Nissim ben Jacob (), also known as Nissim Gaon (; 990–1062), was a rabbi and Gaon best known today for his Talmudic commentary ha-Mafteach, by which title he is also known.

Biography

Rav Nissim studied at the Kairouan Yeshiva, initially under his father, Jacob ben Nissim, who had studied under Hai ben Sherira and then Chushiel, who succeeded as head of the yeshiva. Nissim himself later became head of the yeshiva; in this capacity he is closely associated with Chananel ben Chushiel. His most famous student is probably Isaac Alfasi. Nissim maintained an active correspondence with Hai ben Sharira and with Samuel ibn Naghrillah, whose son Joseph married Nissim's only daughter in 1049. An Arabic analog to his work in the "relief from adversity" genre is .

  • A collection of tales, "Sefer Ma'asiyyot ha-Hakhamim wehu Ḥibbur Yafeh meha-Yeshu'ah": about sixty tales, based upon the Mishnah, Baraita, the two Talmuds, and the midrashic writings; and written at the request of Nissim's father-in-law, Dunash, on the loss of his son.

Literary portrayals

R. Nissim appears as a character in A Delightful Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval Mediterranean, a novel by Burton Visotzky. The novel expands on the few known biographical facts (including the marriage of his daughter). Its title, A Delightful Compendium, derives from "Ḥibbur Yafeh".

See also

  • History of the Jews in Kairouan
  • History of the Jews in Tunisia

References

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Further reading

  • Nissim ben Jacob, jewishhistory.org
  • Sefer ha-Mafteah, Prof. Eliezer Segal
  • R' Nissim ben Yaakov z"l, torah.org