Son of Rav Asher
Born in Cologne, Germany 1270 .ה''ל
He studied under his father Rav Asher ben Yechiel, the Rosh. In the year מ''ג he left for France, and in מ''ה he settled in Toledo, Spain. When his father arrived in Spain and became Rav of Castilia Toledo, he continued his studies under his father’s tutelage.
In 1321 ה' פ''ב he was appointed his father’s assistant and after his father’s passing in 1327 ה' פ''ח he succeeded him after Rosh Bais Din and Rosh Yeshiva in Toledo. The secular authorities likewise recognized and ratified his appointment as chief Rabbi of Castille.
Like his father, the Rosh, before him, Rav Yehudah was also given the power to judge capital offenses and mete out the death penalty. He carried this out, like his father, even though it was not the halachic capital punishment and he writes his reasons for accepting the matter:
Since the Sanhedrin was disbanded, the laws of capital punishment ceased and the reason we do judge capital crimes in our courts is because we do so to set clear boundaries and prevent lawlessness and anarchy. and G-d gave this matter into the hearts of our rulers of this land to grant us this power to preserve us and weed out the wicked from our midst. This also saves many Jews from being tried for capital offenses against our Torah laws in gentile courts who would surely be put to death contrary to halachah and also allows us to put to death those criminals such as mosrim (informers) whothat would otherwise go free, but our Torah does indicate that even nowadays they deserve the death penalty even nowadays and in gentile courts they would go free.
However he also admonished the judges to use such punishment as warnings and exile before resorting to the death penalty.
When the Jews in Cordova complained about a brazen criminal who slapped one of the dayanim and tore at his beard, Rav Yehudah wrote to them that had such a thing occurred in Toledo they would have cut off his two hands for the offense, one for each slap he delivered!
When the leaders in Toledo considered asking him to change his ways in pesak halachah and to follow only the Rambam and imitate other kehilos in Spain who had done this, all in the name of less disputes and ending machlokes he responded that his kehillah in Toledo was far superior and that other kehillos should imitate their rule of lawif anyone should change it should be they that imitated him. Following this voiced detraction, Rav Yehuda He threatened to resign and leave to Seville, but and so they relented, and doubled his salary, and fulfilled his wishes-- so eager were they for him to remain and not depart and leave them.
His teshuvos and responsa came from all over the world., Tthey were published under the title, Zikaron Yehudah and Rav Yosef Karo cites them in his sefer, Bais Yosef on the Tur. Among his disciples are the famed Rav Menachem ben Zerach, author of Tzeida LaDerech and Rav Machir, author of Avkas Rochel.
He passed away on 17 Tammuz 1349 ק''ט.
