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Jurist

Isaac Alfasi

Legal Philosophy and Jurisprudence

Isaac Alfasi, known by the acronym the Rif, was a rabbinic scholar born in 1013 near Qalat Bani Hammad in present day Algeria who spent most of his career in Fez, Morocco, before moving late in life to Lucena in Muslim Spain, where he died in 1103. His major work, the Sefer Ha-halachot, distilled the Babylonian Talmud's vast legal discussions down to their practical legal conclusions, omitting non-legal material and unresolved debate so a reader could find a clear, final ruling on a given point of Jewish law. Because of this systematic digest, Alfasi's work superseded the earlier codes produced by the Geonic authorities of Babylonia and became known as the Talmud Katan, the little Talmud, opening focused legal study to a wider audience than the full Talmud allowed. The Sefer Ha-halachot went on to underpin the later codes of both Jacob ben Asher's Arba'ah Turim and Joseph Karo's Shulchan Aruch, and Karo himself later counted Alfasi as one of the three principal authorities whose rulings the Shulchan Aruch would follow.

Facts
Role
Maghrebi Talmudist and posek 1
Born
1013 2
Birthplace
Qal'at Bani Hammad 2
Died
1103 2
Death Date
1103-05-26 2
Place of Death
Lucena 2
Classification
Field of Law
Jewish Law (Halakha) 1
Gender
Male 1
Role
Role (category)
Legal Scholar 1
Connections

In Legal System

Halakha, Legal Systems
Source Wikidata: Isaac Alfasi
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Isaac Alfasi (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Introduction, gender
    Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013?1103), also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym, the Rif, was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek.
  • Introduction, role
    Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013-1103), also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym, the Rif, was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek.
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Isaac Alfasi
  • Wikidata Q523491, P569 date of birth claim (year)
    P569 (date of birth): 1013
  • Wikidata Q523491, P570 date of death claim (year)
    P570 (date of death): 1103
  • Wikidata Q523491, P570 date of death claim (full date)
    P570 (date of death): 1103-05-26
  • Wikidata Q523491, P19 place of birth claim
    P19 (place of birth): Qal'at Bani Hammad
  • Wikidata Q523491, P20 place of death claim
    P20 (place of death): Lucena
  • In Legal System: Halakha, Wikipedia lead paragraph
    the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym, the Rif (Hebrew: רי״ף Rabbi Isaac al-Fasi), was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of
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