Isaac Alfasi
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Isaac Alfasi
Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013–1103) (, ), also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym, the Rif (Rabbi Isaac al-Fasi), was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of halakha, Jewish law). He is best known for his work of ''halakha'', the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot, considered the first fundamental work in ''halakhic'' literature. Biography He was born in Qal'at Bani Hammad in modern-day Algeria, capital city of the Sanhaja Hammadid dynasty of the central Maghreb, and is therefore sometimes called "ha-Kala'i." Some older sources believe Qalaat Hammad refers to a village near Fez. He studied in Kairouan, Tunisia under Nissim ben Jacob, and Chananel ben Chushiel the recognized rabbinical authorities of the age. Chananel trained Alfasi to deduce and to clarify the Halakha from Talmudic sources, and Alfasi then conceived of the idea of compiling a comprehensive work that would present all of the practical conclusions of the Gemara in a clear, definit ...
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Qal'at Bani Hammad
Qal'at Bani Hammad (), also known as Qal'a Bani Hammad or Qal'at of the Beni Hammad (among other variants), is a fortified palatine city in Algeria. Now in ruins, in the 11th century, it served as the first capital of the Hammadid dynasty. It is in the Hodna Mountains northeast of M'Sila, at an elevation of , and receives abundant water from the surrounding mountains. The site is near the town of Maadid (aka Maadhid), about southeast of Algiers, in the Maghreb. In 1980, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO under the name Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad, and described as "an authentic picture of a fortified Muslim city". The town includes a long line of walls. Inside the walls are four residential complexes, and the largest mosque built in Algeria after that of Mansoura, Tlemcen, Mansurah. It is similar in design to the Grand Mosque of Kairouan, with a tall minaret, . Excavations have brought to light numerous terracotta, jewels, coins and ceramics testifying to the hig ...
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Chananel Ben Chushiel
Chananel ben Chushiel or Ḥananel ben Ḥushiel (), an 11th-century Kairouanan rabbi and Talmudist, was in close contact with the last Geonim. He is best known for his commentary on the Talmud. Chananel is often referred to as Rabbeinu Chananel – Hebrew for "our teacher, Chananel" (in Hebrew, רבנו חננאל, or abbreviated, ר"ח). Biography Rabbeinu Chananel (c. 980–1055) was probably born in Southern Italy, likely Bari, an important rabbinic center in the late geonic period. Around the year 1005, his father Chushiel travelled to North Africa with the intention of making his way to Egypt. While waiting for his son to join him, Chushiel settled instead in Kairouan (modern Tunisia), at the time under the rule of Zirid Emirs on behalf of the Fatimids. R. Chananel studied under his father, who became head of the Kairouan yeshiva, and through correspondence with Hai Gaon. He is closely associated with Nissim Ben Jacob in the capacity of rabbi and Rosh yeshiva of Kairouan. ...
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Nezikin
''Nezikin'' ( ''Neziqin'', "Damages") or ''Seder Nezikin'' (, "The Order of Damages") is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court system. Nezikin contains ten volumes (or "tractates"): #'' Bava Kamma'' (, ''First Gate'') deals with civil matters, largely damages and compensation. 10 chapters. (See also Shomer) #'' Bava Metzia'' (, ''Middle Gate'') deals with civil matters, largely torts and property law. 10 chapters. #''Bava Batra'' (, ''Last Gate'') deals with civil matters, largely land ownership. 10 chapters. #''Sanhedrin'' (, ''The Sanhedrin'') deals with the rules of court proceedings in the Sanhedrin, the death penalty, and other criminal matters. 11 chapters. #'' Makkot'' (, ''Lashes'') deals with colluding witnesses, cities of refuge and the punishment of lashes. 3 chapters. #'' Shevu'ot'' (, ''Oaths'') deals with the various types of oaths and their consequences. 8 chapters ...
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Nashim
__notoc__ Nashim ( "Women" or "Wives") is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud) containing family law. Of the six orders of the Mishnah, it is the shortest. Nashim consists of seven tractates: #'' Yevamot'' ( "Brothers-in-Law") deals with the Jewish law of yibbum (levirate marriage) () and other topics such as the status of minors. It consists of 16 chapters. #'' Ketubot'' (, "Prenuptial agreements") deals with the ketubah (Judaism's prenuptial agreement), as well as topics such as virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ..., and the obligations of a couple towards each other. It consists of 13 chapters. #''Nedarim (Talmud), Nedarim'' (, "Vows") deals with various types of vows often known as ''nedarim'' and their legal consequences. It ...
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Moed
Moed (, "Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates: # ''Shabbat'' or ''Shabbath'' () ("Sabbath") deals with the 39 prohibitions of "work" on the Shabbat. 24 chapters. # ''Eruvin'' (ערובין) ("Mixtures") deals with the Eruv or Sabbath-bound - a category of constructions/delineations that alter the domains of the Sabbath for carrying and travel. 10 chapters. # '' Pesahim'' (פסחים) (" Passover Festivals") deals with the prescriptions regarding the Passover and the paschal sacrifice. 10 chapters. # '' Shekalim'' (שקלים) ("Shekels") deals with the collection of the half-Shekel as well as the expenses and expenditure of the Temple. 8 chapters # '' Yoma'' (יומא) ("The Day")—also called "Kippurim" or "Yom ha-Kippurim" ("Day of Atonement")—deals with the ...
