Moses Naḥmanides

Moses ben Naḥman (Naḥmanides), also known as Bonastruc ça Porta, was arguably the most important thirteenth-century Spanish rabbi. Born in Catalonia to a wealthy family, Naḥmanides studied with Judah ben Yakar, from Provence, who transmitted to his student the teachings of the French Tosafists. The combination of Spanish and French learning proved particularly fruitful in Naḥmanides’ thought and spurred generations of Spanish talmudists after him. In addition to innovations in talmudic commentary (he was apparently the first to compose ḥiddushim [novellae]), Naḥmanides studied kabbalah, although there is some debate over who initiated him into this field. He composed major works of Jewish thought and law, perhaps the most influential being his commentary on the Torah, which fused kabbalah, traditional midrash, and many other fields. Following a public disputation in Barcelona in 1263 with Pablo Christiani, a Jewish apostate to Christianity, Naḥmanides fled Spain for Palestine. He settled in Acre (Akko) and continued to work on his writings, especially the Torah commentary, until his death.