A Tosafist

The Tosafists were a group of talmudists in northern France and Germany who were active from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries. They are best known for the systematic analysis of the Babylonian Talmud, which in the standard current editions appears opposite the running commentary of Solomon ben Isaac (Rashi). These comments are known as Tosafot (additions), and they often seek to resolve contradictions between related talmudic discussions. Several historians have drawn parallels between this activity and that of local churchmen, who often approached Christian legal texts with similar questions in mind. Leading Tosafists included Jacob ben Meir (Rabbenu Tam) and his student Isaac ben Samuel. Tosafist writings played a decisive role in the later study of the Babylonian Talmud and in the practice of Jewish law; they continue to be read today.