Barukh of Mainz

Barukh ben Samuel of Mainz, a German Tosafist and author of piyyutim, studied under leading German talmudists and became a member of the Jewish court in Mainz. He wrote a now-lost halakhic compendium titled The Book of Wisdom (Sefer ha-ḥokhmah), which covered oft-studied talmudic tractates. Many later writers cited this work, and it was still extant until the sixteenth century. Some suggest that Barukh wrote the Tosafot (additions) printed on Tractate Sotah. Barukh’s piyyutim are marked by their stylistic variety and multiple references to biblical, rabbinic, and mystical literature. They were extremely popular.