Rabbi ha-Gaon Elia Menahem Chalfan

“He was Italy’s leading cabbalist, as well as a learned rabbi, physician and maecenate (Wachstein Inschriften I p. 61).
“Of his halachic responsa that continue to attract attention, one is hisopen-minded and well differentiating Opinion on whether Jews may teach Hebrew (and especially the Torah) to non-Jews (published in full by Kaufmann, “Chalfan” p. 501). And the other is his Opinion affirming the validity, inRabbinical (that is to say, in “Biblical”) Law, of the divorce of English King Henry VIII from his first wife, Katharineof Aragon, due to their marriage having remained childless. In fact, his opinion had been requested by FrancescoGeorgio on behalf of the King’s advisor, Richard Croke…
“R. Eliya I-Menachem had declared his support for the Messianic claims of Shlomo Molcho …”

“Chalfan,” in Paul Jacobi Papers