Oceda, Samuel Ben-israel

Oceda, Samuel Ben-Israel a Jewish savant of note, flourished towards the end of the 16th century, and was a pupil of the famous Cabalists Isaac Loria (q.v.) and ChazimVital. He was a darshan or preacher at Safed, in Upper Galilee, and wrote a very extensive commentary on the treatise Aboth, entitled מַדרִשׁ שׁמוּאֵל, with special reference to the commentaries of Gerundi, Abulafia, Maimonides, Abarbanel, Bertinore, Almosino, and others (Venice, 1519, and often): a commentary on Lamentations, entitled לֶחֶם דַּמעָה, "the Bread of Sorrow," the Hebrew text and Rashi's commentary (Venice, 1600, and often): — a commentary on Ruth, entitled אַגֶּרֶת שׁמוּאֵל, "the Letter of Samuel" (Constantinople, 1597, and often; last edition, Zolkiew, 1801). See Furst, Bibl. Jud. 3:44; Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. 1:1085; 3:1070 sq.; H. Adams. History of the Jews (Boston, 1812)j ii, 15; Rossi, Dizionario storico degli autori Ebrei, p. 254. (B. P.)