The Rif and his Students Flashcards
Who was the Rif?
He was רבינו יצחק בן יעקב אלפסי, the spiritual leader of בני ישראל
Where was the Rif from? Where did he live?
He was born near Fez, Morocco, and received his תורה education in Kairouan, under Rabbeinu Chananel and Rabbeinu Nissim. At the age of 75, political intrigue and the threat of false arrest forced him to flee to Spain.
What was the life’s work of the Rif, and in what way did he affect future generations? (no, the answer is NOT by making their history exams longer)
He wrote Hilchos HaRif, a summary of the halachic conclusions of the גמרא. He educated the גדולים of the next generation, and all future attempts at writng ספרים of this nature followed his work, and peaked with the writing of the שולחן ערוך
Who was the Ri Migash? What has been said about him?
He was רבינו יוסף, a student of the Rif, who became ראש ישיבה after him. It was said about him that even in the times of משה רבינו, there was no-one like him.
Who was Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi? What was he famous for? Where was he from? Where can we find his works?
He was a תלמיד of the Rif, a great תלמיד חכם, philosopher and poet. He is famous for writing ציונים, which tells of בנ”י’s love and yearning for ציון. He also wrote the Kuzari, and was the greatest poet of the Spanish era. He was born in Toledo, and learned in the Lucena ישיבה. At first he wrote for פרנסה, later only for כבוד שם שמים.
What story can you tell about Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi?
In 1141, he set off for ארץ ישראל. On the way, they tried to convince him to stay in Egypt, but he continued on. As he reached the gates of ירושלים, he fell on the ground, and started pouring out his love in the last of the ציונים. There, he was trampled by a Muslim horseman.
Who was Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra? What was he known as?
He was known as the Ibn Ezra. He left Spain at around 50 years old, and began to travel and exchange approaches with גדולים around the world. He stressed the role of grammar in תנ”ך, and was a great poet. He had difficulty earning a living, but had an incisive mind and clear way of thinking.
Can you share the story of how the Ibn Ezra and R’ Yehuda HaLevi became related? (if you can’t you should probably find out)
R’ Yehuda was very wealthy, and had a beautiful daughter in his old age. His wife pressured him to get her married, and he swore the next Jewish man to enter the house would marry her. The next man, although he only found out later, was the Ibn Ezra.
