Rishonim
Encyclopedia
"Rishon" redirects here. For the preon model in particle physics, see Harari Rishon Model
. For the Israeli town, see Rishon LeZion.
Rishonim were the leading Rabbi
s and Poskim
who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שׁוּלחָן עָרוּך, "Set Table", a code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the Geonim
(589-1038 CE). Rabbinic scholars subsequent to the Shulkhan Arukh are generally known as " Acharonim
("the latter ones"). However, in the highly regarded CODEX JUDAICA (Chronological Index of Jewish History) the author has presented a paper (Appendix D to the volume) that argues (quite convincingly) that there was a distinct major trend of scholars between the Rishonim and the Acharonim
. Here presents a clearly delineated period between 1492 and 1648, that shows distinctive elements of scholarship (which he provides), and calls it (them, the scholars) Kov'im (Hebrew: קובעים) "the consolidators".
Harari Rishon Model
The rishon model is the earliest efforts to develop a preon model to explain the phenomena appearing in the Standard Model of particle physics. It was first developed by Haim Harari and Michael A...
. For the Israeli town, see Rishon LeZion.
Rishonim were the leading 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...
s and Poskim
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שׁוּלחָן עָרוּך, "Set Table", a code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the Geonim
Geonim
Geonim were the presidents of the two great Babylonian, Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of the Jewish community world wide in the early medieval era, in contrast to the Resh Galuta who wielded secular authority...
(589-1038 CE). Rabbinic scholars subsequent to the Shulkhan Arukh are generally known as " Acharonim
Acharonim
Acharonim is a term used in Jewish law and history, to signify the leading rabbis and poskim living from roughly the 16th century to the present....
("the latter ones"). However, in the highly regarded CODEX JUDAICA (Chronological Index of Jewish History) the author has presented a paper (Appendix D to the volume) that argues (quite convincingly) that there was a distinct major trend of scholars between the Rishonim and the Acharonim
Acharonim
Acharonim is a term used in Jewish law and history, to signify the leading rabbis and poskim living from roughly the 16th century to the present....
. Here presents a clearly delineated period between 1492 and 1648, that shows distinctive elements of scholarship (which he provides), and calls it (them, the scholars) Kov'im (Hebrew: קובעים) "the consolidators".
The distinction between the Rishonim and the Geonim is meaningful historically; in Halakha
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...
(Jewish Law) the distinction is less important. According to a widely held view in Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
, the Acharonim generally cannot dispute the rulings of rabbis of previous eras unless they find support of other rabbis in previous eras. On the other hand, this view is not formally a part of halakha
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...
itself, and according to some rabbis is a violation of the halakhic system. In the The Principles of Jewish Law Orthodox rabbi Menachem Elon
Menachem Elon
Menachem Elon , an Israeli jurist, who served as a justice on the Israeli Supreme Court and its Deputy President ....
writes that:
Some Rishonim
- Abba MariAbba MariAbba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph, was a Provençal rabbi, born at Lunel, near Montpellier, towards the end of the 13th century. He is also known as Yarhi from his birthplace Abba Mari ben Moses ben Joseph, was a Provençal rabbi, born at Lunel, near Montpellier, towards the end of the 13th century. He...
, (Minhat Kenaot), 13th century Provençal rabbi. - Don Isaac Abravanel, (Abarbanel), 15th century philosopher and Torah commentator
- Israel BrunaIsrael BrunaIsrael Bruna was a German rabbi and Posek . He is also known as Mahari Bruna, the Hebrew acronym for "Our Teacher, the Rabbi, Israel Bruna". Rabbi Bruna is best known as one of the primary Ashkenazi authorities quoted by Moses Isserles in the Shulkhan Arukh.-Biography:Rabbi Bruna was born in Brno...
, (Mahari Bruna), 15th century German Rabbi and PosekPosekPosek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists.... - Abraham ibn DaudAbraham ibn DaudAbraham ibn Daud was a Spanish-Jewish astronomer, historian, and philosopher; born at Toledo, Spain about 1110; died, according to common report, a martyr about 1180. He is sometimes known by the abbreviation Rabad I or Ravad I. His mother belonged to a family famed for its learning...
, (Sefer HaKabbalah), 12th century Spanish philosopher - Abraham ibn EzraAbraham ibn EzraRabbi Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra was born at Tudela, Navarre in 1089, and died c. 1167, apparently in Calahorra....
, (Even Ezra), 12th century Spanish-North African Biblical commentator - David Abudirham, said to be a student of the Baal Ha-Turim (but this is doubtful)
- Samuel ben Jacob Jam'a, 12th century North African rabbi and scholar
- Asher ben JehielAsher ben JehielAsher ben Jehiel- Ashkenazi was an eminent rabbi and Talmudist best known for his abstract of Talmudic law. He is often referred to as Rabbenu Asher, “our Rabbi Asher” or by the Hebrew acronym for this title, the ROSH...
