Who Was Rabbeinu Bachye Ben Asher?
Rabbeinu Bachye ben Asher was a 13th-century Spanish rabbi, author of a famous commentary on the Torah commonly called Rabbeinu Bachye Al HaTorah.
Biography
Rabbeinu Bachye1 was born in 1255 in Spain. Nothing is known about his early life, but he was likely born into a scholarly family. Although no teachings are extant from his father, Rabbeinu Bachye cites the teachings of his scholarly grandfather,2 a sage named Rabbi Natan.
Rabbeinu Bachye studied under the famed Rabbi Shlomo Ben Aderet, known as the Rashba, who headed an academy in Barcelona. Eventually, Rabbeinu Bachye became the lead rabbi in Saragossa, where he delivered weekly sermons.
He began working on his Torah commentary in 1291.3
He passed away around 1340 and is buried in Kadarim, in the north of Israel.
(He is not to be confused with another famous Rabbeinu Bachye, Rabbeinu Bachye Ibn Pekudah, author of the Chovot Halevavot, “Duties of the Heart”.)
Commentary on the Torah
Rabbeinu Bachye described his commentary as a blend of the four levels of understanding the Torah:
- Peshat: The basic meaning of the text
- Remez: Allusions
- Derush: Homiletics
- Sod: Secrets
Rabbeinu Bachye set out to synthesize the existing commentaries—those which focused on the simple meaning of the text as well as those that honed in on deeper levels of understanding. He approached each section of the Torah comprehensively, explaining how to understand it simply, on the level of peshat, how to view it through the lens of midrash and Kabbalah, and how to set it in the mosaic of knowledge as a whole, including the science of his time.
Rabbeinu Bachye was a master compiler, pulling interpretations and explanations from his various teachers and classic texts. He relied heavily on his teacher, the Rashba, and drew inspiration from Nachmanides’ commentary as well.4 He also quoted the Zohar, Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, and Rav Saadiah Gaon.
Rabbeinu Bachye was well-versed in science and philosophy, often quoting philosophers and scientific views to contrast them with Jewish wisdom.
His commentary gained wide popularity, and is frequently cited in works of Kabbalah. It has been studied continually from his time to today.
Other Works
- Kad Kemach: a book of Jewish philosophy and ethics. It addresses topics such as faith, trust, redemption, and interpersonal relationships, organized alphabetically, following the Hebrew alphabet.
- Shulchan Shel Arbah: a compilation of laws related to eating and mealtime.
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