Abraham Kirimi

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Abraham Kirimi (Hebrew: אברהם קירימי?; 1358, Solhat – 15th century) was a Crimean rabbi of the 14th century. According to Firkovich ("C. I. H." No. 50), Kirimi was a proselyte and a pupil of Aaron ben Joseph the Karaite. He derived his name from his native town of Qırım or Solhat (today's Stary Krym), in Crimea.

Kirimi was the author of "Sefat Emet", a commentary on the Pentateuch, in which he tries to refute the interpretations of the Karaites when they are in contradiction to those of the Rabbinites. Kirimi says in the preface that he wrote the work at the request of many notable Jews and especially of his Karaite pupil Hezekiah b. Elhanan ha-Nasi, whom he held in high esteem.

A part of the preface is in verse, the last two lines of which may be translated:

To the one who asks for the author's name, answer:
Abraham who was born at Kirim. His date is 5118 (1358).

Moritz Steinschneider and Samuel Joseph Fuenn consider this date to be that of the composition of the work; but it seems rather to be that of the author's birth.

[edit] Bibliography of the Jewish Encyclopedia

• This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia article "Kirimi Abraham" by Solomon Schechter & M. Seligsohn, a publication now in the public domain.