Benjamin ha-Kohen Vitale בנימין בן אליעזר הכהן ויטאלי
kabbalist of Moshe Zacuto's school, rabbi of Reggio
He was born in Alessandria in Piedmont and served as its rabbi until 1682, then moved to Reggio. He studied under Moshe Zacuto in Mantua—the Encyclopaedia Judaica counts him among Zacuto's leading students, and accounts of Zacuto say the same from the other side: his favourite students, Benjamin ha-Kohen and Abraham Rovigo, would come to him for months at a time.
Printed in his lifetime were the collection of piyyutim Et ha-Zamir (Venice, 1707), the commentary on Lamentations Allon Bakhut (Venice, 1712), and the volume of sermons Gevul Binyamin (Amsterdam, 1727). His correspondence with Zacuto was published posthumously at Livorno in 1780; his responsa only in 1970.
His son-in-law Yeshayah Bassan succeeded him at Reggio and taught Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto; Vitale himself did not teach Luzzatto, and the two should not be confused.
A Sabbatean tract, Sod Adnut Adonenu, is associated with his name. How far he was involved in Sabbateanism is discussed by scholars—Scholem and Tishby among them; the encyclopaedia article does not set out the dispute, and neither do we.
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Scholarship
- Encyclopaedia Judaica, “Benjamin ben Eliezer ha-Kohen Vitale of Reggio” — dates 1651–1730, Alessandria and Reggio, study under Moshe Zacuto, son-in-law Yeshayah Bassan, list of works
- Encyclopaedia Judaica, “Ergas, Joseph ben Emanuel” — “Benjamin ha-Kohen Vitale of Reggio taught him kabbalah”—the sole encyclopaedic confirmation of the link
Basis: documents and evidence.