Abraham Ben David of Posquières

(known by the acronym Ravad; c. 1125-c. 1198). French talmudist. A native of Provence and a pupil of Moses ben Joseph of Narbonne and Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, Ravad was one of the most important talmudists of his era. A man of wealth, possibly a textile merchant, he supported all the needy students in the yeshivah which he established at Posquir̀es, near N^imes. Famous for his critical glosses (hassagot) on Alfasi's legal code, on the Sefer ha-Ma'or of Nissim Ben Reuben Gerondi, and especially on the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, he was known as ba'al hassagot, i.e., the critic par excellence. He criticized Maimonides belligerently for not giving any explanations or sources in his code of law, and his opposition to codification helped to prevent the Talmud from becoming merely a code. Acquainted also with philosophy, Ravad opposed Maimonides' attempt to construct a system of dogmas in Judaism.

In his commentary on the Mishnah, of which that on two tractates only has survived, Ravad explained obscure passages which are not dealt with in the Talmud. Only a few of his responsa, collected in a work entitled Temim De'im ("Perfect in Knowledge"), have likewise been preserved. His commentary on the Sifra, the tannaitic Midrash on Leviticus, is also extant. Ravad's learning and piety were much admired by Naḥmanides, while Menaḥem Meiri described him as one of the greatest of the commentators. Among his disciples in Posquir̀es were Isaac Ha-Kohen of Narbonne, the first commentator on the Jerusalem Talmud, and Abraham ben Nathan of Lunel, author of Ha-Manhig.

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