Rav Avrohom of Posquieres

Early years

Rav Avrohom of Posquieres zt"l, known as the Raavad III, was born in Narbonne, in southern France, around the year 4880 (1120), the son of Rav Dovid. He grew up to be among the greatest Talmudists, Rabbonim and dayanim of his era, especially in southern France.

His own teachers included Rav Moshe ben Rav Yosef Bar Maron HaLevi, Rosh Yeshiva in Narbonne, and Rav Avrohom ben Rav Yitzchok, Av Bais Din of Narbonne and author of Sefer HaEshkol, who later became his father-in-law. He also learned under Rav Meshulam ben Rav Yaakov of Lunel. From his father-in-law he received instruction in the teachings of Kabbalah, and the father-in-law, himself a gaon and godol, wrote at the end of the Raavad's commentary on Maseches Kinim, “I merited to be the Rav's father-in-law. I am like Chovov ben Reuel,” referring to Yisro.

Torah and leadership

While still young, the Raavad directed a yeshiva in Nimes, which under his leadership became the foremost center of learning in Provence. He later opened an academy at Posquieres and personally paid for the support of his needy students. Despite his great wealth he kept away from every luxury and lived a pious, ascetic life.

The great authorities who followed him honored him with titles. The Meiri calls him Godol HaMeforshim, the Rashba calls him Godol HaMorim, and the Rosh of Lunel, his talmid, called him Godol HaDayonim.

Although he had fine teachers, the Raavad saw himself as a lone innovator. In his introduction to his commentary on Maseches Eduyos he writes that his chiddushim come from no Rav or teacher but from the help of the Teacher who teaches man knowledge, as the pasuk says that the secret of Hashem is given to those who fear Him. He often uses that pasuk, and a well-known saying of the Geonim, that it was revealed to him from Heaven. In his glosses on the Rambam, in Hilchos Lulov chapter 8, he writes that the spirit of Divine inspiration and ruach hakodesh had been present in his Bais Medrash for several years, and it was said of him that Eliyohu HaNovi appeared to him and that he learned from him.

While studying under Rav Meshulam in Lunel, he wrote the sefer Issur Mashehu, on the laws of issur and heter, in order to argue with the opinions of his Rebbe with which he disagreed.

Teachings and seforim

The Raavad wrote commentaries on Maseches Eduyos, Kinim and Bova Kama, and other manuscripts of his commentaries on Shas are published from time to time. He also wrote Baalei HaNefesh on the laws of Nidda, in addition to Issur Mashehu. His teshuvos and rulings are found scattered among the Rishonim of his own time and in the work Tomim Deim. Some attribute to him a commentary on Sefer Yetzira, and regard him as a master of Kabbalah. Two of his sons, Rav Yitzchok Sagi Nohor (the blind) and Rav Dovid, were great mekubolim.

He is most famous for his hagohos, the glosses he wrote on the Rif, on the Baal HaMaor and on the Rambam's Mishneh Torah, and the style of these glosses differs. On the Rif he writes at times as a critic and at times as a defender against the Baal HaMaor, but always with deep respect, even humbling himself before the Rif in awe. The Ramban's sefer HaZechus, which defends the Rif against the Raavad, was written with the same awe, deference and humility toward the Raavad.

With his colleague Rav Zecharya HaLevi, the author of the Baal HaMaor, he was fierce. He wrote that the work was called Maor, a light, but did not shine, and that its author was blind and had never seen light. He accused him of taking from his own writings, sometimes from earlier works of his youth that he had discarded. He also took issue with Rashi, whom the Baal HaMaor followed. These glosses are in Berochos and all of Seder Moed. Some publishers censored or softened the sharpest remarks, but the originals survive in manuscript, while his commentary and glosses on Noshim and Nezikin were published much later in a gentler tone. In Divrei HaRivos, an exchange of letters between the Raavad and Rav Zecharya, he explains that he takes the hard line in the manner of the Sefardim, who appear as opponents on the battlefield for the sake of truth in Torah, and that he wished to test whether his colleague could walk in the ways of Torah.

In the Raavad's later years the Rambam's Mishneh Torah appeared and spread with unusual speed. When it reached southern France it was readily accepted among the sages of Lunel. The Raavad held that the way some French and Spanish Rishonim wrote chiddushim against accepted opinions of the Geonim of Bovel was wrong. He studied the Mishneh Torah from cover to cover and wrote critical glosses where he disagreed. He disapproved that the Rambam did not list the sources of his rulings, yet he admitted that the Rambam had produced a monumental work in gathering the material from the Gemara, the Yerushalmi and the Tosefta. His criticism itself shows how highly he valued the sefer. He feared it would become the accepted work for pesak halacha, and he wanted his disagreements recorded.

Some hold that wherever the Raavad wrote no sharp gloss, he agrees with the Rambam, so that the two are counted as agreeing opinions. His sharp tone should also be seen in light of the fact that he was the Rambam's elder, and the Rambam is recorded as holding him in high esteem and bowing to his criticism. His critical notes are printed as the Hasagos HaRaavad in the standard editions of the Mishneh Torah.

Later years and passing

The Raavad passed away in Posquieres on the 26th of Kislev 4959 (1198). It is told that on the day he was niftar, it was said of him, as was said at the petirah of Rav Yehuda HaNosi, that kedushah ended (Kesubos 103b), and the Shevet Yehuda tells us that his grave was dug by Kohanim.