Metzudot Davidמצודות דוד
Tzfat · 1560
Commentary on the Pentateuch combining grammatical and halakhic interpretation, known for its conciseness and clarity.
Full text not yet available in our corpus.
1479 CE–1573 CE · Acharonim · Spain (medieval)
Rabbi David ibn Zimra (1479–1573), known as the Radbaz from the acronym of his name, was one of the most prominent Sephardic halakhic authorities of the sixteenth century. Born in Spain and later active in Safed and Egypt, he served as chief rabbi of Cairo and was deeply engaged in the revival of Jewish life in Ottoman lands following the Spanish Expulsion of 1492. A prolific author of responsa (she'elot u-teshuvot), he addressed hundreds of halakhic questions from communities across the Mediterranean and Near East, earning respect for his erudition and practical wisdom. His collected responsa remain an authoritative source for Sephardic Jewish law and custom, and he was also known for his involvement in the attempt to revive rabbinic ordination (semicha) in Eretz Israel.
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Born in Spain around 1479; expelled with all Spanish Jewry in 1492 at about age 13.
Medieval Iberian Peninsula; home to many Rishonim including Nahmanides, Ran, Rashba, and Yosef ibn Habib.
Yosef Taitazak, Shlomo Sirilio, Ketem Paz author, David HaReuveni
In the same place & time
Sages whose lives overlapped with Radbaz’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.
The world in their lifetime
Thinkers and teachers of other traditions whose lives overlapped with Radbaz’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn purely from recorded birth and death years.
Tzfat · 1560
Commentary on the Pentateuch combining grammatical and halakhic interpretation, known for its conciseness and clarity.
Full text not yet available in our corpus.
Fostat (Old Cairo) · 1550
Comprehensive responsa collection addressing halakhic questions across all areas of Jewish law, widely cited by subsequent authorities.
Full text not yet available in our corpus.