Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob or Yitzhak ben Yaakov,

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

d ''"ha-Lavan"'' or "the white" was a 12th-century

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 t ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. He was a

Tosafist The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The authors of the Tosafot ...

and liturgical poet who flourished at

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in the late 12th century. He was the brother of the renowned traveler

Petachiah of Regensburg Petachiah of Regensburg, also known as Petachiah ben Yakov, Moses Petachiah, and Petachiah of Ratisbon, was a German/ Bohemian rabbi of the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. At some point he left his place of birth, Regensburg in Bavaria, an ...

. He was among the earliest of the

tosafists Tosafists were rabbis of France, Germany, Bohemia and Austria, who lived from the 12th to the mid-15th centuries, in the period of Rishonim. The Tosafists composed critical and explanatory glosses (questions, notes, interpretations, rulings and ...

("ba'ale tosafot yeshanim"), a contemporary of Rabbi Eleazar of Metz, and a pupil of

Rabbenu Tam Jacob ben Meir (1100 – 9 June 1171 (4 Tammuz)), best known as Rabbeinu Tam (), was one of the most renowned Ashkenazi Jewish rabbis and leading French Tosafists, a leading '' halakhic'' authority in his generation, and a grandson of Rashi. Kn ...

. According to Recanati, Isaac directed the yeshivah of Ratisbon. He also lived at

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

for a time. Isaac is mentioned frequently in the

Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are Middle Ages, medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The authors o ...

, and Isaac ben Moses, in his ''Or Zarua'', No. 739, quotes Isaac ben Jacob's commentary on

Ketubot A ketubah (; ) is a Jewish marriage contract. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. In modern practice, the ''ketubah'' has no a ...

, a manuscript of which exists in the Munich Library (No. 317). He is also mentioned in a commentary to the

Pentateuch The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () o ...

written in the first half of the 13th century. There is a piyyuṭ signed "Isaac b. Jacob," whom Zunz"Litcraturgesch." p. 313 supposes to be Isaac ben Jacob ha-Lavan.

References

* Its bibliography: *Azulai, Shem ha-Gedolim, i.; * Michael, Heimann Joseph, (1891) ''Or ha-Ḥayyim'', Frankfort-on-the-Main (in Hebrew), p. 507; *Zunz, Z. G. pp. 33, 42, 45, 80; *Grätz, Gesch. 3d ed., vi. 236; * Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, p. 627. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac Ben Jacob Ha-Lavan Rabbis from Prague Tosafists 12th-century rabbis from Bohemia Jewish liturgical poets