Rishonim - WikiHQ

Rishonim (; ; sing. , Rishon) were the leading rabbis and poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulchan Aruch (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the Geonim (589–1038 CE). Rabbinic scholars subsequent to the Shulchan Aruch are generally known as acharonim ("the latter ones").

The distinction between the and the is meaningful historically; in halakha (Jewish law) the distinction is less important. According to a widely held view in Orthodox Judaism, the Acharonim generally cannot dispute the rulings of rabbis of previous eras unless they find support from other rabbis in previous eras. On the other hand, this view is not formally a part of halakha itself, and according to some rabbis is a violation of the halakhic system. In The Principles of Jewish Law, Orthodox rabbi Menachem Elon writes that:

List of Rishonim

thumb|166x166px|[[Abraham ibn Ezra|Abraham Ibn Ezra (center)]]

thumb|136x136px|[[Isaac Alfasi]]

thumb|160x160px|[[Maimonides' statue in Córdoba]]

thumb|173x173px|[[Nachmanides]]

thumb|173x173px|[[Rashi]]

11th century

Menahem ben Helbo, 11th-century French tosafist and exegete
Isaac ibn Ghayyat (Me'ah She'arim), 11th-century Spanish halakhist and commentator.
Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry, 11th-century French Talmudist (?-1105)
Bahya ibn Paquda, (Hovot ha-Levavot), 11th-century Spanish philosopher and moralist
Rabbenu Gershom, 11th-century German Talmudist and legalist
Isaac Alfasi, (Hilkhot haRif), 11th-century North African and Spanish Talmudist and Halakhist
Jonah ibn Janah, 11th-century Hebrew grammarian
Rashi, (Solomon ben Yitzchak), 11th-century French Talmudist and exegete
Tosafists, (Tosafot), 11th-, 12th- and 13th-century Talmudic scholars in France and Germany
Simeon Kara, 11th-century rabbi and Joseph's father
Baruch ben Samuel (haHokhmah), 12th-century Talmudist and poet (d. 1221)

12th century

Isaac ben Melchizedek (Ribmatz), 12th-century Talmudist (c. 1090-1160)
Isaac of Chernigov, 12th-century exegete
Eleazar of Worms (Rokeah), 12th-century German halakhist
Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (Hasidim), 12th-century German mystic and halakhist
Isaac ben Abba Mari (Ittur Soferim), 12th-century Provençal rabbi ()
Jacob ben Meir, 12th-century Talmudist, halakhist, and Biblical philologist (1100–1171)
Shemaiah of Soissons, 12th-century Talmudist and Biblical exegete
Joseph Kara, 12th-century Biblical exegete. ()
Isaiah di Trani, 12th-century Biblical exegete and halakhist. ()
Isaac ben Dorbolo, 12th-century halakhist
Abraham ibn Daud, (Kabbalah), 12th-century Spanish philosopher
Abraham ibn Ezra, (Ibn Ezra), 12th-century Spanish-North African Biblical commentator
Samuel ben Jacob Jam'a, 12th-century North African rabbi and scholar
Joseph Kimhi (HaGilui), 12th-century exegete, grammarian, and lexicographer
Moses Kimhi, 12th-century biblical commentator and grammarian.
David Kimhi, (RaDaK), 12th-century French biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian
Eliezer ben Nathan, 12th-century poet and pietist
Hillel ben Eliakim, (Rabbeinu Hillel), 12th-century Talmudist and disciple of Rashi
Solomon ben Meir, 12th-century grandson of Rashi, one of the Tosafot.
Ibn Tibbon, a family of 12th- and 13th-century Spanish and French scholars, translators, and leaders
Joseph ibn Migash, 12th-century Spanish Talmudist and rosh yeshiva; teacher of Maimon, father of Maimonides
Maimonides, Moshe Ben Maimon, (Rambam), 12th-century Spanish-North African Talmudist, philosopher, and law codifier
Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, 12th- and 13th-century French Maimonidean philosopher and translator
Yehuda Halevi, (Kuzari), 12th-century Spanish philosopher and poet devoted to Zion
, (Rabbeinu David), 12th-century Talmudist with a commentary on Masechet Pesachim that has become influential on contemporary Iyyun
Yitzhak Saggi Nehor, (Isaac the Blind), 12th- and 13th-century Provençal Kabbalist
Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona, (Maor), 12th century Talmudist
Moses ben Isaac ben ha-Nessiah (Shoham), 12th- and 13th-century grammarian

