THE BERDUGO FAMILY

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The Ancestors and Family of Samuel Berdugo

Moshe BERDUGO hakadmon

The founder of the BERDUGO Family is Rabbi Moshe BERDUGO or "Grande Sabio." Moshe was born around 1600. According to tradition, he is a descendant of the male line of King David via the exilarch Bustanai. Moshe BERDUGO married Luna.

The Rabbi Raphael BERDUGO synagogue on rue El M'da (Bath Street) attached to the Benaroch Synagogue was founded around 1492 by the BERDUGO family shortly after their arrival from Spain. It was named after the famous Rabbi Raphael BERDUGO (The Angel Raphael) and then his grandson Jacob. Early in the century, the synagogue was led by Rabbis from the BERDUGO family including Joshua ben Ya'acov. The synagogue was longer than it was wide, and rather plain. It would hold 150 congregants and served on occasion as Yeshiva under the direction of BERDUGO Rabbis. Once a year, during the month of Elul, Rabbis met there to celebrate the Pidiyoun Hanafashot ceremony (symbolic redemption of souls with money given to community poor, guaranteeing a long life).

Moshe and Luna had a son called Rabbi Itzhak BERDUGO or "Sabio".

itzhak was a Rabbi in Meknes, Morocco (b. around 1650). Rabbi Itzhak BERDUGO was called "Ha-Yachich" (the elder, or the ancestor). He had three sons: Moshe, Abraham and Yossef.


Branch Aleph of BERDUGO family
(See Handdrawn Family Tree of Branch Aleph by Rabbi Raphael BERDUGO.)

Yehuda mim 'mokim BERDUGO

Yehuda BERDUGO (b. 1689/1690, d. 1744) son of Yosef BERDUGO was named dayyan in Meknes in 1730 following Moses ben Abraham BERDUGO, the Mashbir. (Mashbir is acronym of ???). He was a talented teacher. He was a childhood friend of the famous Rabbi Haïm Benattar from Sale who lived in Meknes at that time.

Yehuda wrote many books. He was the author of Mayim Amukkim (deep waters), a commentary on the torah and haftorahs (which was later commented on by Petahiah Mordecai BERDUGO among others, although unpublished until 1910. The book was republished in 1975, by one of his descendants also named Yehuda BERDUGO, along with commentaries from Rabbi Hay Yaacov Zrihen of Tiberius who in the introduction describes Yehuda mim 'mokim as the Maimonides of Morocco. This book was supposed to be published along with Rabbi Hayim Benattar's Or Hayim. However, Rabbi Benattar had to leave Morocco suddenly before he could take the manuscript. Many commentaries have been written on Mayim Amukkim despite its late publication (See for example those of Rabbi Lasri of Algers, Moshe ELBAZ of Sefrou, or Yaakov and Yossef BERDUGO of Meknes.) Until its publication the book (like other classic works by the Mashbir) were copied by hand.

Some of Yehuda mim 'mokim BERDUGO's responsa have been published in the responsa of Jacob ibn Zur. Other responsa and Mahane Yeouda have not yet been published.

He had two sons.

Schlomo BERDUGO son of Yehuda BERDUGO son of Schlomo BERDUGO