IBN GAON, SHEM TOV BEN ABRAHAM
- IBN GAON, SHEM TOV BEN ABRAHAM
- IBN GAON, SHEM TOV BEN ABRAHAM (late 13th to
14th centuries), kabbalist and halakhist. Ibn Gaon was born
in Soria, Spain, and migrated to Ereẓ Israel in 1312, producing most of
his work in Safed. His principal teachers were Solomon b.
abraham adret and isaac b. todros . He was primarily
influenced by the writings of Naḥmanides , in which he saw the
synthesis of the rational and the mystical (halakhah,
Kabbalah, and scriptural commentary). He endeavored to set the writings
of his teacher, Solomon b. Abraham Adret, in similar perspective, and
cites a tradition to the effect that maimonides , toward the end
of his life, became an admirer of the Kabbalah (Migdal Oz, Yesodei
Torah, 1:10).
Ibn Gaon is best known for his Migdal Oz, a commentary on the
Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, including a polemic on the
strictures of Abraham b. David of Posquières . It marks the
first systematic attempt to determine Maimonides' sources. Published in
all editions of the Mishneh Torah since 1524, it is an
important contribution to halakhic research, despite its many errors
stemming from an uncorrected manuscript or, as is more likely,
inadequate editing. Although his commentaries on books 7–10, dealing
with laws which are applicable in Ereḥ Israel only or which are no
longer in force, are missing, their existence is evidenced by quotations
from Migdal Oz in Joseph Caro's Kesef Mishneh.
Migdal Oz came in for heavy criticism (principally by
solomon luria in his Yam shel Shelomo) because of its
many irrelevancies and because it said nothing really new in respect of
Abraham ben David's strictures.
Among Ibn Gaon's other works are (1) Keter Shem Tov, a
popular kabbalistic supercommentary on Naḥmanides' commentary on the
Pentateuch, written in Spain (printed in Ma'orva-Shemesh,
Leghorn, 1839); (2) An illuminated Bible codex, completed in Soria in
1312, unique not only for its primitive illustration but also for its
inclusion of kabbalistic elements (Sassoon Collection); (3) Baddei
ha-Aron u-Migdal Ḥananel (Ms.), a kabbalistic work completed in
Safed in 1325 (one chapter published in the Sefer Tagin of
Zacks, 1866). In it are quoted a large number of his own and other works
which are no longer extant; (4) Shitot, commentaries and
novellae on a number of talmudic tractates, quoted in his Migdal
Oz and Baddei ha-Aron.
-BIBLIOGRAPHY:
G. Scholem, Ursprung und Anfaenge der Kabbala (1962), index;
idem, in: Tarbiz, 6 (1934/35), 36ff.; D.S. Loewinger, in:
Sefunot, 7 (1963), 9–39.
(David Samuel Loewinger)
Encyclopedia Judaica.
1971.
Look at other dictionaries:
Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon — (1283 ca. 1330) (Hebrew: שם טוב בן אברהם אבן גאון) was a Spanish Talmudist and kabbalist. Biography Shem Ṭob was born at Soria, Spain. From his genealogy given in the preface to his Keter Shem Ṭob, Azulai ( Shem ha Gedolim, ii., s.v. Keter Shem… … Wikipedia
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Gaon — (homonymie) Gaon est un nom en hébreu ou en assamais. Sommaire 1 Gaon comme nom hébreu, titre et patronyme juif 1.1 Titre honorifique 1.2 Patronyme 2 … Wikipédia en Français
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Moïse ben Shem Tov ibn Habib — Ne doit pas être confondu avec Moïse de León ni Moïse ben Salomon ibn Habib … Wikipédia en Français
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IBN GHAYYAT — (Ghiyyat), family of poets and halakhists. ISAAC BEN JUDAH (1038–1089), halakhic authority, commentator, and poet, was head of the yeshivah of Lucena, his home town. He was a friend of samuel ha nagid , who regarded him highly, and of his son… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