, (Rosh), 13th century German-Spanish Talmudist - David KimhiDavid KimhiDavid Kimhi , also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK , was a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian. Born in Narbonne, Provence, he was the son of Rabbi Joseph Kimhi and the brother of Rabbi Moses Kimhi, both biblical commentators and grammarians...
, (RaDaK) 12th century French biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian - Yaakov ben Moshe Levi MoelinYaakov ben Moshe Levi MoelinJacob b. Moses Moelin was a Talmudist and posek best known for his codification of the customs of the German Jews. He is also known as Maharil - the Hebrew acronym for "Our Teacher, the Rabbi, Yaakov Levi" - as well as Mahari Segal or Mahari Moelin...
, (Maharil), 14th century codifier of German minhagMinhagMinhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers... - Obadiah ben AbrahamObadiah ben AbrahamObadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro was a 15th-century rabbi best known for his popular commentary on the Mishnah, commonly known as "The Bartenura".He was born and lived in the second half of the 15th-century in Italy and died in Jerusalem, Palestine about 1500...
of Bertinoro, (Bartenura), 15th century commentator on the MishnahMishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c... - Bahya ibn PaqudaBahya ibn PaqudaBahya ben Joseph ibn Paquda was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived at Zaragoza, Spain, in the first half of the eleventh century...
, (Hovot ha-Levavot), 11th century Spanish philosopher and moralist - Hasdai CrescasHasdai CrescasHasdai ben Judah Crescas was a Jewish philosopher and a renowned halakhist...
, (Or Hashem), 14th century Talmudist and philosopher - Dunash ben LabratDunash ben LabratDunash ha-Levi ben Labrat was a medieval Jewish commentator, poet, and grammarian of the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. He was, according to Moses ibn Ezra, born in Fes. In his youth he travelled to Bagdad to study with Saadia Gaon.Dunash is called the founder of Spanish Hebrew poetry...
, 10th century grammarian and poet - Rabbenu Gershom, 11th century German Talmudist and legalist
- GersonidesGersonidesLevi ben Gershon, better known by his Latinised name as Gersonides or the abbreviation of first letters as RaLBaG , philosopher, Talmudist, mathematician, astronomer/astrologer. He was born at Bagnols in Languedoc, France...
, Levi ben Gershom, (Ralbag), 14th century French Talmudist and philosopher - Eliezer ben NathanEliezer ben NathanEliezer ben Nathan of Mainz , Ra'aven , was a halakist and liturgical poet. As an early Rishon, he was a contemporary of the Rashbam and Rabbeinu Tam, and one of the earliest of the Tosafists. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Eliakim b. Joseph of Mainz, a fellow student of Rashi...
, 12th century poet and pietist - Hillel ben EliakimHillel ben EliakimHillel ben Eliakim, known in Hebrew to Talmud scholars as Rabbeinu Hillel, , was a Greek rabbi and Talmud scholar...
, (Rabbeinu Hillel), 12th century Talmudist and disciple of Rashi - Ibn TibbonIbn TibbonIbn Tibbon , is a family of Jewish rabbis and translators that lived principally in Provence in the 12th and 13th centuries.- Prominent family members :Prominent members of the family include:...
, a family of 12th and 13th century Spanish and French scholars, translators, and leaders - Isaac AlfasiIsaac Alfasifor other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...
, (the Rif), 11th century North African and Spanish Talmudist and Halakhist; author of "Sefer Ha-halachoth". - Jacob ben AsherJacob ben AsherJacob ben Asher, also known as Ba'al ha-Turimas well as Rabbi Yaakov ben Raash , was likely born in Cologne, Germany c.1269 and likely died in Toledo, Spain c.1343....
, (Baal ha-Turim ; Arbaah Turim), 14th century German-Spanish Halakhist - Joseph AlboJoseph AlboJoseph Albo was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived in Spain during the fifteenth century, known chiefly as the author of Sefer ha-Ikkarim , the classic work on the fundamentals of Judaism.-Early life:Albo's birthplace is generally assumed to be Monreal, a town in Aragon...
, (Sefer Ikkarim), 15th century Spain - Joseph ibn MigashJoseph ibn MigashJoseph ben Meir ibn Megas or Megas was a Rabbi, Posek, and Rosh Yeshiva in Lucena. He is also known as Ri Megas , the Hebrew acronym for "Rabbi Joseph Megas".-Biography:...
12th century Spanish Talmudist and rosh yeshivaRosh yeshivaRosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
; teacher of Maimon, father of Maimonides - Meir AbulafiaMeir AbulafiaMeir ben Todros HaLevi Abulafia , also known as the Ramah , was a major Sephardic Talmudist and Halachic authority in medieval Spain...
, (Yad Ramah), 13th century Spanish Talmudist - MaimonidesMaimonidesMoses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
, Moshe Ben Maimon, (Rambam), 13th century Spanish-North African Talmudist, philosopher, and law codifier - Mordecai ben HillelMordecai ben HillelMordechai ben Hillel HaKohen , also known as The Mordechai, was a 13th century German rabbi and posek. His chief legal commentary on the Talmud, referred to as the Mordechai, is one of the sources of the Shulchan Aruch. He died a martyr's death at Nuremberg.-Biography:Little is known of the...
