In the year 5294, 1456 years after the Destruction, a Jew named Rabbi David HaReuveni came from distant lands to Rome and spoke with Pope Clement, and found favor in his eyes. He said he was the commander of the army of the King of Israel. He was short of stature, dark as a Cushite, about 45 years old. He spoke to the King of Portugal and brought interpreters because he only knew how to speak Hebrew and Arabic.

He told the king how the kings of Israel who dwell beyond the Chalach and Chavor Rivers and Mount Gozan were sending him to say that if he wished to be with them against any foe, they would give him ships that were at their hands to conquer it. The king said he would do so. This Rabbi David stayed there many years, and while he was there, HaShem stirred the spirit of a young man who was among the king's scribes and sat first before him, and he was of the seed of Israel, to repent.

He spoke to Rabbi David, and they left that kingdom, and he converted and changed his name to Shlomo Molcho. Even though he was born uncircumcised and alienated from the Torah of Moshe, when he came among the Jews he would expound publicly in all the provinces of Italy and Turkey, wondrous things on the Written and Oral Torah, hidden matters and beautiful interpretations, wondrous things the likes of which had never been heard.

It was not known how he achieved such great wisdom. He said he had an angel who informed him. He authored books, saying he was a messenger of the Messiah, and he was very pious and humble. This Rabbi David would fast six days and six nights consecutively.

I heard from a reliable man named Rabbi Yehudah Tablinis who testified that when he was in Rome, he was one of the guardians of this man so that he would not eat during this time in order to see the wonder. This Rabbi Shlomo went to Mantua to speak with Emperor Charles, and his words were not known except that the Emperor became filled with anger against him and ordered him burned, and so they did with a bridle in his mouth because they feared he might utter some incantation and escape.

There are still many Jews who err after him, believing he is alive and that every Shabbat he goes to Safed to be betrothed to his fiancée, and other vanities. Some say he agreed to his death, as it says in the portion "But if we listen to our brothers," five words beginning with the letter Bet hinting at five thousand, "listen to our brothers" equals 290, meaning in the year 5290 his judgment was decreed to die a strange death.

The truth is that HaShem did not want to convert even though they offered him life. The Emperor took Rabbi David to Spain, and there he died [(Sha'arei Kedusha page 45b). Rabbi Shlomo Molcho, mentioned above, authored a book of sermons called Sefer HaMefo'ar, and Sefer Chayat Kaneh. And Tzedah LaDerech wrote that Rabbi Shlomo and Rabbi David sought to turn the hearts of the King of France and Emperor Charles to the faith of Israel, and because of this Rabbi Shlomo was judged in Mantua in the year 5292.

See HaRav Rabbi Yosef Kohen 5290, and in Sefer Orchot Olam, chapter 19].

Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev bar Matityahu the Third, his responsa are from the year 5294 as explained in his introduction [(Tzedah LaDerech). His father-in-law was HaGaon Shlomo bar Shmuel. Responsa Binyamin Ze'ev 348 part 2. He wrote to the Radbaz about disputes with him in a matter of agunah, and wrote to HaGaon Yosef Taitzak (see 5282) and wrote to HaGaon Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi].

In his days were HaRav Rabbi Moshe Capsali, HaGaon Kalev bar Yochanan, HaGaon Benedito Aksilirahu, HaGaon Chayyim Meir, HaGaon Avraham Kohen of the exiles [(see 5310)], and Rabbi Avraham Ovadiah the Spaniard.