אשתורי הפרחי: למקור השם ולמקומה של פרח (פלוראנצה)

This paper deals with Ashtori Ha-Parḥi, the 14th-century sage, who authored Kaftor va-Feraḥ, and was one of the first Jewish scholars who studied the of Land of Israel from a geographical-toponymical perspective. The paper traces the meaning of his unusual first name‘Ashtori’ and suggests that it is an Hebraization of the Provencal name Astruc. The article offers a solution to an additional problem that has eluded solution for many years. Where is 'Floranza' located? This is the town of Ashtori's ancestral seat and the city from which his surname was derived. The article shows that this Floranza is in Provence near the town of Béziers, and not in Spain as has been suggested. Following a comprehensive review of Ashtori's ancestors and family, with an emphasis on his relative Jacob Ben Makhir Ibn Tibon, we conclude that Ashtori should be appreciated within the context of Provencal Jewish culture and all that this implies: the translation project, the use of general science and scholarship and more. It is of great significance to associateAshtori with Provencal Jewish culture, since hitherto his geographical origin has been unclear. It is now possible to reassess his cultural context and gain new insight to his intellectual world and literary work.