, (The Mordechai), 13th century German Halakhist - NahmanidesNahmanidesNahmanides, also known as Rabbi Moses ben Naḥman Girondi, Bonastruc ça Porta and by his acronym Ramban, , was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, Catalan rabbi, philosopher, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator.-Name:"Nahmanides" is a Greek-influenced formation meaning "son of Naḥman"...
, Moshe ben Nahman, (Ramban), 13th century Spanish and Holy Land mystic and Talmudist - Nissim of GeronaNissim of GeronaNissim ben Reuven of Girona, Catalonia was an influential talmudist and authority on Jewish law. He was one of the last of the great Spanish medieval talmudic scholars. He is also known as the RaN .-Biography:The Ran was born in Barcelona, Catalonia...
, (RaN), 14th century Halakhist and Talmudist - RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, (Solomon ben Yitzchak), 11th century Talmudist, the primary commentator of Talmud - Elazar RokeachElazar RokeachEleazar Rokeach , also known as Eleazar of Worms or Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymus, was a leading Talmudist and mystic, and the last major member of the Chassidei Ashkenaz, a group of German Jewish pietists.- Biography :...
, (Sefer HaRokeach), 12th century German rabbinic scholar - Samuel ben Judah ibn TibbonSamuel ben Judah ibn TibbonSamuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, more commonly known as Samuel ibn Tibbon , was a Jewish philosopher and doctor. He was born about 1150 in Lunel , and died about 1230 in Marseilles...
, 12th-13th century French Maimonidean philosopher and translator - TosafistsTosafistsTosafists were medieval rabbis from France and Germany who are among those known in Talmudical scholarship as Rishonim who created critical and explanatory glosses on the Talmud. These were collectively called Tosafot , because they were additions on the commentary of Rashi...
, (Tosafot), 11th, 12th and 13th century Talmudic scholars in France and Germany - Yehuda HaleviYehuda HaleviJudah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in Palestine in 1141...
, (Kuzari), 12th century Spanish philosopher and poet devoted to Zion - Menachem MeiriMenachem MeiriRabbi Menachem Meiri was a famous Catalan rabbi, Talmudist and Maimonidean.-Early life:Menachem Meiri was born in 1249 in Perpignan, which then formed part of the County of Barcelona...
, (Meiri), 13th century Talmudist - Yom Tov AsevilliYom Tov AsevilliYom 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...
, (Ritva), 13th century Talmudist - Yitzhak Saggi NehorIsaac the BlindRabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor רַבִּי יִצְחַק סַגִּי נְהוֹר, also known as Isaac the Blind, has the Aramaic epithet "Saggi Nehor" meaning "of Much Light" in the sense of having excellent eyesight, an ironic euphemism for being blind. He was a famous writer on Kabbalah...
, (Isaac the Blind), 12th-13th century ProvençalProvenceProvence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
Kabbalist - Solomon ben Aderet, (Rashba), 13th century Talmudist
- Aharon HaLeviAharon HaLeviAaron ben Joseph ha-Levi of Barcelona , known by his Hebrew acronym RaaH , was a medieval rabbi, Talmudic scholar and Halakhist....
, (Ra'ah), 13th century Talmudist - Zerachiah ha-Levi of GironaZerachiah ha-Levi of GironaZerachiah 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 Ha-Maor) 12th century Talmudist - Meshullam ben JacobMeshullam ben JacobRabbeinu Meshullam son of Jacob also known as Rabbeinu Meshullam hagodol was a Franco-Jewish Talmudist of the twelfth century CE...
, (Rabbeinu Meshullam Hagodol), 12th century Talmudist - Joseph CaspiJoseph CaspiJoseph ben Abba Mari ben Joseph ben Jacob Caspi , was a Provençal exegete, grammarian, and philosopher, apparently influenced by Averroës. He was born at Largentière, whence his Hebrew surname "Caspi" . His Provençal name was Don Bonafous de Largentera, or in French En Bonafoux de L'Argentière...
, 13th-14th century talmudist, grammarian, and philosopher. One of the most prolific writers of his time.
See also
- Rabbinic literatureRabbinic literatureRabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
- Eras of history important in Jewish law
- List of rabbis
- History of Responsa: Rishonim
External links and references
- The Rules of Halacha, Rabbi Aryeh KaplanAryeh KaplanAryeh Moshe Eliyahu Kaplan was a noted American Orthodox rabbi and author known for his "intimate knowledge of both physics and kabbalah." He was lauded as an original thinker and prolific writer, from studies of the Torah, Talmud and mysticism to introductory pamphlets on Jewish beliefs and...
- The different rabbinic eras, faqs.org
- Torah Personalities and the Times in Which They Lived (MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s), Rabbi R Y Eisenman