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Abraham Ben David
Abraham ben David ( – 27 November 1198), also known by the abbreviation RABaD (for ''Rabbeinu'' Abraham ben David) Ravad or RABaD III, was a Provençal ḥakham, an important commentator on the Talmud, ''Sefer Halachot'' of Isaac Alfasi, and '' Mishneh Torah'' of Maimonides, and is regarded as a father of Kabbalah and one of the key links in the chain of Jewish mystics. Biography RABaD's maternal grandfather, Rabbi Yitzhak b. Yaakov Ibn Baruch of Mérida (1035–1094), who had compiled astronomical tables for the son of Shemuel ha-Nagid, was one of five rabbis in Spain renowned for their learning. Concerning the oral history of his maternal grandfather's family and how they came to Spain, the RABaD wrote: "When Titus prevailed over Jerusalem, his officer who was appointed over Hispania appeased him, requesting that he send to him captives made-up of the nobles of Jerusalem, and so he sent a few of them to him, and there were amongst them those who made curtains and who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abraham Zacuto
Abraham Zacuto (, ; 12 August 1452 – ) was a Sephardic Jewish astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, rabbi and historian. Born in Castile, he served as Royal Astronomer to King John II of Portugal before fleeing to Tunis. His astrolabe of copper, astronomical tables, and maritime charts played an important role in the Spanish and Portuguese voyages of discovery, being used by both Vasco Da Gama and Christopher Columbus. Life Zacuto was born in Salamanca, Kingdom of Castile and León, Castile in 1452. He may have studied and taught astronomy at the University of Salamanca. He later taught astronomy at the universities of Zaragoza and then Carthage. He was well versed in Halakha, Jewish Law, and was the rabbi of his community. Zacuto was actually Abraham Zacuto III, his ancestor the first was the author of the ''Sepher ha-Mishpotim'' in 1311, which today is in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He writes that his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Provence
Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It largely corresponds with the modern administrative Regions of France, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and includes the Departments of France, departments of Var (department), Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, as well as parts of Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse.''Le Petit Robert, Dictionnaire Universel des Noms Propres'' (1988). The largest city of the region and its modern-day capital is Marseille. The Ancient Rome, Romans made the region the first Roman province beyond the Alps and called it ''Provincia Romana'', which evolved into the present name. Until 1481 it was ruled by the List of rulers of Provence, counts of Provence from their capital in Aquae Sextiae (today Aix-en-Provence), then became ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vauvert
Vauvert (; ) is a commune in the far south of the Gard department in southern France. It was known as ''Posquières'' in the Middle Ages. The commune comprises the town of Vauvert and the villages of Gallician and Montcalm.Vauvert at Carmargue.fr accessed 11 August 2007 Over a third of the population work in industry, which is largely the food industry, especially wine production. The original settlement was called Posquières and was first mentioned in a document of 810. Since then the town has increased in importance and has had a rich history. At its heyday in the mid-nineteenth century it had a population of 6,000 but this decreased by a third after disease struck the grape crop, the mainstay of the economy of the area. Today, the population has grown again to over 11,000. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Cévennes, the Communes of France, commune of Nîmes had an estimated population of 148,561 in 2019. Dubbed the most Roman city outside Italy, Nîmes has a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire when the city had a population of 50,000–60,000 and was the regional capital. Several famous monuments are in Nîmes, such as the Arena of Nîmes and the Maison Carrée. Because of this, Nîmes is often referred to as the "French Rome". Origins Nimes is situated where the alluvial plain of the Vistrenque River abuts the hills of Mont Duplan to the northeast, Montaury to the southwest, and to the west Mt. Cavalier and the knoll of Canteduc. Its name appears in inscriptions in Gaulish as ''dede matrebo Namausikabo'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Hérault. At the 2020 census, 299,096 people lived in the city proper, while its Functional area (France), metropolitan area had a population of 813,272. The inhabitants are called ''Montpelliérains''. In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the Crown of Aragon (and was the birthplace of James I of Aragon, James I), and then of Kingdom of Majorca, Majorca, before its sale to France in 1349. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world and has the oldest medical school still in operation, with notable alumni such as Petrarch, Nostradamus and François Rabelais. Above the medieval city, the ancient citadel of Montpelli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of the rabbi developed in the Pharisees, Pharisaic (167 BCE–73 CE) and Talmudic (70–640 CE) eras, when learned teachers assembled to codify Judaism's written and oral laws. The title "rabbi" was first used in the first century CE. In more recent centuries, the duties of a rabbi became increasingly influenced by the duties of the Clergy, Protestant Christian minister, hence the title "pulpit rabbis." Further, in 19th-century Germany and the United States, rabbinic activities such as sermons, pastoral counseling, and representing the community to the outside all increased in importance. Within the various Jewish denominations, there are different requirements for rabbinic ordination and differences in opinion regarding who is recognized as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunel, Hérault
