Jacob ben Asher (c. 1270–1340), also known asBa'al ha-Turim as well asYaakov ben haRosh, was an influentialMedievalrabbinic authority. He is often referred to as theBa'al ha-Turim ("Author of theTurim") or simplyHaTur, after his main work, theArba'ah Turim ("Four Columns").
He was the third son of theAsher ben Jehiel (known as the "Rosh"), a rabbi of the Holy Roman Empire who, in 1303, moved to Toledo in Castile, due to increasing persecution of Jews in his native Germany. Besides his father, who was his principal teacher, Jacob quotes very often in theTurim his elder brother Jehiel; once his brother Judah[4] and once his uncle Chaim.[5]
Some say Jacob succeeded his father as the rabbi of the Jewish community ofToledo (Zacuto), while others say his brotherJudah ben Asher did. His brothers were also rabbis of different communities inIberia. He lived in abject poverty most of his life, and according to theSephardic Community of Chios, is said to have fallen ill and died with his ten companions on the island ofChios, inGreece, whilst travelling.[6]
Arba'ah Turim, one of the most importanthalachic books of all time. The work was divided into four sections, each called a "tur," alluding to the columns of jewels on theHigh Priest's breastplate.
Sefer ha-Remazim, or "Kitzur Piske ha-Rosh" (Constantinople, 1575), an abridgment of his father's compendium of theTalmud, in which he condensed his father's decisions, omitting thecasuistry.
Rimzei Ba'al ha-Turim orPerush ha-Torah le-R. Ya'akov Ba'al ha-Turim (Constantinople, 1500 and 1514), a short commentary on thePentateuch, (actually short appetizers that start each section of his actual Torah commentary) which is printed in virtually all Jewish editions of the Pentateuch. These appetizers consist of mystical and symbolical references in theTorah text (seeMasoretic Text), often usinggematria and acronyms as well as other occurrences of particular words elsewhere in the Torah.
Perush Al ha-Torah, the full commentary on the Pentateuch (Zolkiev, 1806). Its content is taken mainly fromNachmanides (often copied word-for-word), but without his cabalistic and philosophical interpretations. Jacob quotes many other commentators, among themSaadia Gaon,Rashi,Joseph Kara andAbraham ibn Ezra.
Works by or aboutJacob ben Asher atWikisource
