Moses b. Nahman

Abstract

A leading Spanish talmudist, Moses ben Nahman, also known as Nahmanides and by the acronym Ramban (Rabbi Moses hen Nahman), was the intellectual and communal leader of Catalan Jewry during a crucial period. His writings reflect a synthesis of the dialectical tradition of the tosafists in northern France with the geonic-Andalusian traditions of analytical scholarship and literary culture. The broad scope of Nahmanides' learning enabled him to provide a measure of stability in the face of conflicts that arose from within Jewish society and from the Christian world as well. (from Introduction)