Aharon HaLevi - Biography

Aaron ben Joseph ha-Levi of Barcelona (‎; 1235 – c. 1290), known by his Hebrew acronym Ra'aH (רא"ה), was a medieval rabbi, Talmudic scholar and Halakhist.

Aaron ha-Levi was born in Girona, Spain in 1235 to his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Benbineshti ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi, who was the son of Rabbi Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona Baal Hamaor. The Ra'ah's mother Clara, was a granddaughter of Rabbi Aaron of Lunel who was the son of Rabbi Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel ("Rabbenu Meshullam hagadol").

Aaron ha-Levi studied under his father Rabbi Joseph ha-Levi and brother Rabbi Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi, as well as Nachmanides and was a colleague of Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet (1235-1310). He published critical notes on the Rashba's Torat HaBayith, which he entitled Bedek HaBayith. He also wrote a commentary on the Talmud, select parts of which have been published.

There are those who believe that he is the author of the anonymous Sefer ha-Chinuch "Book of Education," although this claim has been rejected by many scholars due to discrepancies between opinions expressed in Torat HaBayith and the Chinuch. This has led to the conclusion that the true author of the Sefer ha-Chinuch was a different Aaron ha-levi, who was a student of Shlomo ben Aderet, rather than his colleague. Rabbi Yom Tov Asevilli was one of his students. And others to identifying the author as Aaron's brother Pinchas ben Joseph ha-Levi.

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