Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
5 min read
Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura, author of the go-to commentary on the Mishna in the 15th century, was an adventurous traveler who went on an epic journey from Italy to Jerusalem.
Today, the name “Bartenura” brings to mind a sweet bubbly wine in an iconic blue bottle. But since the 15th century, the name has had a special significance for Jews around the world. Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura authored the go-to commentary on the Mishna, the foundation of Jewish law, and quickly became a household name.
But few realize that this legal scholar was also an adventurous traveler who recorded his voyages in some of Judaism’s best travel writing. Bartenura’s epic journey from Italy to Jerusalem can teach us a great deal about navigating our own journeys in life.
Bartenura’s voyage across the Mediterranean took him over two years, largely because of the challenge of finding transportation. But there were other difficulties. In the city of Palermo, on the northwest coast of Sicily, the Jewish community became so enamored with his sermons and personality that they misled him about the shipping routes and forced him to delay his departure.
Instead of getting annoyed, Bartenura used the opportunity to explore Sicily’s unique Jewish community, reportedly over a thousand years old. He described their palatial synagogue and unusual customs, but his main focus was on the people themselves. Noticing that many had begun to slip in their religious devotion, he spoke for three hours every Shabbat and inspired a spiritual revival. Not bad for a stopover trip.
Author G.K. Chesterton once wrote that “the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” The traveler mindset, the openness to every step of the journey, allowed Bartenura to make the most of his time at Palermo. At the same time, he recognized when it was time to move on. “I would never want in all my days to live among people who loved, honored and exalted me like the Jews of Palermo,” he writes.
Bartenura maintained a youthful enthusiasm throughout his travels, which is extraordinary when you consider his hardships. Although he nearly drowned at sea and was constantly harassed by corrupt officials, his writing has all of the delight and wonder of a child’s first trip to the zoo:
“On the Nile, I saw a crocodile, a creature larger than a bear, with boil-like protrusions on its skin. People on the ship told me that some crocodiles are more than twice as big as the one we saw.”
Later, after finally reaching Jerusalem, Bartenura is struck by “a tree whose leaves are larger than a person. It gives fruits only once a season, and then it shrivels up. Then a new tree grows from its roots, and that gives fruit the next year.” It sounds like he had never seen a banana tree before.
Bartenura also found delight in the unique cultures and personalities he encountered. He warmly recalls his host in Alexandria, a rabbi who invited him to a typical Alexandrian Shabbat meal which included “at least six or seven cups” of wine. Bartenura left the meal feeling quite tipsy.
We don’t often get to see the more playful side of great Jewish rabbis and thinkers, but Bartenura’s travel writing is a welcome reminder that spiritual greatness is often accompanied by a healthy sense of curiosity and openness. It sounds like Bartenura would even have enjoyed a glass of his eponymous wine.
When Bartenura arrived in Jerusalem, he found a community in shambles. Years of corrupt leadership had stripped the local Jews of their prosperity and basic necessities. Even public services were no longer functioning. Not long after his arrival, Bartenura took an active role in burying the community’s dead. There was simply no one else to do the job.
After years of travel and a constant longing to settle in the Holy Land, Bartenura had every reason to want a break. Who would have protested if the famous rabbi had requested a little time to himself? But he didn’t. In fact, he wasted no time in devoting himself to others.
The Jewish sages teach that in a place where leadership is lacking, one should attempt to fill the void. Bartenura quickly recognized that a trustworthy and astute communicator could have a major impact here. Within a few years, both Jewish and gentile officials held Bartenura in the highest esteem, and the community began to flourish.
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once observed that “a leader is a dealer in hope.” More than instruction, more than confidence, a leader offers his followers a vision of possibility. Reading his writings, it seems that Bartenura cultivated that vision throughout the course of his journey. He didn’t leave Italy with a plan to lead Jerusalem, but in his travels, in his enthusiasm, in his openhearted optimism – Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura became a dealer in hope and an inspiration for all of life's journeys.
