The Chafetz Project is the translation into English of three major Judaic works, circa 1700, by Moshe and Gershom Chafetz.

Moshe Chafetz

Moshe Chafetz (1663-1711), a rabbinical scholar in Venice, Italy, lived as a private tutor teaching Talmud and midrash. Born in Trieste, he dealt with philosophy, math, and natural sciences. (Other name permutations: Moses ben Gershom, Moshe ben Gershom, Moses Gentili, Chefetz, and Hefez.) One of his poetic works, written at age 13, is in the Venice edition of the Bible (1675-78). The poet Yomtov Valcasson wrote a poem for Chafetz's wedding (Venice, 1682).

• Hanukkat haBayit (lit. Dedication of the Temple), details the construction of the Second Temple (Venice, 1696).
  • 58 sections describe various parts of the Temple (Menorah, Altar, Holy of Holies, the Gates, etc.)
  • 19 diagrams, including a plan diagram indicating each of the 58 sections
  • 52 pages (each represents two facing pages) plus introduction and glossary
    
• Melekhet Machashevet (lit. Art of Thought), a homiletical-philosophical commentary on the Torah (Venice, 1710, with tables and a portrait of the author; second edition, Koenigsbuerg, 1810, with supercommentary, Machashevet Choshev, by Judah Leib Jaffe).
  • First portrait ever published in a Hebrew book (1710 edition)
  • Several online citations of this book exist
  • 206 pages (first edition, each represents two facing pages; later Warsaw edition spread over many more pages)

Gershom ben Moses (1683-1700) was Moshe Chafetz's son. Upon his death at age 17, Moshe Chafetz published Gershom's Yad Charuzim, adding an introduction with Gershom's biography. Moshe Chafetz quotes some of Gershom's interpretation in Melekhet Machashevet.

• Yad Charuzim (lit. Hand of Rhymes or Guide to Rhymes), a Hebrew rhyme lexicon. (Venice, 1700; second edition, without appendix and eulogy, but additional notes by Simchah Calimani, Venice, 1738-45)
• Twelve rules for Hebrew usage in poetry and rhyme scheme
• Appendix with a poetic version of Rambam's enumeration of the 613 mitzvot
• Eulogy by Solomon ben Isaac Nizza, Gershom's teacher (appendix)
• 72 pages (each represents two facing pages) plus the Rambam's 613 appendix

The Chafetz Project

Chafetz has been traced in direct lineage with my family, which compels the project. No English translations are known to exist. If you know of one, please save me the thousands of hours of effort.

I have copies of two editions of Melekhet Machashevet (the Venice first edition and a third Warsaw edition, I believe) and am gradually (slowly) translating it into English. The Hebrew Melekhet text has been scanned into online storage.

Melekhet Machashevet is still taught on occasion, and is referenced in some sermons online.

I have photocopies and microfilm of Hanukkat haBayit and Yad Charuzim (first edition), obtained from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I seek original copies of both books.

Got Information?

Any information about these three books is greatly appreciated; in particular, available copies of the originals (especially Hanukkat haBayit, Yad Charuzim), or translations of any of the three that exist.

Contact me at djbrook@sbcglobal.net.