Jacob was born in 1673 in
Fez. He studied under the rabbis Vidal Serfaty and Menahem Serero. In 1693, he was appointed as registrar at the
bet din (rabbinical court) of Fez, and then as a rabbi and head of the
bet din in 1704, a post which he held for another thirty years. Thereafter, oppressive taxation induced him to move to
Meknès, where he became a member of the
bet din for eleven years, and after that he moved to
Tétouan to serve in its
bet din for another seven years. In his old age, Ibn Zur
ordained five of his students: Samuel b. R. Jacob b. Danan, R. Ephraim b. Abraham Monsonyego, his son R. Raphael Obed Ibn Zur, R. Elijah b. A. Joseph HaSarfati, and his grandson R. Matitya b. R. R. Jacob b. Menahem II Serero; who later became known as the “Court of Five” (
bet din shel ḥamishah). == Works ==