Career
The earliest date attached to any of his writings is 1425. The form of his family name is doubtful, and has been transcribed by modern scholars as "Comtino." Mordecai"s biographer, Jonah Hayyim Gurland, uses the form "Kumatyano," a name which he found still in use in Turkey (Geiger, in "Wiss Zeit Jüd Theol" ii1445. Idem, "Melo-Chofnajim," p 13).
He was the pupil of Enoch Saporta, a distinguished Talmudist, known for his cultivation of the sciences and his tolerance toward the Karaites.
The scientific bent of his mind is shown in his commentary to the Pentateuch (Master in Social Service Paris, Nos 265, 266. Street St. Petersburg, Number 51), in the preface to which he speaks of his researches in grammar, logic, physics, astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and metaphysics.
This commentary, in which he especially criticized Abraham ibn Ezra, was attacked by Shabbethai ben Malchiel Kohen ("Hassagot," c 1460), which attack Mordecai answered in his "Teshubot Hassagot" (Steinschneider, "Cat Codicum Hebr Bibl Academy Lugduno-Batavæ," pp 202–207). He also wrote commentaries to Ibn Ezra"s treatises "Yesod Morah" (dedicated to his pupil Joseph Rachizi), "Sefer ha-Shem," and "Sefer ha-Eḥad" (Mississippi Paris, Number 661.
Compare Adolf Neubauer, "Cat Bodl Hebr Master in Social Service" colonel 436), and a commentary to Maimonides"s "Millot ha-Higgayon," printed in Warsaw, 1865.
Mordecai was a teacher of mathematics, and did much to advance the study of the exact sciences in Turkey. In his commentaries to Ibn Ezra he has often occasion to touch upon such subjects. His chief works in this branch are: a treatise in two parts on arithmetic and geometry, in which he follows partly the Greek and Latin authors, partly the Mohammedan (Master in Social Service Berlin, Number 49.
Brit Music 27,107 A.
Paris, 1031, 5. Street St. Petersburg, 343, 344, 345, 346). "Perush Luḥot Paras," a commentary written in 1425 on the astronomical tables of Yezdegerd, tables already treated of by Solomon b.
Elijah Sharbiṭ ha-Zahab (Master in Social Service Paris, Nos 1084, 1085. Street St. Petersburg, 359); glosses to Euclid (Mississippi Günzburg, Number 340, 5).
An essay upon the construction of the astrolabe, "Tiḳḳun Keli ha-Neḥoshet," as a complement to the Hebrew works on the subject, which he found to be superficial.
An essay (1462) upon the construction of the astronomical instrument ("First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Ẓafiḥah") invented by First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Zarkala, written at the request of his pupil Menahem (Master in Social Service Munich, Number 36, 13. Paris, 1030, 5; Street St. Petersburg, 353). An essay upon the construction of an instrument for measuring time (sun dial), which can be made in two different ways (Mississippi Street St. Petersburg, Number 361).
