MATALON, JACOB BEN SOLOMON:

By: Executive Committee of the Editorial Board., M. Seligsohn

Turkish rabbinical scholar; lived at Salonica in the sixteenth century. According to De Rossi ("Dizionario," i. 135) the name "Matalon" is the Hebrew equivalent of "one of Toulon," but Zunz (see Steinschneider, "Cat. Bodl." col. 1241) derives it from "Mataloni," the name of an Italian town. In spite of his premature death Matalon wrote several works, two of which were published (Salonica, 1597): "She'erit Ya'aḳob," sermons, and "Toledot Ya'aḳob," commentary on various haggadot in the Talmud and Midrashim.

E. C. M. Sel.