Rashi - R’ Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105), Troyes, France. "Rabban Shel Yisrael" - The great Rishon who wrote commentary on all areas of Torah.
Ramban - Nachmanides – R’ Moshe ben Nachman (1194-1270), Girona, Spain, Akko; A leading Torah scholar of the middle-ages who authored commentaries on Torah and the Talmud. He was a posek who wrote responsa and stand-alone works on Halachic topics, as well as works on mysticism, science and philosophy. Immigrated to Akko, Israel at age 72.
Rav Shlomo Ganzfried - (1844-1864); Rav of Brezevitz for many years before returning to his hometown of Ungvar (Austrian Empire/Ukraine) to serve as a judge on the rabbinical court. In his role as community leader, came to believe that every Jew needed to know and understand Jewish law if Orthodoxy was to survive. To that end he composed the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, which was published both in Hebrew and in Yiddish and quickly became popular. Sefer Apiryon is a commentary on Torah, conatinig a piece on every weekly Parsha except for Parshat Massei, which is also the week in which his yahrzeit falls.
Rambam - Maimonides - Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1137-1204), Spain, Morocco, Egypt.
Pnei Menachem - R' Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926- 1996), Poland, Yerushalayim; Known as the Pnei Menachem after the works he authored. Seventh rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1992 until his death in 1996. From 1956 until he was appointed rebbe, he was a Rosh Yeshiva. Also served as a member and the president of the Torah Scholars Council and as the chairman of the Agudat Yisrael political party.
Maharsha - R’ Shmuel Eidels (1555-1631), Poland. Wrote commentary on the Talmud, named Chiddushei Halachot, and commentary on the aggadot of the Talmud, named Chiddushei Aggadot. Married the daughter of Edel Lifschitz of Posen and the late Brisker Rav. His mother-in-law supported his Yeshiva for over 2 decades, and in appreciation he adopted her name. Also served as rav in Chelm, Lublin, Tiktin and Ostroh.
Targum Yonatan ben Uziel - Aramaic translation to Nevii’im; One of 80 tannaim who studied under Hillel HaZaken during era of Roman rule.
Rabbeinu Bachya - (Rabbeinu Behaye) R’ Bahya ben Asher (1255-1340), Spain. Torah commentary incorporating the literal meaning along with allegorical, Midrashic, and Kabbalistic interpretations.
Tanna debei Eliyahu Zuta - A Midrash that reworks earlier Midrashim, using them to highlight ideas like the importance of Tefilla and Torah study. The Talmud attributes a midrash of the same name to Eliyahu HaNavi, though whether the existing midrash is the one referred to in the Talmud has long been a subject of debate. Some date the work as early as the 3rd century CE, while others date it as later as the 10th century.
Zohar - Central work of mystical tradition of Kabbalah. Traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. First appeared in 13th-century Spain.
Rav Chaim Volozhin - Rav Chaim (Ickovits) of Volozhin (1749-1821), Volozhin; foremost disciple of Vilna Gaon and founder of Volozhin Yeshiva.
Kli Yakar - R’ Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (1550-1619), Chief Rabbi of Prague following the Maharal. His primary work was written after becoming deathly ill and vowing to compose a commentary on the Torah if he survived.
Ein Yaakov - A multivolume compilation of stories, parables, and biblical interpretation from the Talmud printed together with commentaries. Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habib began compiling and editing it in the early 16th century in the wake of the expulsion of Jews from Spain. After his death, his son, Rabbi Levi ibn Habib, completed the work. With its accessible content and style, Ein Yaakov has enjoyed wide appeal for centuries among both scholars and laymen and has been printed in over 30 editions.
Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh - Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (1696-1743), Salé, Morocco. Considered to be one of the most prominent Rabbis of Morocco, and Hassidic Judaism.
Seforno - R’ Ovadiah ben Ya’akov Seforno (1470-1550), Italy; In his Tanach commentary, often cites rabbinic statements to address philosophical as well as textual issues, and offers many novel interpretations rooted in these traditions. Admired for his wide knowledge by Henry II, King of France, to whom he sent a Latin translation he prepared of his philosophical work, Or Amim.
Noam Elimelech - Rav Elimelech (Weisblum) of Lizhensk (1717–1787), Lizhensk; One of the great founding Rebbes of the Chasidic movement. Part of the inner "Chevraya Kadisha" school of the Maggid Rebbe Dov Ber of Mezeritch. The sefer Noam Elimelech developed the Chasidic theory of the Tzaddik into the full doctrine of "Practical/Popular Tzaddikism".
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz - (1902-1979), Poland, Shanghai, Yerushalayim; Grandson of the Alter of Novhardok. Member of the faculty of the Mirrer Yeshiva for more than 40 years, in Poland, Shanghai and Jerusalem, serving as Rosh yeshiva during its sojourn in Shanghai from 1941-47, and in Jerusalem from 1965-79.
Arizal - Ari HaKadosh, Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), Yerushalayim, Egypt, Tzefat; Considered the forefather of modern Kabbalah.
Imrei Emes - R’ Avraham Mordechai Alter (1865–1948), Poland, Yerushalaim; Known as the Imrei Emes after the works he authored, was the fourth Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, a position he held from 1905 until his death in 1948. With the outbreak of the 1948 War, was trapped in Yerushalayim and died of natural causes during Shavuot during the siege of the city by the Jordanian Arab Legion. As bodies could not be removed to the Har HaZeitim during wartime, he was buried in the yeshiva courtyard on the condition that he would be reburied elsewhere after the war.
Netziv - Rav Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (1816-1893), Lithuania. Born into a family of Jewish scholars, a descendant on his mother’s side of R’ Meir Eisenstadt. His first wife was the granddaughter of R. Chaim Volozhin, and his second the daughter of R. Yechiel Michel Epstein. In 1854 he was appointed head of the Volozhin yeshiva, where he introduced a style of Talmud study based on broad knowledge of Tannaitic and Geonic literature as well as the Rishonim.
Rav Elyah Lopian - (1876-1970), Poland, England, Zichron Yaacov; Studied at the yeshiva in Lomza and at the Kelm Talmud Torah of R’ Simcha Zissel Ziv. Emigrated to England in 1928, and in 1950 to Israel, where he was Mashgiach Ruchani at the Knesses Chizkiyahu yeshiva in Zikhron Ya’akov. Well-known stories about Reb Elya are documented in the introduction to Lev Eliyahu, including his famous interaction with Eliyahu Hanavi about which the world would never have known were it not for the Gerer Rebbe z”tzl revealing it. An eloquent and powerful speaker with the ability to touch and inspire huge crowds, he emphasized the importance of developing and improving character.
Vilna Gaon - (The Gra) R’ Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman (1720-1797), Vilnius, Poland, Lithuania. Foremost leader of misnagdic Jewry of the past few centuries. Considered the father of the stream of Lithuanian Kabbalah, and remembered as a leader of the opposition to the Hasidic movement.
