David_Ben_Hassin
David Ben Hassin
Moroccan poet and rabbi
David ben Aaron ben Ḥassin (Hebrew: דוד בן אהרן בן חסין, Arabic: دايفيد بن حسان, in French sources David Hassine)[1] (1727–1792) is considered to have been one of the greatest Jewish Moroccan poets[2] and one of the best-known figures of Jewish liturgic poetry. His piyyutim (poems) were spread through the Sephardic world.[3] He travelled to various communities in Morocco and also to Gibraltar, where his poems were well received.[4]
He is the author of Tehila le David (Song of David), a collection of liturgic poems and elegies which have inspired many Moroccan singers, and of Mekoman chel zebahim ("Place of Sacrifices"), a versification of the slaughter rituals practiced in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem.[5] Some of his poems include his name in acrostic.[6] Moses Edrehi (1855) records that he saw a manuscript of Song of David that was sent from Meknes to the leaders of the Moroccan Jewish community in London for publication.[7]
He was also the author of several Bible commentaries.[citation needed]