Jacob ben Meir - Rabbeinu Tam and his tefillin

Jacob ben Meir - Rabbeinu Tam and his tefillin

Rabbi Ya'akov ben Meir (about 1100 - June 9, 1171), better known by the nickname Rabbeinu Tam, is the grandson of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki), and belongs to the great masters of the additions. Also his grandfather Rashi, his place of residence was in France. He is known as the author of "Sefer haYashar" as well as a book on Hebrew grammar. He was also known as a poet and linguist with extensive linguistic knowledge. RaT - Rabbeinu Tam with innovation, originality, proficiency and poignancy that opened a new door for Torah practitioners, and flooded a wonderful light that shone in a completely different way and perfected to a new level the transmission of the Torah tradition from generation to generation while increasing and glorifying it. The "supplements" he wrote on the Talmud are the first foundation for all the files of the Tosafot. His original livelihood was dealing in loans and the wine industry, in these areas he was successful and reached high levels. There are also sources that testify to Rabbi Tam as holding official positions in French authorities.

Com was the birthplace of Rabbeinu Tam in Lothir (Lorraine) in northern France. One of Rashi's three daughters, Yochaved, married Rabbi Meir ben Shmuel from the city of Romerog. Four sons were born to Rabbi Meir and Yochaved: the eldest of them Rabbi Shmuel - Rashbam, the second - Rabbi Yitzchak - Ribam who died at a young age while his father was alive, The third - Rabbi Jacob, better known as Rabbi Tam, the fourth - Rabbi Shlomo. They were all the first owners of the Tosafs. Five sons were born to the Rabbi: Yosef, Moshe, Shlomo (who was engaged in writing books for his father), Yitzchak (composed additions to Sefer Hasher) and Shmuel (wrote some signs in the right book). He also had one daughter.
Rabbeinu Tam lived both in Troyes and Ramerupt during the Second Crusade. In 1146, he was almost killed by the Crusaders. From an event described by a contemporary of Rabbi Tam, Rabbi Ephraim ben Ya'akov Mavon. Following a terrible disaster in Blois (Blois) in 1171, in which about thirty of the Jews of the community were executed by crusaders, Rabbeinu Tam, as the leader of the Jews of France, established the 20th day in Zion as a public fast.

Close to a hundred answers and interpretations of the Talmud of Rabbeinu Tam are found in Sefer HaYashar, which is divided into two parts, the discussion part and the innovation part. Many more answers are known to us through rabbinical literature of its types. It is interesting that, compared to Rashi, almost every answer penned by him reveals a personal detail beyond For the halachic discussion, in many of his answers the Sharat remains a closed personality. He does not mention his sons, his wife or his students who stay with him in Ramero. His allusions to major political events taking place in his surroundings are modest and implied in the language implied to several faces. It can be emphasized with almost certainty that Rabino Tam himself the first edition of Sefer Hasher, but he did not edit his answers. So how were Rabbi's answers edited? Files Fragments of  Rabbeinu Tam answers that were kept for the most part in the place of those who abstained formed the basis for the creation of the Shavat part of Sefer HaYashar. After the death of the Rabbi, these files began to be added to the innovations section of Sefer HaYashar, and this is how the collection of Rabbeinu Tam's answers was created.

The special place in the history and tradition of Judaism is the Tefillin Rabbeinu Tam. The two basic opinions in the ancient dispute regarding the order of the parashiyot in tefillin, it is customary to read after the name of our Rabbi Tam and his grandfather, Rashi, although to this day there is a division between the two basic opinions in the ancient dispute regarding the order of the parashiyot in tefillin, it is customary to read after the name of our Rabbeinu Tam and his grandfather, Rashi" Although to this day there is a division between Rashi's tefillin and Rabbeinu Tam's tefillin. Although the custom is to place tefillin in Rashi's style, there are those who are strict and place two pairs of tefillin, one after the other or together. 

Rabbeinu Tam's books:
Commentaries and additions to the Talmud (Tosafot). His interpretations are the first foundation for all add-on files.
Sefer HaYashar is a compilation written by the Rabbi, which contains his innovations on the Talmud and his answers in Halacha, which is a sort of two-part collection of Shavatim and commentaries on the Talmud.
The Book of Decision is a grammar book in which it is decisive between Menachem ben Serok and Donesh ben Levert.
Tikun Sefer Torah and in it the laws of Sefer Torah.
The order of the divorce including the form of writing a divorce, its laws and conditions.
He also composed essays on the Scriptures, and only a few quotations on the Book of Job have come down to us
A cycle that included prayer laws

Back to blog

Leave a comment