Shemaiah di Medina (Hebrew: שמעיה בן משה די מדינה; died June 3, 1648) was a Jewish scholar and liturgical poet.
He was born in Salonica, the son of Moses di Medina.[1] A dispute with influential figures in the city compelled him to emigrated to Venice, where he became a respected member of the local rabbinate and continued his literary and scholarly work.[2]
Shemaiah was the author of many liturgical poems.[1] He wrote the treatise Ma'amar al 'Onshe Gehinnom ('A Treatise on the Punishments of Hell'), which was never published. Shemaiah also edited and wrote prefaces for Ben Shemuel, a collection of sermons by his grandfather Samuel di Medina, and Bene Shemuel, a work by Samuel Ḥayyun [he], another relative.[3][2] A commentary on the Book of Proverbs has been attributed to him,[4] though its authorship is uncertain.[2]
