His family hailed from Largentière, from whence his Hebrew surname "Caspi" derived. His Provençal name was Don Bonafous de Largentera, or in French En Bonafoux de L'Argentière. He traveled much, visiting Arles, Tarascon, Aragon, Catalonia, Majorca, and Egypt, where, as he says in his Tzava'ah, he hoped to be instructed by the members of Maimonides' family. This hope was not realized, as the descendants of Maimonides were more pious than learned. At one time Caspi intended to go toFez, where many renowned schools existed; but he seems to have abandoned this project and to have settled at Tarascon. He underwent much suffering at the time of the Pastoureaux persecution, and was threatened with punishment if he did not renounce his faith. He held the position that knowledge of the future, even by the prophets and by God, was probabilistic knowledge only.
Works
Caspi was one of the most prolific writers of his time, being the author of 29 works, the greater part of which are still extant in manuscript and the titles of the remainder being known from the list which he had the precaution to make. He began his literary career at the age of seventeen. At thirty he devoted himself to the study of logic and philosophy, which he eagerly cultivated until his death. The following is a list of his writings in their chronological order, some of them being no longer in existence:
Perush, commentary on ibn Janah's grammatical work
Supercommentaries on Abraham ibn Ezra's commentary on the Pentateuch., and is still extant in manuscript
Terumat Kesef, summary of Averroes's commentaries on Aristotle's Ethics and Plato's Republic, according to the Hebrew translation of Samuel of Marseilles
Tzawwa'at Kaspi, or Yoreh De'ah, moral sentences dedicated to the author's son, and published by Eliezer Ashkenazi, Leipzig, 1844
Mattot Kesef, commentaries on the Bible, with the exception of the Pentateuch
Chatzotzerot Kesef, commentaries on Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs
Qa'arot Kesef, in which Caspi endeavored to prove that the Law contains the idea of spiritual happiness and immortality, to explain the Biblical doctrine that God visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, and to explain the relation of wickedness to prosperity
'Ammude Kesef and Maskiyyot Kesef, commentaries on Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, published by Werbluner, with notes and corrections by R. Kirchheim, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1848
Sharsherot Kesef, or Sefer ha-Shorashim, on Biblical lexicography
Kappot Kesef, in which Caspi explains some Biblical problems concerning the history of the Jews
Mezamrot Kesef, a commentary on the Psalms
Tam ha-Kesef, on the destruction of both temples, Jeremiah's prophecies, and the arrival of the Messiah
Qebutzat Kesef, containing a list of Caspi's works, published by Isaac ben Jacob Benjacob in the Debarim 'Attiqim, Leipzig, 1844
Gebi'a Kesef, or Yoreh De'ah, supplement to the mystical commentaries on the Bible. The initial chapters may have been written as refutation of the apostate Abner of Burgos. Kaspi finds great theological significance in the number 3, and he speaks in this work about the origins of the concept of The Trinity found in Christian philosophy, attributing it to an earlier ternary division made among the Separate Intelligences by Aristotelian thinkers. He also expounds the different philosophical implications of the diverse names of God in the Bible.
