Shimon Lavi

Shimon (ibn) Lavi was a Spanish kabbalist, physician, and poet. The Spanish expulsion of 1492 brought his family to Fez, Morocco, where he studied a number of disciplines. On the way to move to Israel in 1549, Lavi was detained near Tripoli, Libya and decided to stay to rebuild Torah study and practice among local Jews, who had suffered under the Inquisition. In addition to his renown among Libyan Jews, Lavi is known for his Zohar commentary, Ketem Paz, and for the poem Bar Yochai, sung by many on Shabbat and other occasions.