I recently had the pleasure of encountering a rare early edition of Igereth Orchoth Olam (The Ways of the World), published in Prague in 1793. This pioneering geographic work, written by Abraham ben Mordecai Farissol, is divided into two parts. The first offers a general description of the Earth, its climatic zones, continents, and countries, while the second focuses on the discoveries made by Portuguese and Spanish explorers. Farissol delves into Vasco da Gama’s groundbreaking journey around the Cape of Good Hope to India and presents an early account of the discovery of America, including descriptions of the land and its inhabitants based on contemporary reports. Notably, Igereth Orchoth Olam is the first Hebrew text to describe America and its people. Farissol, a contemporary of Christopher Columbus, was the cantor of the Ferrara synagogue and a skilled scholar with a keen interest in geography.
Abraham ben Mordecai Farissol (c. 1451–1525/26), a Jewish-Italian geographer, cosmographer, scribe, and polemicist, was among the first Hebrew writers to thoroughly address the newly discovered Americas. Farissol’s intellectual life was shaped by his proximity to Renaissance culture, notably at the courts of Ercole d’Este I in Ferrara and Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence, where his fascination with exploration and discovery was nurtured. Farissol also published women’s prayer books in 1471 and 1480, including a notable revision of the traditional Birkot Hashachar prayer, which replaced the blessing recited by women with one that acknowledged their creation as women, rather than men.
The most significant of Farissol’s writings is Igereth Orchoth Olam, a comprehensive cosmographic and geographic work based on original research and the studies of Christian and Arab geographers. The book includes thirty chapters, each addressing a different geographical or cosmological subject, as well as historical matters. Among its diverse topics, it touches on the newly discovered regions of the world, the Portuguese sea route to India, the Ten Lost Tribes, the condition of Jews across various lands, and vivid descriptions of American Indians, highlighting their customs, social organization, health, and wealth in natural resources. Farissol also explores the location of the Garden of Eden, combining textual, geographic, and climatic evidence to propose its whereabouts.
The first Hebrew mention of the New World, along with its earliest description, appears in Igereth Orchoth Olam. His life in the Jewish communities of Avignon and Ferrara, both known for their cultural vibrancy and tolerance, played a significant role in shaping his scholarly pursuits. As a scribe, educator, cantor, and community leader, Farissol made invaluable contributions to Jewish society, and his legacy as a scholar of geography and cosmography continues to be recognized today.
