שמואל בן נטרונאי

Rabbi Shmuel ben Natronai (שמואל בן נטרונאי), known as the Rashbat, was one of the Baalei HaTosafot of Ashkenaz in the twelfth century, of Italian origin. He was born between 1100 and 1110 in Bari in Italy, and as a young man he learned in Regensburg. Rabbeinu Tam sent him a teshuvah, possibly while he was still in Bari.

He later lived in Bonn and Cologne and settled in Mainz, where he became both the son-in-law and the talmid of the Raavan, Rabbi Eliezer ben Natan. As early as 1133, while still young, he took part in the discussion of a question sent to his father-in-law and wrote to him in strong terms. The Raavyah, Rabbi Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi of Bonn, was the son of his brother-in-law, Rabbi Yoel HaLevi. He was most likely niftar before 1175.

He signed his teshuvot with the letters שב"ט, and under that name he is cited by later poskim, among them the Shibbolei HaLeket, the Raavyah and the Mordechai. He wrote Tosafot on Eruvin, Avodah Zarah and Niddah, and his chiddushim and psakim are brought on twelve other masechtot. The Raavan quotes him many times in Sefer Raavan, and the Raavyah quotes him as well and mentions a further work of his, which he calls the sefer, or the yesod, of Rabbeinu שב"ט. He also wrote piyyutim (liturgical poems), and one selicha of his for Yom Kippur has survived.

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