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Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until after 200 CE and as the Sacred language, liturgical language of Judaism (since the Second Temple period) and Samaritanism. The language was Revival of the Hebrew language, revived as a spoken language in the 19th century, and is the only successful large-scale example of Language revitalization, linguistic revival. It is the only Canaanite language, as well as one of only two Northwest Semitic languages, with the other being Aramaic, still spoken today. The earliest examples of written Paleo-Hebrew alphabet, Paleo-Hebrew date back to the 10th century BCE. Nearly all of the Hebrew Bible is written in Biblical Hebrew, with much of its present form in the dialect that scholars believe flourish ...
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Isaac Albalia
Isaac ben Baruch Albalia (, ''Yiṣḥaq ben Barukh Albalia''; 1035–1094) was an Andalusian Jewish mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and Talmudist. Biography First educated by a Jew from Perigord, Albalia went on to the academy in Lucena, where he struck up a close friendship with Me'ir ibn Migash, father of Joseph ibn Migash, and then settled in Granada. When barely thirty years old Albalia began to write ''Kupat ha-Rokhlim'' ("The Peddler's Basket"), a commentary on the Talmud. He was a close friend of Samuel ha-Nagid, whose son Jehoseph ha-Nagid became Albalia's patron, to whom he dedicated his 1065 astronomical work ''Maḥberet Sod ha-Ibbur'' ("The Secret of Intercalation"), on the principles of the Jewish calendar. According to Moses ibn Ezra, Albalia was also a poet and rhetorician. After the murder of Jehoseph ha-Nagid in the 1066 Granada massacre, Albalia fled to Cordova, where he became acquainted with then-prince Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad. When he ascended the thr ...
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Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and the Torah, and ''halakha'' (Jewish law). The general role of the rosh yeshiva is to oversee the Talmudic studies and halakha, practical matters. The rosh yeshiva will often give the highest ''Shiur (Torah), shiur'' (class) and is also the one to decide whether to grant permission for students to undertake classes for rabbinical ordination, known as ''semicha''. The term is a compound word, compound of the Hebrew words ''rosh'' ("head") and ''yeshiva'' (a school of religious Jewish education). The rosh yeshiva is required to have a comprehensive knowledge of the Talmud and the ability to analyse and present new perspectives, called ''chidushim'' (wikt:novellae, novellae) verbally and often in print. In some institutions, such as YU's Rabbi ...
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Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most of the peninsula as well as Septimania under Umayyad rule. These boundaries changed through a series of conquests Western historiography has traditionally characterized as the ''Reconquista'',"Para los autores árabes medievales, el término Al-Andalus designa la totalidad de las zonas conquistadas – siquiera temporalmente – por tropas arabo-musulmanas en territorios actualmente pertenecientes a Portugal, España y Francia" ("For medieval Arab authors, Al-Andalus designated all the conquered areas – even temporarily – by Arab-Muslim troops in territories now belonging to Spain, Portugal and France"), García de Cortázar, José Ángel. ''V Semana de Estudios Medievales: Nájera, 1 al 5 de agosto de 1994'', Gobie ...
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Maimonides
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a preeminent astronomer and physician, serving as the personal physician of Saladin. He was born on Passover eve 1138 or 1135, and lived in Córdoba, Spain, Córdoba in al-Andalus (now in Spain) within the Almoravid dynasty, Almoravid Empire until his family was expelled for refusing to convert to Islam. Later, he lived in Morocco and Egypt and worked as a rabbi, physician and philosopher. During his lifetime, most Jews greeted Maimonides' writings on Halakha, Jewish law and Jewish ethics, ethics with acclaim and gratitude, even as far away as Iraq and Yemen. Yet, while Maimonides rose to become the revered head of the History of the Jews in Egypt, Jewish community in Egypt, his writings also ...
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Joseph Ibn Migash
Joseph ben Meir HaLevi ibn Migash (also rendered Yosef ibn Meir Ha-Levi ibn Migash, José ben Meir ibn Megas, or simply Joseph ibn Migash; ; early 1077 – c. 1141) was a prominent rabbi, halakhic decisor (''posek''), and head of the yeshiva (''rosh yeshiva'') in Lucena, in al-Andalus (modern-day Spain). He is also known by the acronym Ri Migash (ר"י מיגאש), standing for ''Rabbi Yosef Migash''. Biography Joseph ibn Migash was probably born in Seville (though Steinschneider believes it was Granada). He moved to Lucena at the age of 12 to study under the renowned Talmudist Isaac Alfasi. He studied under Alfasi at Lucena for fourteen years. Shortly before his death (1103), Alfasi ordained Ibn Migash as a rabbi, and - passing over his own son - also appointed him, then 26, to be his successor as Rosh Yeshiva (seminary head). Joseph ibn Migash held this position for 38 years. Rabbi Abraham ben David, in his work '' Sefer ha-Kabbalah'' (Book of Tradition), mentions Joseph ibn ...
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Kuzari
The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' (; : ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also known as the Book of the Khazar (: ''Sefer ha-Kuzari''), is one of the most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher, physician, and poet Judah Halevi, completed in the Hebrew year 4900 (1139-40CE). Originally written in Arabic, prompted by Halevi's contact with a Spanish Karaite, it was then translated by numerous scholars, including Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, into Hebrew and other languages, and is regarded as one of the most important apologetic works of Jewish philosophy. Divided into five parts (''ma'amarim'' "articles"), it takes the form of a dialogue between a rabbi and the king of the Khazars, who has invited the former to instruct him in the tenets of Judaism in comparison with those of the other two Abrahamic religions: Christianity and Islam. Historical foundation The Kuzari take ...
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