En Ya'Akov

An anthology comprising all the aggadic (or non-halakhic) sections of the Babylonian Talmud, as well as some from the Jerusalem Talmud. The work was compiled by Jacob ibn Ḥaviv (c.1445-1515), an exile from Spain who settled in Salonika, where he was recognized as one of the great scholars of his day. Ibn Ḥaviv's emphasis in compiling En Ya'akov was chiefly didactic and religious. In his commentaries, which are based on the earlier classical commentators, he invariably stresses the plain meaning of the text and the importance of simple faith over the rationalizations of the philosophers. En Ya'akov gained immediate renown and was published in numerous editions. Although the text also attracted scholars, it was particularly popular among laymen, who found the rabbinic aggadah very appealing. Jacob ibn Ḥaviv completed only the orders Zera'Im and Mo'Ed; the work was finished by his son Levi ibn Ḥaviv (c. 1480-1565).

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