Aharon HaLevi
Encyclopedia
Aaron ben Joseph ha-Levi of Barcelona (; 1235 – c. 1290), known by his Hebrew
acronym Ra'aH (רא"ה), was a medieval rabbi
, Talmud
ic scholar and Halakhist
.
Aaron ha-Levi was born in Girona
, Spain
in 1235 to his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Benbineshti ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, who was the son of Rabbi Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona
Baal Hamaor. The Ra'ah's mother Clara, was a granddaughter of Rabbi Aaron of Lunel who was the son of Rabbi Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel
("Rabbenu Meshullam hagadol").
Aaron ha-Levi studied under his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi and brother Rabbi Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi, as well as Nachmanides and was a colleague of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet
(1235-1310). He published critical notes on the Rashba's Torat HaBayith, which he entitled Bedek HaBayith. He also wrote a commentary on the Talmud
, select parts of which have been published.
There are those who believe that he is the author of the anonymous Sefer ha-Chinuch
"Book of Education," although this claim has been rejected by many scholars due to discrepancies between opinions expressed in Torat HaBayith and the Chinuch. This has led to the conclusion that the true author of the Sefer ha-Chinuch was a different Aaron ha-levi, who was a student of Shlomo ben Aderet, rather than his colleague. Rabbi Yom Tov Asevilli
was one of his students. And others to identifying the author as Aaron's brother Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
acronym Ra'aH (רא"ה), was a medieval rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar and Halakhist
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
.
Aaron ha-Levi was born in Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1235 to his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Benbineshti ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, who was the son of Rabbi Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona
Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona
Zerachiah ben Isaac Ha-Levi Gerondi , called the ReZaH, RaZBI or Baal Ha-Maor was born about 1125 in the town of Girona, Spain – hence the name Gerondi – and died after 1186 in Lunel...
Baal Hamaor. The Ra'ah's mother Clara, was a granddaughter of Rabbi Aaron of Lunel who was the son of Rabbi Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel
Meshullam ben Jacob
Rabbeinu Meshullam son of Jacob also known as Rabbeinu Meshullam hagodol was a Franco-Jewish Talmudist of the twelfth century CE...
("Rabbenu Meshullam hagadol").
Aaron ha-Levi studied under his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi and brother Rabbi Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi, as well as Nachmanides and was a colleague of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet
Shlomo ben Aderet
Shlomo ben Aderet was a Medieval rabbi, halakhist, and Talmudist. He is widely known as the Rashba , the Hebrew acronym of his title and name: Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet.The Rashba was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1235...
(1235-1310). He published critical notes on the Rashba's Torat HaBayith, which he entitled Bedek HaBayith. He also wrote a commentary on the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, select parts of which have been published.
There are those who believe that he is the author of the anonymous Sefer ha-Chinuch
Sefer ha-Chinuch
The Sefer ha-Chinuch , often simply "the Chinuch" is a work which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was published anonymously in 13th century Spain...
"Book of Education," although this claim has been rejected by many scholars due to discrepancies between opinions expressed in Torat HaBayith and the Chinuch. This has led to the conclusion that the true author of the Sefer ha-Chinuch was a different Aaron ha-levi, who was a student of Shlomo ben Aderet, rather than his colleague. Rabbi Yom Tov Asevilli
Yom Tov Asevilli
Yom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli , commonly known by the Hebrew acronym as the Ritva, was a medieval rabbi and Halakhist famous for his commentary on the Talmud. The name "Asevilli" is a Hebrew rendering of the Arabic Isbili, meaning "from Seville".Asevilli was born in Seville, Spain in 1250 where he...
was one of his students. And others to identifying the author as Aaron's brother Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi.