- Isaac Klein
Isaac Klein (1905-1979).Rabbi Isaac Klein was born in Hungary in 1905, and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1921. After earning a BA from City College in New York in 1931, As he was nearing ordination at the Yeshiva's REITS he transferred to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was ordained in 1934. Rabbi Klein subsequently earned a PhD from Harvard. - Hai Gaon
Hai Gaon (969-1038) was one of the last "geonim" (rabbinic authorities of the early Middle Ages). He was the head of the academy at Pumbedita, Babylonia. He authored both a commentary on the Talmud as well as a collection of responsa, plus several other smaller works on focused topics. His father, Rav Sherira Gaon, was his teacher and predecessor as head of the academy. His students included Rabbeinu Chananel and Rav Nissim, the head of the academy at Kairouan. - Elliot N. Dorff
Elliot N. Dorff (born 24 June 1943) is a Conservative rabbi, a professor of Jewish theology at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) in California (where he is also Rector), author, and a bio-ethicist. Dorff is an expert in the philosophy of Conservative Judaism, Bioethics, and acknowledged within the Conservative community as an expert decisor of Jewish law. Dorff was ordained as a rabbi from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1970. - Amram Gaon
Amram Gaon (Hebrew: עמרם גאון was a famous "Gaon" or head of the Jewish Talmud Academy of Sura (Persia) in the 9th century. He was the author of many "Responsa," but his chief work was liturgical. He was the first to arrange a complete liturgy for the synagogue. His Prayer-Book ("Siddur Rab Amram" or "Seder Rav Amram"), which took the form of a long responsum to the Jews of Spain, … - Meir Shapiro
Rabbi Yehuda Meir Shapiro, (March 3, 1887 - October 27, 1933), was a prominent Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva and the creator of the Daf Yomi, a seven-year cycle of the learning of a page of Talmud a day, in 1923. Rabbi Meir Shapiro was born in the city of Shatz, Romania, in 1887. He was a descendant of Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro of Korets. From an early age, he was known as an outstanding leader and gifted speaker. He was appointed Rabbi of Gliniany at the age of 24, … - Yoel Sirkis
Bayit Chadash, Rabbi Sirkis's best known work, is a major commentary on the "Arba'ah Turim" of Jacob ben Asher. The work presents and elucidates the fundamental principles of the Torah as recorded in the Mishnah, the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, and the chief codes. Rabbi Sirkis also wrote: *"Hagahot haBach" (Glosses of the Bach) - suggestions for textual emendations in the Talmud and Rashi, … - Akiva Eger
Rabbi Akiva Eger or Eiger (b. "11 Cheshvan 5522", d. "13 Tishei 5598" on the Hebrew Calendar), was a Jewish Talmudic scholar and influential halakhic decisor "(posek)". While his name is commonly spelled "Eiger", his official name was "Eger"; his first name is also sometimes transliterated as "Akiba". - Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (1881 - 1973) was a prominent Orthodox rabbi in the United States. He was born in Belorussia, and studied at the Slutzker Yeshiva under Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer. He received rabbinical ordination ("semichah") from Rabbi Meltzer, and he was also ordained by Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz and Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, the Aruch HaShulchan. After serving as rabbi in a number of Russian towns, he emigrated to America in 1922. - Tzvi Ashkenazi
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch ben Yaakov Ashkenazi (1656, Moravia- May 2, 1718, Lemberg), known as the "Chacham Tzvi" (after a responsa by the same title), for some time rabbi of Amsterdam, was a resolute opponent of the followers of the false messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. He had a chequered career, owing to his independence of character. He visited many lands, including England, where he wielded much influence. His "responsa" are held in high esteem. - Samuel de Medina
Rabbi Samuel ben Moses de Medina, was a Talmudist and author; born 1505; died October 12, 1589, at Salonica. He was principal of the Talmudic college of that city, which produced a great number of prominent scholars during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His teachers were the noted Talmudists Joseph Taitazak and Levi Ibn Chaviv, and among his schoolmates were Isaac Adarbi, Joseph ibn Leb, and Moses Almosnino. - Jacob Zallel Lauterbach
Jacob Zallel Lauterbach was an American Judaica scholar and author who served on the faculty of Hebrew Union College and composed responsa for the Reform movement in America. He specialized in Midrashic and Talmudical literature, and is best known for his landmark critical edition and English translation of the Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael. - Aaron L. Mackler
Aaron L. Mackler is a Conservative rabbi, a professor of theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, author, and a bio-ethicist. Mackler is an expert in the philosophy of Conservative Judaism and in Bioethics. He graduated from Yale University in 1980. Mackler was ordained as a rabbi from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He earned a Ph.D in philosophy from Georgetown University. - Samson Of Chinon
Samson ben Isaac of Chinon (Hebrew: שמשון מקינון) was a French Talmudist who lived at Chinon. In Talmudic literature he is generally called after his native place, Chinon (Hebr. קינון), and sometimes by the abbreviation MaHaRShaḲ. He was a contemporary of Perez Kohen Gerondi, who, as reported by Isaac ben Sheshet, declared Samson to be the greatest rabbinical authority of his time (Responsa, No. 157). - Meir Eisenstadt
Meir ben Izsak Eisenstadt (also Meir Ash, c. 1670-1744) was the author of responsa and other works of rabbinic literature. An authority on Halakha, he was consulted by rabbis from Turkey, Germany and Italy. He is known as the Panim Me'irot after his major work called "Shu"t Panim Me'irot". He is also known as the Maharam Ash (or Maharam Esh) the Hebrew acronym for "Our Teacher, Rabbi Meir EiSenstadt". - Yair Bacharach
Rabbi Yair Chayim Bacharach was a German rabbi, initially in Koblenz and remainder of his life in Worms and Metz. His grandmother Chava was a granddaughter of the Maharal of Prague, and his father and grandfather had served as rabbis of Metz. - Moses Alashkar
Moses ben Isaac Alashkar was a rabbi who lived in Egypt, but subsequently resided in Jerusalem. Moses Alashkar was prominent among contemporaneous rabbis, and his opinions were held in esteem throughout the Levant, and even in Italy. In a letter to Elijah ha-Levi – the teacher of Elijah Mizrachi – he complained that his large correspondence deprived him of much of the time due to his professional duties. - Joseph Trani
Joseph Trani or Joseph di Trani was a Talmudist of the latter part of the 16th century who lived in Greece. By contemporary scholars he was called מהרימ"ט, and regarded as one of the foremost Talmudists of his time. He was the author of "She'elot u-Teshubot", a work in three parts: part i comprises 152 "responsa", together with a general index (Constantinople, … - Moses Galante
Moses Galante was chief rabbi of Damascus during late 18th century and early 19th century. He succeeded his father, Mordecai Galante, who was chief rabbi until his death in 1781. Moses Galante was also a noted scholar and the author of "Berak Mosheh" responsa [Ḥazan, "Ha-Ma alot li-Shelomoh"], published 1780 in Leghorn (modern-day Livorno). - Yonasan Steif
Rabbi Yonasan Steif (1877-1958) was a senior dayan of Budapest, Hungary, before the Second World War, a man whom Rabbi Moshe Feinstein referred to as the "gadol hador" (spiritual leader of the generation). He was a world-renowned posek and halachic authority. He served as senior dayan together with Rabbi Israel Welcz. The Rosh Beth Din was Rabbi Efraim Fishel Zussman Sofer. While Rabbi Steif may have assumed the role of rosh beth din as the year 1944 approached, … - Israel Isserlin
"Terumat HaDeshen" is written as 354 responsa. Note that Rabbi Isserlin himself actually wrote both the questions and the answers (responsa generally being filled with questions asked by others). The work is named for the practice in the Temple in Jerusalem of removing a part of the previous day's ashes from the furnace - 354 is the numerical value of "Deshen". "Terumat HaDeshen" serves as an important source of the practices of the Ashkenazi Jews. - Samuel Of Speyer
Samuel ben Kalonymus he-Hasid of Speyer was a Tosafist, liturgical poet, and philosopher of the 12th century, surnamed also "the Prophet" (Solomon Luria, Responsa, No. 29). He seems to have lived in Spain and in France. He is quoted in the "tosafot" to Yebamot (6lb) and Soṭah (12a), as well as by Samuel b. Meïr (RaSHBaM) in his commentary on "Arbe Pesaḥim" (Pes. 109a). Samuel was the author of a commentary on the treatise Tamid, … - Judah Ben Eliezer Ha-Levi Minz
Judah ben Eliezer ha-Levi Minz, also known as Mahari Minz, was an Italian rabbi, the most prominent of his time. He officiated as rabbi of Padua for forty-seven years, during which time he had a great number of pupils, among whom were his son Abraham Minz and the latter's son-in-law Meir Katzenellenbogen. In a quarrel he had with Elijah Delmedigo he was supported by Elijah Mizrahi (comp. Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, "Maẓref la-Ḥokmah," p. 3b; idem, … - Meshullam ben Jacob
"Rabbeinu" Meshullam son of Jacob ("Meshullam ben Ya'akov") also known as "Rabbeinu Meshullam hagodol" (Rabbi Meshullem the great) was a Franco-Jewish Talmudist of the twelfth century CE. He had a Talmudic Yeshiva in Lunel which produced several famous men, and was an intimate friend of Abraham ben Isaac, "Av beth din" of Narbonne, who addressed to him several responsa, and spoke of him in high terms. - Joseph Escapa
Joseph Escapa (ca. 1572-1662) served in the rabbinate of Smyrna. He was probably born at Uskup, European Turkey, after which place he is named. At first rabbi and chief of the yeshivah at Salonica, he later filled the same offices at Smyrna, where at the beginning he shared the rabbinate with Joshua Ashkenazi Azariah. When differences of opinion arose between them in regard to matters of ritual, they appealed to the rabbis of Salonica for arbitration. - Saadia Ibn Danan
Rabbi Saadiah ben Maimon ben Moshe ibn Danan (born 2nd half of 15th century in Granada, Spain – died 1493(?) in Oran, Algeria) was a Hebrew grammarian, poet and a halachic authority. He served as a dayan in Granada, and after the expulsion of Jews from Spain settled in Oran. Among his works are rabbinic Responsa, a Talmudic dictionary called Sepher Arukh, works on Hebrew grammar and Hebrew verse, as well as a Hebrew dictionary written in Arabic. - Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam
Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Halberstam, was the eldest son of the "Divrei Chaim", Rabbi Chaim Halbertam of Sanz. He was famous for his disagreements with his father on matters of halakha (Jewish Law). Rabbi Yechezkel was a student of of Rabbi Osher Yeshaya of Ropshitz, Rabbi Hersh of Rymanow and the Sar Shulem of Belz. Yechezkel Shraga was born in Tarnogrod, Poland. At the age of 15 he married Toube, the daughter of Rabbi Arye Leib Lipszyc, … - Abraham Rapoport
Abraham Rapoport (Schrenzel) was a Polish Talmudist; born at Lemberg (currently Lviv, Ukraine) in 1584; died in 1651 (June 7); son of Rabbi Israel Jehiel Rapoport of Cracow and son-in-law of R. Mordecai Schrenzel of Lemberg. Rapoport was a pupil of R. Joshua Falk ha-Kohen. For forty-five years he was at the head of a large yeshiva at Lemberg. Being very wealthy, he had no need of seeking a rabbinical position; and he was able, therefore, … - Joshua ben Israel Benveniste
Joshua ben Israel Benveniste (c. 1590-c. 1668) was the brother of Chaim Benveniste, and a disciple of Joseph Trani. He was a physician and rabbi at Constantinople in 1660, and was the author of the following works: "Ozne Yehoshua" ("The Ears of Joshua"), sermons for the Sabbath and special occasions (Constantinople, 1677); "Sedeh Yehoshua" ("Fields of Joshua"), a commentary on several tracts of the "Talmud Yerushalmi" (ib. - Aryeh Leib Ben Asher Gunzberg
Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Asher Gunzberg. At one time Gunzberg was Rabbi in Pinsk, and then later founded a yeshivah in Minsk. Here however he engaged in hostile dispute with the Gaon Yechiel Halpern, whose supporters eventually drove Gunzberg from the city. His book ‘Shaagat Aryeh’ was first published in Frankfurt-am-Main in 1755 and is still frequently quoted in rabbinical debate, as are many of his responsa. - Jonah Nabon
Jonah Nabon was a rabbinical scholar; born at Jerusalem in 1713; died there 1760; son of Hanun Nabon. He was celebrated for his Talmudic and kabbalistic learning, and was the teacher of Chaim Joseph David Azulai (the "Chida"). Nabon wrote several works, of which only two have been published, namely: *"Nechpah ba-Kesef" (vol. i, Constantinople, 1748; vol. ii, Jerusalem, 1843), responsa; and * "Get Mekushar", on divorce, … - Meir Brandsdorfer
