Isaac ben Abba Mari

Little is known about the life of Isaac ben Abba Mari, other than that he was a talmudist in Provence but also spent some time in Spain. Living in Provence, Isaac sat at the crossroads of both Spanish and northern European legal traditions. Isaac distinguished himself at a young age and corresponded with some of the leading scholars of his day, including Abraham ben David (ca. 1125–c.1198) and Jacob ben Meir (1100–1171). His works, particularly Corrections of the Scribes (‘Itur soferim), written between 1177 and 1188/9, were influential among later talmudists, especially Naḥmanides (1194–1270). Isaac’s A Hundred Gates (Me’ah she‘arim) contains comments on the Book of the Laws (Sefer ha-halakhot) of Isaac al-Fāsī (1013–1103). His The Ten Commandments (‘Aseret ha-dibrot) is organized around ten positive commandments that are performed at specific times.