13th century

Isaac ben Meir Halevi of Düren (Sha'arei Dura), 13th-century halakhist (1220-1300)
Isaac ben Joseph of Corbeil (Mitzvot Katan), 13th-century halakhist (d. 1280)
Isaac of Ourville (Menahel), 13th-century halakhist
Menahem Recanati (Pisqe Recanati), 13th-century halakhist
Abraham ben Nathan (Manhig), 13th-century Provençal Talmudist.
Moses de León (Zohar), 13th-century Spanish Kabbalist
Moses ben Meir of Ferrara, 13th-century Tosafist
Eliezer ben Samuel of Metz (Yereim), 13th-century Tosafist. ()
Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona, 13th-century Tosafist.
Judah ben Benjamin Anaw, 13th-century Italian halakhist and Talmudist ()
Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw (Shibbolei HaLeqet), 13th-century Italian halakhist (-1280)
Benjamin ben Abraham Anaw, 13th-century poet, exegete, and halakhist. (d. )
Abba Mari, (Minhat Kenaot), 13th-century Provençal rabbi ()
Isaiah di Trani the Younger, 13th-century Biblical exegete and halakhist
Asher ben Jehiel, (Rosh), 13th-century German-Spanish Talmudist
Meir of Rothenburg, 13th-century German rabbi and poet
Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, 13th-century Bohemian Posek
Meir Abulafia, (Yad Ramah), 13th-century Spanish Talmudist
Mordecai ben Hillel, (The Mordechai), 13th-century German Halakhist
Nahmanides, Moshe ben Nahman, (Ramban), 13th-century Spanish and Holy Land mystic and Talmudist
Menachem Meiri, (Meiri), 13th-century Talmudist
Yom Tov Asevilli, (Ritva), 13th-century Talmudist
Solomon ben Aderet, (Rashba), 13th-century Talmudist
Aharon HaLevi, (Ra'ah), 13th-century Talmudist
Meshullam ben Jacob, (Meshullam Hagadol), 13th-century Talmudist (1235–1310)
Joseph Caspi, 13th– and 14th-century talmudist, grammarian, and philosopher (1280–1345)
Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa, 13th- and 14th-century commentator, Talmudist and Kabbalist
Moses of Évreux, one of three rabbi brothers in 13th century Normandy, modern-day France.

14th century

Samson ben Samuel (Kitzur Mordechai, Yeriot Izzim), 14th-century poet and halakhist
Menahem ben Aaron ibn Zerah, 14th-century halakhist (d. 1385)
Moses da Rieti (Miqdash Me'at), 14th-century poet and philosopher
David Abudirham, 14th-century liturgical commentator
Gersonides, Levi ben Gershom, (Ralbag), 14th-century French Talmudist and philosopher
Jacob ben Asher, (Arba'ah Turim), 14th-century German-Spanish Halakhist
Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, (Maharil), 14th-century codifier of German minhag
Hasdai Crescas, (Or Hashem), 14th-century Talmudist and philosopher
Isaac Lattes (Kiryat Sefer), 14th-century French chronicler.
Immanuel of Rome, 14th-century Italian poet (1261-)
Benjamin ben Judah, 14th-century Italian exegete. ()
Kalonymus ben Kalonymus, 14th-century French translator and philosopher.
Benjamin ben Isaac of Carcassonne, 14th-century scholar.
Nissim of Gerona, (RaN), 14th-century Halakhist and Talmudist
Crescas Vidal, 14th-century Talmudist and philosopher
(SM"K miZurich), 14th-century halakhist (fl. 1360)
Samuel ben Aaron Schlettstadt (Mordechai haKatan), 14th-century German halakhist
Simeon ben Zemah Duran (Tashbetz), 14th- and 15th-century Halakhist (1361-1444)

15th century

Don Isaac Abravanel (Abarbanel), 15th-century philosopher and Torah commentator (1437–1508)
Joseph ben Moses (Leqet Yosher), 15th-century halakhist (c. 1420–1488)
Abraham Saba, Castilian exegete (1440–1508)
Meir ben Ezekiel ibn Gabbai (Tola'at Yaakov), Sephardic kabbalist (1480 – c.1540)
Joseph Albo (Ikkarim), 15th-century Spain
Israel Bruna, 15th-century German Rabbi and Posek
Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro (Bartenura), 15th-century commentator on the Mishnah

References

External links

The Rules of Halacha, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
The different rabbinic eras, faqs.org
RabbiMap - interactive map showing where the rishonim and other notable rabbis lived
(MP3s), Rabbi R. Y. Eisenman
9th Through 11th Century
12th Century
13th Century
14th Century
15th Century
16th Century