Lunel (; Provençal: ''Lunèl'') is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Lunel is located east of Montpellier and southwest of Nîmes (Gard). Lunel station has rail connections to Narbonne, Montpellier, Nîmes and Avignon. History The ancient Roman site of Ambrussum is located nearby. The troubadour Folquet de Lunel was from Lunel. According to legend, Lunel was founded by Jews from Jericho in the first century. It had a Jewish population by the first millennium, and an ancient synagogue is located there. Lunel was a centre of Jewish learning. It is thought that the family of Rashi (1040–1105) originated in Lunel. Other scholars include Jonathan of Lunel, Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, his son Aaron ben Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, Abraham ben David who taught in Lunel before moving to Posquières, and Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel. Lunel was the birthplace of Louis Feuillade (1873–1925), film director from the silent era. The artist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meshullam Ben Jacob
Meshullam son of Jacob (or ''Meshullam HaKohen ben Ya'akov'') also known as ''Rabbeinu Meshullam hagodol'' (Rabbi Meshullem the great) was a Franco-Jewish Talmudist of the twelfth century CE.Heinrich Graetz History of the Jews - Page 113 He led a Talmudic Yeshiva in Lunel which produced several famous scholars, and was an intimate friend of Abraham ben Isaac, ''Av beth din'' of Narbonne, who addressed to him several responsa, and spoke of him in high terms. His Talmudic decisions are quoted in '' Sefer ha-Terumot.'' He was interested also in philosophy. According to Yehudah ibn Tibbon, whom he encouraged to translate Bahya ibn Paquda's ''Al-Hidayah ila Fara'id al-Qulub'' ( Chovot ha-Levavot) into Hebrew, he wrote several works dealing with moral philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moses Ben Joseph
Moses ben Joseph ben Merwan ha-Levi (Also known as Moses Halavi or ha-Lawi or simply, Allawi) flourished about the mid-12th century and was a prominent Provençal rabbi, philosopher, and talmudist. Biography He was a nephew and pupil of Isaac ben Merwan ha-Levi. His colleagues addressed him as "Great scholar, Nasi Rabbi Moses," and his ritual decisions and Talmudic comments are often quoted. He directed the yeshiva at Narbonne, and several of his pupils subsequently achieved fame. Abraham ben David and Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona were among his pupils. He was in continuous correspondence with his younger colleague Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne, the av bet din, who was his pupil and who, by preference, sought Moses' advice in difficult casuistic questions. He was well regarded by several rabbis such as: Isaac Abarbanel, Hasdai Crescas, Joseph Albo, and Joseph Ibn Waqar (all of whom quote him). Jacob ben Moses of Bagnols quotes a document relating to a divorce drawn up at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences. The term "mysticism" has Ancient Greek origins with various historically determined meanings. Derived from the Greek language, Greek word μύω ''múō'', meaning "to close" or "to conceal", mysticism came to refer to the biblical, liturgical (and sacramental), spiritual, and Christian contemplation, contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity. During the early modern period, the definition of mysticism grew to include a broad range of beliefs and ideologies related to "extraordinary experiences and states of mind". In modern times, "mysticism" has acquired a limited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common ideas it maintains is monism, the doctrine that all of reality can be derived from a single principle, "the One". Neoplatonism began with Ammonius Saccas and his student Plotinus (c. 204/5 – 271 AD) and stretched to the sixth century. After Plotinus there were three distinct periods in the history of neoplatonism: the work of his student Porphyry (third to early fourth century); that of Iamblichus (third to fourth century); and the period in the fifth and sixth centuries, when the academies in Alexandria and Athens flourished. Neoplatonism had an enduring influence on the subsequent history of Western philosophy and religion. In the Middle Ages, Neoplatonic ideas were studied and discussed by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isaac The Blind
Isaac the Blind ( ''Rabbī Yīṣḥaq Saggī Nəhōr'', literally "Rabbi Isaac, of much light"; c. 1160–1235 in Provence, France), was a French rabbi and a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). The Aramaic epithet "Saggi Nehor" means "of Much Light" in the sense of having excellent eyesight, an ironic euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ... for being blind. Some historians suspect him to be the author of the '' Book of the Bahir'', an important early text of Kabbalah. Others (especially Gershom Scholem, see his Origins of the Kabbalah, p. 253) characterize this view as an "erroneous and totally unfounded hypothesis". Isaac was the son of the famous talmudist, Abraham ben David of Posquières (Raavad). The ''Bahir'' first appeared in the Middl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
