Early Life and Education
Ashkenazi was born in Moravia, most likely Velké Meziříčí. He was descended from a well-known family of scholars. As a child, he received instruction from his father and from his grandfather, Ephraim ha-Kohen, then rabbi at Alt-Ofen, and later went to Salonica, where for some time he attended the school of Elihu Cobo. In Salonica he also witnessed the impact of the Sabbatai Zevi movement on the community, and this experience became a determining factor in his whole career. During his stay at Salonica, Ashkenazi devoted himself mainly to an investigation of the Sephardic methods of study. Upon his return journey to Alt-Ofen he seems to have stayed some time (probably till 1679) at Constantinople, where his learning and astuteness made such an impression that, though a Polish scholar, he was termed "Chacham" (a Sephardic title reserved for rabbis). He retained this title throughout his career. Shortly after his return he married the daughter of a prominent citizen of Alt-Ofen.
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