MAGHREBI, AARON B. JOSEPH, called the elder (11M1i1), the saint of God vrp), and the teacher (lin), and generally quoted by the name iltnnil 117V., Aaron Ha-Rishozz, a distinguished Karaite grammarian and commentator who flou rished 1270-1300. He was born in the Crimea, became a famous traveller, studied medicine for a maintenance, and ultimately settled down in Con stantinople. He wrote—(I.) A Hebrew grammar, called The Perfection of Beauty (+n), 545n), which, though very concise, treats in a masterly manner on the peculiarities of the grammatical forms, and especially on the syntax, and was published at Constantinople 1581. (2.) A commentary on the Pentateuch, entitled Sele:tion, and the Best of the Selection iinn (1ram), or the Book of Selection connri 1ED), or the Selection of the Upright (n+lv nzrin), which is highly valued by the Karaites. Excerpts of it were published by J. L Frey, entitled Excerpta ex libro -Innrs, cum versione Latina et c. nods, Basel 1705 ; and the whole work, with the super-commentary called Silver Turret (rli:C Inv), by Joseph Salomon Jerushalmi, rabbi of the Karaites in the Crimea, appeared in Eupatoria 1835. (3.) A commentary
on the Early Prophets (nItnn WW2) Sr eivm), i.e., Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Excerpts of this work, extending over Joshua and Judges, have been published by Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebrcea, iv. to96-1113. He also wrote—(4.) A commen tary on Job ; (5.) A commentary on the Psalms ; and (6.) A commentary on Isaiah, which have not as yet come to light. Mordecai b. Nissan, the celebrated Karaite writer, describes Maghrebi's expositions as `concise in style, but rich in matter, abounding in excellent explanations, replete with natural science and recondite lore, and full of tra ditional wisdom. Comp. Notilia Hamar:tar, ed. Wolf, p. 141 ; Bibliotheca 7zzdaica, 24 ; I Steinschneider, Catalogus Libr. Ilebr. in Bibliotheca Bodleian, col. 721; Graetz, Geschichte der 7zzden, vol. vii., Leipzig 1863, p. 323.—C. D. G.