Rav Yaakov Kuli was born in Eretz Yisrael in 5449/1689 or 5450/1690. His father, Rav Meir, was a scion of an honored family that had come from either France or Germany. Rav Makir was the son-in-law of Rav Moshe ibn Chaviv, the mechaber of Get Pashut.
At this time, the Turkish regime was very cruel to the Jewish yishuv in Yerushalayim, and Rav Yaakov and his family moved to Tzefas. In Tzefas their fate was not much better, and in 5474/1714, they relocated to Constantinople.
Rav Yaakov edited various important seforim. The first fruit of his literary activity was the publication of the writings of his grandfather. Rav Moshe ibn Chaviv (the Maharam Chaviv) was niftar in 5456/1696, when Rav Yaakov was still a young boy, but the influence he had on his young grandson was immense.
While working on his grandfather’s writings, Rav Yaakov formed a close relationship with the Rav of Constantinople, Rav Yehuda Rosanes, mechaber of Mishneh LaMelech on the Rambam. He appointed Rav Yaakov as Dayan.
In 5487/1727, Rav Yaakov published his grandfather’s work Shammus Ba’Aretz, a three-volume work on a few Masechtos: Yom Teru’a on Masechtes Rosh Hashana, Tosefes Yom HaKippurim on Yoma, and Kappos Temorim on Sukka.
In that same year Rav Yehuda Rosanes was niftar and Rav Yaakov was entrusted with the job of preparing his manuscripts for print. Even for a Talmid Chochom of his caliber, it meant a task of several years.
The next year, 5488/1728, Rav Yaakov edited the sefer Parashas Derochim. Three years later, he finally published his grandfather’s Mishneh LaMelech, one of the most famous commentaries on the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, enriched with numerous notations of his own. To both these works Rav Yaakov wrote a preface.
Rav Yaakov also edited his grandfather’s Ezras Noshim, at the beginning of which there are two responsa of his own.
The most important work of Rav Yaakov and the one for which he is best known is his commentary on the Torah and Nach entitled Me’am Lo’ez. This work is a very elaborate, encyclopedic commentary in Ladino, dealing with all aspects of Jewish life, with material taken from the Gemora, the Medrash and early Rabbinic literature.
Rav Yaakov also wrote a halachic sefer called Simonim L’Oraisa, which remained in manuscript.
Rav Yaakov was niftar on the nineteenth of Menachem Av 5492/1732.
Zecher tzaddik livrachah.
