The author was a pupil of Solomon Amar (rabbi of all the African communities; died at Morocco in 1738); he taught at the school ‘Eẓ Ḥayyim of Amsterdam; & died after 1753.
In 1685 he edited the work "Mishmerot Kehunnah" (Amsterdam, 1753). In this rare work, , he arranged Talmudic quotations in alphabetical order, and corrected the misprints found in the Talmud; he also added various critical remarks, but retracted them on the back of the title-page (& signed his name underneath), probably at the instance of the rabbinical college of Amsterdam. He criticizes pilpulism and betrays a leaning toward religious reform.
In Peri Eẓ Ḥayyim (vol. 2, Amsterdam, 241), there are several responsa by Lara dating from 1741. He complains about his difficult economic situation, describing himself as "embittered, busy with temporal cares and the cares of a livelihood, with difficulty providing for his needs, and troubled with other domestic cares." Of his works the kabbalistic Kanfei Yonah and Mirkevet ha-Mishneh are still extant in manuscript in the Bodleian Library.
Very Rare.
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