Azaria Piccio

Azaria Piccio (; ; ; 1579 – 6 February 1647) was a Venetian Talmudist, sofer (scribe) and darshan (preacher) who served in the Jewish communities of Venice and Pisa.

Biography Piccio was born in Venice in 1579. Originally destined for a medical career, Piccio left medical school and devoted himself to the study of the Talmud. Referring to this episode in his life, Piccio wrote the nowadays oft-quoted passage, “I abandoned my girlfriend,” referring to his medical studies and general preoccupation with the secular world, “and went to my true love.”

As a rabbi, Piccio became known for his oratory skills. His sermons in Hebrew are noted for their erudite but direct style. with whom he shared an openness toward the modern world. As rabbi in Pisa, he wrote Giddulei Terumah (1643), a work which remains popular to this day,