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Torah and Sophia: The Life and Thought of Shem Tov Ibn Falaquera. Raphael Jospe

FALAQUERA, SHEM TOV BEN JOSEPH IBN (1223/8–after 1290), philosopher, translator, commentator, poet, and encyclopedist. Falaquera was born in Spain between 1223 and 1228; his last known work refers to events in 1290. Various etymologies have been suggested for his name, which was the name of a prominent Jewish family in Tudela. Hebrew spellings include פלקריי ,פלאקיר ,בלקירה, פלכרה, פלקירה, פלקירא. European spellings include Falaquera, Palquera, Palaquera, Palquira, Palqira, Palkira, Palkera, Phalkira, Phalchera.

Most of Falaquera’s prose works survive, many in multiple editions or manuscripts, but Falaquera testifies that half of his prolific youthful poetry (totaling some 20,000 verses) was lost, and in later life, although he abandoned his poetic career, he continued to intersperse poetry with his prose works. Some of this poetry was humorous. “Time said to the fool: Be a doctor / You can kill people and take their money / You’ll have an advantage over the angels of death / For they kill a man, but for free.” His prose is also marked by occasional humor. His last known work, in defense of *Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed, plays on the name of the philosopher’s opponent Solomon Petit and calls him peti (fool). via Encyclopedia