R. Josiah b. Joseph Pinto (1565–1648), talmudist and kabbalist. Born in Damascus, R. Pinto was for the major part of his life rabbi in Damascus, but went to Jerusalem about 1617. In 1625 he decided to settle in Safed, but when his son died in the following year, he returned to Damascus. His teacher in subjects other than Kabbalah was R. Jacob Abulafia, who ordained him. In Kabbalah he adhered closely to the system of R. Hayyim Vital whose son, R. Samuel, was his pupil and subsequently married his daughter. Pinto is best known for his Me'or Einayim (part 1, Amsterdam, 1643; part 2, Mantua, 1743). He also wrote Kesef Nivhar (Damascus, 1605), sermons on the weekly scriptural readings; part 2, entitled Kesef Mezukkak (Venice, 1628, this lot), sermons and explanations of unusual rabbinic comments on scriptural passages; Kesef Zaruf (ibid., 1629) on the Book of Proverbs; Nivhar mi-Kesef (Aleppo, 1869), responsa. Some of his responsa were in a manuscript of the responsa of his son-in-law, R. Samuel Vital, which was in the possession of H. J. Michael, while others were published in the responsa of R. Yom Tov Zahalon (Venice, 1694). Some, which he wrote in 1646, were published in the Yad Aharon, part 1 (Smyrna, 1735), of R. Aaron Alfandari. His Kesef Nimas, on Lamentations, and Kevuzot Kesef, on the laws of marriage and the civil laws in the Shulhan Arukh, are in manuscript. R. Joseph Delmedigo mentions a biblical commentary by R. Pinto entitled Kesef To'afot.

"כסף נבחר" נדפס בדמשק שס"ה-שס"ו ובויניציאה שפ"א.