Rabbi Meir Brandsdorfer is a member of the Rabbinical Court of the Edah HaChareidis, the chareidi Ashkenazic community in Jerusalem. He is also the "Dayan" (Justice) of the Toldos Avraham Yitzchok movement of chasidim, based in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Meah Shearim. He is also a mohel. His responsa have been published under the name "Knei Bosem". - Solomon Ayllon
Solomon Ayllon (born in the Orient 1664 (1660?); died Amsterdam, April 101728) was "haham" of the Sephardic congregations in London and Amsterdam, and a follower of Shabbethai Ẓebi. His name is derived from a town in the Spanish province Segovia, of the name of Ayllon. Ayllon was neither a general scholar nor a Talmudist of standing, as his "responsa" (found in Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen's "Keneset Yeḥezkel," Nos. - Vidal Of Tolosa
Vidal of Tolosa was a Spanish rabbi and scholar of the latter half of the fourteenth century. Vidal resided in Catalonia, where he prepared his most important work, "Maggid Mishneh", a commentary on Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah". This work covered the entire contents of the "Mishneh Torah", but by 1906 only those parts were extant which cover the following books: iii., iv., v. (ch. i.-ix. only), xi., xii. (ch. i.-iii. only), and xiii. - Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen
Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (also, Meir of Padua, Maharam Padua, Hebrew: מאיר בן יצחק קצנלנבויגן) was an Italian rabbi born at Katzenellenbogen, Germany. Meïr ben Isaac, who was generally called after his native town, was the founder of the Katzenellenbogen family. After studying at Prague under the well-known casuist Jacob Pollak, he went to Padua and entered the yeshibah of Judah Minz, … - Aaron Lapapa
Aaron ben Isaac Lapapa was an Oriental rabbi and Talmudist. He was at first rabbi at Manissa, Turkey, and at an advanced age was called to Smyrna as judge in civil affairs. In 1665, when the Sabbatai Zevi movement was at its height there, he was one of the few rabbis who had the courage to oppose the false prophet and excommunicate him. Sabbetai Zevi and his adherents retorted by deposing him and forcing him to leave the city, and his office was given to his colleague, … - Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman
Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Hillman (1868 - June 1953) was an Orthodox Jewish Talmudic scholar, rabbi and Dayan of the London Beth Din. He was born in Kovno, a descendant of Rabbi Shmuel Hillman (Helman), the Av Beth Din of Metz, who is mentioned in the introduction to the responsa Noda BeYehuda. On his mother's side, he was a descendant of Rabbi Michal Datnover, who was known in his time as an exceptional scholar and Kabbalist. - Moses ben Joseph di Trani
Moses ben Joseph di Trani (the Elder) called מבי"ט or Mabit; Talmudist; born at Salonica 1505; died in Jerusalem 1585. His father had fled to Salonica from Apulia three years prior to his birth. While still a boy Moses was sent to Adrianople to pursue the study of the "Talmud" under the supervision of his uncle Aaron. At the age of sixteen he went to Safed and completed his studies under Jacob Berab. - Yom Tov Tzahalon
Yom Tov ben Moshe Tzahalon (Maharitatz (Hebrew: יום טוב בן משה צהלון) was a student of Moses di Trani and Moshe Alshich, and published a collection of responsa. The Jewish Encyclopedia gives his dates as (1557-1638). At the early age of twenty-five Tzahalon (Ẓahalon) was requested by Samuel Yafeh, a rabbi of Constantinople, to decide a difficult and complicated problem which had been referred to himself (Ẓahalon, … - Joseph Steinhardt
Rabbi Joseph ben Menahem Mendel Steinhardt was a German rabbi who lived in his early year in Schwabach, Bavaria. His first position as rabbi was as the rabbi of Rixheim, and shortly afterward he was elected chief rabbi of Upper Alsace. ln 1755 he was chosen chief rabbi of Nieder-Ehenheim in Lower Alsace, and eight years later was called as rabbi to Fürth, where he officiated until his death. Steinhardt was one of the foremost Talmudists of his time, … - Joshua Zeitlin
Joshua Zeitlin (born "Tseitlis", Shklov in 1742; died at Kherson August 18, 1822), was a Russian rabbinical scholar and philanthropist. He was a pupil of the casuist Aryeh Loeb, the author of "Sha'agat Aryeh"; and, being an expert in political economy, he stood in close relations with Prince Potemkin, the favorite of Catherine II. During the Turko-Russian war Zeitlin furnished the Russian army with various supplies, …
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