Creator Bio
Ephraim of Qal‘at Ḥammād
Late 11th or Early 12th Century
Ephraim of Qal‘at (Banī) Ḥammād, a town in what is now Algeria, was a talmudist and grammarian and reportedly a student of Isaac al-Fāsī (1013–1103; known as the Rif). None of Ephraim’s writings have survived in full. His most important text is a series of critical notes on al-Fāsī’s Laws (Halakhot). He also composed a commentary on Pirke Avot (Chapters of the Fathers), much of which has been lost.
Content by Ephraim of Qal‘at Ḥammād
Primary Source
Commentary: On Pirke Avot
Ephraim of Qal‘at Ḥammād
Commentary on m.Avot 1:3, 1:5, 2:4
Avot 1.3: Do not be as slaves who serve their master on condition to receive a reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not on condition to receive a reward. And the fear of heaven should…
Primary Source
Commentary on al-Fāsī: On the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Kamma
Ephraim of Qal‘at Ḥammād
Commentary on al-Fāsī on b. Bava Kamma 43a
If a Jew was coerced by Samaritans, and he showed them the property of another, he is exempt. This is the case only if he merely showed them the property, but if he actively took it and gave it to…