Israel ben Me’ir di Curiel was an important but little-known talmudist and preacher. Born sometime before 1500, he  studied in the academy of Joseph Fasi in Edirne (Adrianople). Early on Curiel had his own academy, students, and followers. He moved to Safed after 1538, and there was one of four scholars ordained by Jacob Berav, the other three being Joseph Caro, Moses de Ṭrani (also known as Mabiṭ), and Abraham Shalom. The biographies and writings of Caro and de Ṭrani are well known; those of Curiel and Shalom less so. Curiel was devoted to the study of Jewish la…