Mizmor le- Todah begins with words of praise from two rabbinic figures from Salonika and from Isaac Hazan, who brought the book to press, followed by Aripul's introduction. He informs us that Mizmor le- Todah was written as a "Korban Todah," thanks offering, upon his recovery from an illness lasting from 1569 to 1571. A second introduction introduces the Shir ha-Maalot (Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120-34). This portion of the book was reprinted in Cracow (1576) as Ne'im Zemirot (see below, pp. 650-51).

The commentary which accompanies the text is lengthy. Based on rabbinic and kab­balistic sources, Aripul's philosophical commentary places emphasis on Divine mercy, the ethical meanings of the subject matter, and the redemption of Israel. For example, he begins his commentary on "In my distress I cried to the Lord, and he answered me" (Psalms 120: 1) by writing, "It informs man what is good and what the Lord asks from him, for even if a sword would lay upon his neck he should not despair from mercy .... "

That a rabbinic figure from Salonika, resident in Safed, should have his work printed in Venice is an eloquent testimony to the high regard of Venice imprints. After the burn­ing of the Talmud in Italy, Hebrew book production in Venice dropped from more than 200 titles in 1540-49 to below 100, and then to less than 80 titles in the two following decades. Scholars who had previously sent their works to Venice to be printed subse­quently refused to do so, whether out of concern as to how their books would be treated, or as a protest against the book burning and censorship. Nevertheless, after several decades had passed, scholars in Salonika once again chose to have their works printed in Venice because of the high quality of the imprints of that city's presses. Venice was always pre­ferred by the sages of Safed, notwithstanding the hazards of a long journey by sea, and typesetting and editing by strangers in the absence of the author, all justified by the per­ceived superiority of Venice's presses.

R. Aripul was also the author of Zevah Todah (Constantinople, 1572), on Psalm 119, reprinted in Mizmor le- Todah; Sar Shalom (Safed, 1579) on the Song of Songs; and Lev Hakham on Ecclesiastes (Constantinople, 1586). Other works remain in manuscript.

באור על תהלים קיט-קלד, עם הפנים. ההוצאה הראשונה נקראה בשם זבח תודה, קושטא [של"ב בערך]. דף א,ב-ב: שיר לכבוד המחבר מאת ר' משה ב"ר זכריה הכהן, פותח: מי במפרשים יערוך אליך כי תחבוש את מגבעות הדעת. אוצר השירה והפיוט, ג, עמ' 115 מס' 999; שני שירים לכבוד המחבר מאת ר' שמואל ארקוולטי, האחד פותח: שירי במו עוגב וגם חליל יהי רץ אל מאור נרך ולפידיך. אוצר, ג, עמ' 475, מס' 1095, והשני פותח: שבחיה דמרן בפום עיר וקדיש. אוצר, ג, עמ' 414, מס' 257; דברי הקדמה לכבוד המחבר מאת ר' יצחק ב"ר חיים לבית חזן, עם שיר, פותח: יאיר נתיב בחור מעם על הר שכל ידו הדה. מן ההוצאה הראשונה. בהוצאת קושטא נדפס כנראה רק המבוא לספר, שהוא ביאור לפסוקים האחרונים של מזמור קיח. בהוצאת ויניציאה שינויים רבים, רובם שינויי סגנון וניסוח.