☕ Abravanel reached the glittering heights of Iberian society and lost it all—twice—and rebuilt in Italy, all while writing paradigm-shifting works of…
☕A fruitful era of synthetic Sefardi scholarship reaches its conclusion in the work of the Ran; his students took his Torah with them in addressing the…
☕ R. Yaakov ben Asher, son of the Rosh, sought to make Jewish law widely understandable so that more could walk in its ways. In the process, he…
☕R. Asher ben Yechiel carried with him the Chasidut of his father and the Tosafot of his teacher, Maharam of Rothenburg, and transplanted it to faraway…

February 2023

☕ His prolix work languished in manuscript for centuries, but today, happily, we have Meiri's unique contributions to guide us ably through the Talmud.
☕Ritva's synthesis brings together Sefarad and Ashkenaz, philosophy and Kabbalah, Rambam and Ramban—all in service of his search for the essence of…
☕ R. Bachya ben Asher made the burgeoning Kabbalistic movement more accessible in his beloved Torah commentary, where he also anthologized much midrash…
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☕ The cantankerous Torah giant of Barcelona was involved in all of his day's affairs, walking a middle path that was informed by, but also wary of…
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January 2023

☕ Ramban might have lived the quiet life of a Kabbalist in Girona. Instead, he changed Jewish history with his integratory methods, abundant insight…
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☕Sensitive, turbulent, unafraid but filled with deep humility, Rabbenu Yonah was the conscience of thirteenth-century Spain—and beyond.
☕The acerbic critic, for all his renown, is yet underappreciated for his contribution to the conceptual study of halacha. Yes, there are some icy…
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☕Rambam (Maimonides) reconfigured halacha and clarified its underlying theory, insisted on the significance of human reason while reaching for the…
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