This article examines the life and halachic legacy of Rabbi Shemuel
ben Moshe ha-Levi Ibn Ḥakan within the sixteenth-century
Ottoman Empire. Raised in Cairo, he studied across diverse
Jewish communities: Istanbul, Edirne, Jerusalem, and Safed—
before returning to Cairo where he served on Rabbi David Ibn
Abī Zimra’s (Radbaz) rabbinical court. In the 1530s, he relocated
to Istanbul and became head of the yeshiva established by Moshe
Hammon, the Sultan’s physician.
The first chapter traces Ḥakan’s movements across Ottoman
lands while resolving a longstanding scholarly debate, confirming
that only one influential figure named Ḥakan operated during this
period. Though not serving as communal rabbi (marbits Torah),
Ḥakan gained recognition as a halachic authority and judge
through extensive responsa writings. These remain scattered
across manuscripts, never compiled into a single work.
Using the Kenesset ha-Gedolah of Rabbi Ḥaim Benvenisti—
composed fifty years after Ḥakan’s death and extensively quoting
his lost rulings—this study establishes identification criteria for
authentic responsa. Chapter Two presents these criteria, while
Chapter Three catalogs 32 verified examples. Comparison with
Kenesset ha-Gedolah citations suggests at least 5 additional responsa
known to Benvenisti await discovery. Chapter Four analyzes four
responsa, illuminating Ḥakan’s halachic-social approach and his
.relationships with contemporary Jewish scholars