Years: 1724–1806
Primary city: Jerusalem
Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, known by the acronym Chida, was a Jerusalem-born scholar and bibliophile. He served as a rabbinic emissary for the communities of the Land of Israel, traveling extensively through Europe and North Africa. These travels allowed him to examine rare manuscripts, which formed the basis for his encyclopedic bibliographic work, Shem HaGedolim. Among his more than 70 works are the halachic commentary Birkei Yosef on the Shulchan Aruch and numerous kabbalistic treatises.