(known by the acronym Rosh and also as Asheri; c. 1250-1327). Talmudist and codifier. Born in Germany, he was the most distinguished pupil of R. Meir of Rothenburg and, after his teacher's death, assumed the leadership of German Jewry. In 1303 he left Germany, probably as a result of extortion by the government, which wished to seize his fortune. After reaching Spain and living for a year in Barcelona, he was appointed rabbi of Toledo on the recommendation of Solomon Adret; there he was destined to become the spiritual authority of Spanish Jewry. His law court was granted full jurisdiction by the government and had the power to impose severe punishments, including the mutilation of informers.
Bringing to Spain the strict and narrow outlook of the Franco-German school, Asher adopted stringent decisions in matters of law. He disseminated in Spain the teachings and methods of the Tosafists, and it was largely as a result of his influence that Spanish Jewry turned from scientific pursuits to talmudic study. He opposed the acquisition of secular knowledge, more especially philosophy, holding that since it is based on critical research it cannot be harmonized with religious tradition. Asher wrote commentaries on four tractates of the Talmud, and glosses, known as Tosefot ha-Rosh ("Additions of Rabbi Asher"), on 17 tractates. He was also the author of commentaries on the Mishnah and wrote over 1,000 Responsa which are a major source for the history of Spanish Jewry. His fame rests on his code, Piské ha-Rosh ("Decisions of Rabbi Asher"); aiming, like the code of Isaac Alfasi, to show scholars how a legal decision might be derived directly from the Talmud, it omitted all laws not observed outside the Land of Israel. Unlike the Mishneh Torah code of Maimonides, it lists all the main opinions with their reasoning and shows how the final decision is reached. Accepted as authoritative by succeeding generations, the Piské ha-Rosh formed the basis of the Tur code of his son, Jacob Ben Asher. His ethical outlook, greatly influenced by the ḥasidé Ashkenaz, finds expression in Hanhagat ha-Rosh, one of the best-known works of Jewish moralistic literature.
The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.
