The Rama's chief rebbe was Rabbi Yishmael Chanina ben Mordechai of Valmontone (located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) southeast of Rome. He was renowned as a holy tzaddik and one of the greatest rabbis of Ferrara. During the inquisition he debated against the apostate Alessandro of Bologna and later fled to Ferrara. The Rama quotes him in his teshuvos (32, 123) calling him mori v’rabbi – my rebbe, mentor and master.
He studied Kabbalah under his uncle Rav Ezra Fano.
At age twenty-six he was asked by Rav Yosef Karo to supervise the printing of his sefer, Kesef Mishnah on the Rambam in Venice.
The Ramak, Rav Moshe Cordevero, sent him his sefer, Pardes Rimmonim and he composed a shortened version called Pelach haRimmon.
The Rama began his career in Venice where he did many public works, redacted and established the Italian nusach of prayer (See his Shu"t Siman 25) and established the recitation of Selichos to be said before daybreak. He also began daily public lectures in Venice, teaching Kabbalah based on the Pardes Rimmonim as he explains in the introduction to Pelach haRimmon. When Rav Yisrael Saruk (Sarug) arrived in שנ''ז he studied Kabbalah of the Arizal under him and from then on, he adopted a tradition that he received from Rav Yisroel who was in turn a disciple of the Arizal (See Maamar Eim Kol Chai 1:17 -“This is the Kabbalas HaArizal as taught by my master, Rav Yisroel, one of his greatest disciples who merited transmitting great understandings of many bodies of Torah knowledge.”)
[As an aside: It is interesting to note that Rav Yitzchok Hutner, author of Pachad Yitzchok, wrote an introduction to Machon Yerushalayim’s edition of the Rama’s Alfasi Zuta in which he defends the study of Kabbalas HaArizal based on Rav Yisrael Srug through the Rama MeFano. This, despite the Arizal’s warning not to study from other students and disciples besides Rav Chaim Vital. In short, he bases this defense not only on the fact that such gedolim as the Vilna Gaon; Rav Chaim Volozhiner; Rav Elyashiv, author of the Leshem, cite the Kabbalah of the Arizal through Rav Srug based on the Rama MeFano. Its legitimacy is also based on the words of Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin who, in his Sefer HaZichronos , argues that these gedolim were not ignoring the Arizal’s warning, chas veshalom, since it did not apply to Rav Yisroel Srug who had already left for Italy even before the arrival of Rav Chaim Vital. When Rav Chaim collected the material from other disciples, edited it, and became the primary source, he had no access to the writings of Rav Yisroel Srug due to his absence from Eretz Yisroel. Thus, the Rama MeFano is uniquely placed among the links to the chain of tradition of Toras Kabbalas HaArizal as the representative source for those teachings of the Arizal through Rav Yisroel Srug not found elsewhere.]
The Rama became known as one of the major disseminators of the tradition of Kabbalah in Italy and in all of the west. (As described by the Yashar of Kandia)
He married the daughter of Rav Yitzchok Foa of Mantuba.
Among his most famous talmidim were Rav Aharon Berachia of Modena, author of Maavar Yabok; Rav Eliezer Nachman Foa of Reggio, author of Medrash B'Chodesh on the Pesach Haggadah and head of the Reggio society, Chevras haAluvim; Rav Yitzchok ben Mordechai of Polnoy; Rav Moshe Kazis; Rav Yitzchok Levi; Rav Yechiel of Milli, and others.
He passed away 4 Menachem Av 1620 ש''פ, Mantuba, Italy.
