20 Cheshvan · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Avraham of Narbonne - Raavad II
Rabbi Avraham ben Yitzchak of Narbonne (c. 1080-85 - 1158) was the Rav of Provence (France), also known as Raavad II, author of the halachic work «Ha-Eshkol» (The Cluster).
Yahrzeit - 20 Cheshvan
Resting place - Narbonne, France
Avraham ben Yitzchak was born in Montpellier. His teacher was Moshe ben Yosef ben Merwan HaLevi. While his teacher was still alive, Avraham was appointed president (Av Beit Din) of the rabbinical council of Narbonne (which consisted of nine members) and was appointed director of the rabbinical academy.
Rabbi Avraham lived in the time of Rabbeinu Tam, and he is mentioned several times in the Tosafot. He attained high levels of Ruach HaKodesh and merited that Eliyahu HaNavi appeared to him, as Rabbi Chaim Vital stated in his introduction to Etz HaChaim, which was transmitted to him by the Arizal. The Arizal also stated that Rabbi Avraham's knowledge of Kabbalah was genuine.
His son was the tzadik Rav Yitzchak Sagi Nahor, of whom it was said that Eliyahu HaNavi visited him as well. He had the power to perceive the root of the soul of people standing near him, their previous reincarnations, who would live and who would die, and his prayers were as powerful as the prayers of the Tanna Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa.
He taught two of the greatest Talmudists of Provence - Avraham ben David III, who later became his son-in-law, and Zerachya HaLevi.
Like most Provencal Talmudists, Raavad II composed numerous commentaries on the Talmud, but all of them were lost except for the tractate Bava Batra, a manuscript of which has survived in Munich.
Numerous quotations from these commentaries can be found in the works of Zerachya Gerondi, Nachmanides, Nissim Gerondi and others. Many of his explanations of Talmudic passages are also repeated in his responsa, which describe his method of study. In Avraham's commentaries on the Talmud, he took Rashi as his model, for they are marked by the same precision and clarity of exposition.
The sefer «Ha-Eshkol» was modeled after the well-known work of Rav Yitzchak Alfasi and was the first significant attempt by French Jews to compile a legal code.
Raavad II also drew on the Jerusalem Talmud and the literature of the Geonim far more extensively than Alfasi did, and treated in much greater detail many subjects that Alfasi had only briefly mentioned.
Raavad's activity took place mainly in Posquieres. Today this town is called Vauvert. To this day, a street in Vauvert bears Raavad's name. It is difficult to say precisely when he moved to Posquieres; it is known that around 1165 Benjamin of Tudela visited him there at the beginning of his travels. He writes of Raavad's wealth and generosity. Raavad not only built and renovated a large school building, he also provided material support for poor students.
Among his students were: Yitzchak HaKohen of Narbonne, the first commentator on the Jerusalem Talmud, Avraham ben Natan of Lunel, author of the book «Ha-Manhig», Meir ben Yitzchak of Carcassonne, author of «Sefer Ha-Ezer», Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel, Rabbi Meir ben Yitzchak, father of Rav Natan ben Meir, teacher of the Ramban. Raavad's influence on Rabbi Yonatan of Lunel is also evident.
Raavad writes that he undertook this work so that people would not rely too heavily on the Rambam in issuing halachic rulings, and moreover, he feared that as a result of the publication of the «Mishneh Torah», the study of the Talmud would be neglected.
Raavad was critical of the Tosafot's commentaries. In one of his letters he remarks: «these new Frenchmen consider themselves the greatest in the world».
In his commentary on the code of Rav Alfasi, he defends him against the criticism of Zerachya HaLevi (Baal HaMaor).
May the Zechut of the Tzadik protect Am Yisrael!
https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/111-Rabbi-Avraham-ben-David