Creator Bio
Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel
d. after 1193
Asher ben Meshullam ha-Kohen of Lunel was one of the five sons of Meshullam ben Jacob, the head of the local talmudic academy and an important patron of the scientific translation movement in Provence. Asher, a talmudic scholar known for his asceticism, was also interested in the Arabic philosophical and ethical tradition; he and his father both encouraged Judah Ibn Tibbon (1120–after 1190) to translate various works from Judeo-Arabic into Hebrew. Asher wrote commentaries on the Babylonian Talmud, which for the most part have been lost. Little else is known about his life.
Content by Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel
Primary Source
Commentary: On the Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 10
Commentary on b. Berakhot 10a
Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, fills the whole world, etc.
Explanation: although there are places where the Lord’s power and His wonders are more apparent than elsewhere, like Mount Sinai…
Primary Source
On Astrology and Prayer
Commentary on b. Shabbat 156b
There is no constellation [mazal] for Israel. [b. Shabbat 156b]
After the previous section, I find it necessary to write down R. Asher’s explanation of the statement of our sages that “there is no…