Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen was a

Provençal rabbi Hachmei Provence () refers to the rabbis of Provence, now known as Occitania, France that was a great Torah center in the times of the Tosafists. The phrase literally means ''the wise ones of Provence''; hakham "wise one, sage" is a Sephardic and ...

, one of a family of scholars living at

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(not Lunel, as David Conforte and others say), and who suffered the expulsion of the Jews in 1306. He emigrated to

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

, and there, some time before 1327, composed a ritual work of great merit bearing the title ''Orchot Hayyim'' (The Paths of Life). The first part deals chiefly with the laws concerning the daily prayers, the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as ...

, and the festivals, and was published in Florence in 1752. The work is a compilation of

Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

laws and discussions rather than an original system, and was conceived on a plan similar to

Jacob ben Asher Jacob ben Asher (c. 1269 - c. 1343), also known as Ba'al ha-Turim as well as Rabbi Yaakov ben Raash (Rabbeinu Asher), was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. He is often referred to as the Ba'al ha-Turim ("Master of the Columns"), after ...

's great code, the ''Arba'ah Turim,'' which appeared soon afterward and superseded it as a ritual guide on account of its more practical character. The ''Orchot Hayyim,'' however, contains some ethical and doctrinal chapters which are not found in the ''Arba'ah Turim''. Aaron ha-Kohen was especially fond of mystic lore and of rabbinical discussion. A less strict legalist than Jacob ben Asher, Aaron's ''Orchot Hayyim'' is of greater value to the student of literature than to one who seeks practical decisions. A different work, the '' Kol Bo'', is considered by some to be an abridgment of ''Orchot Hayyim'' (written by another author or by Aaron ben Jacob himself); according to others, ''Kol Bo'' is a first draft of ''Orchot Hayyim''.''Al Harishonim veAl HaAchronim" (Machon Tzurba deRabanan), 4th edition

External links

Kohanim Greats: Rabbi Ahron HaKohen of Luniel at Kehuna.org

References

* Its bibliography: * Henri Gross, "Aaron ha-Kohen und sein Ritualwerk Orḥot Ḥayyim," in ''Monatsschrift,'' 1869, pp. 433–450, 531-541 * idem, ''Gallia Judaica,'' pp. 290, 420; * Heimann Joseph Michael, ''Or ha-Ḥayyim,'' No. 300; Benjacob, ''Oẓar ha-Sefarim,'' pp. 51, 239. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aaron ben Jacob Ha-Kohen 14th-century French rabbis Provençal Jews Clergy from Narbonne Medieval Majorcan Jews Jewish refugees French Orthodox rabbis Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature Authors of books on Jewish law

See also

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References