הרב בעל המאור

Rav Zerachiah HaLevi of Girona (born c. 4875/1115, niftar c. 4946/1186), the rishon known as the Baal HaMaor after his Sefer HaMaor, was among the leading chachmei Provence — a lamdan, commentator, posek, and poet whose learning reached also to astronomy and philosophy, and several of whose selichot and kinot entered the siddur. He was born to Rav Yitzchak in Girona, in Spain, and while still young came with his parents to Narbonne in Provence, then a center of vibrant Torah. There he learned before Rav Moshe ben Yosef — of whom he wrote that he was his foremost teacher, on whom he relied — and Rav Avraham ben Yitzchak, av beit din, author of the Sefer HaEshkol.

Already at nineteen he had composed a work of his own, apparently on the laws of shechita and bedika. He then moved to Lunel, where he learned before Rav Meshulam bar Yaakov and wrote his central work; at the end of his life he returned to Girona. His Sefer HaMaor accompanies the halachot of the Rif: the Maor HaKatan on Berachot, seder Moed, and Chullin, and the Maor HaGadol on Nashim and Nezikin. It discusses and takes issue with the rulings of the Rif while holding him in the highest regard, and in his introduction the Razah dwells at length in near-apology for having presumed to differ with so great a master.

He wrote other works as well: the Sefer HaTzava, setting out thirteen principles in the study of the Gemara; Sela HaMachlokot, hasagot on the Ravad’s Baalei HaNefesh in the laws of niddah; Divrei HaRivot, an exchange of letters with the Ravad; and a work on masechet Kinnim. His hasagot on the Rif were received with a great stir: the Ravad replied sharply, and the Ramban devoted his Milchamot Hashem to defending the Rif against the Baal HaMaor. Since 5312/1552 the Sefer HaMaor has been printed alongside the Rif.