0.5.2.4. The end of organized Judaism: Rishonim and Acharonim
Once the great academies in Israel and Babylon were closed, there was no more authoritative figure to discuss and decide Halakha. Great Torah scholars were dispersed across the nations, and great Torah schools started around great local Torah scholars. The communities tended to regard as authoritative the rulings from their local Torah scholars.
The most famous commentators of this period, going from about 1000 to about 1600, are called the Rishonim (“First Ones”). Most, although not all of them, are Ladino Sefardim. They are the greatest Torah commentators. In reality, however, the great commentators that are all dead by 1270 ACE, and, of all the others that come later, the greatest of them, Yosef Karo is already seen as a lesser light compared to the great ones.
This period traditionally ends with the publication of a famous law book that summarizes all Halakha of the time, written by Yosef Karo in 1563, the Shulkhan Arukh (“Set Table”). The Torah scholars that follow the generation of the Shulkhan Arukh, up to our times, are called the Acharonim (“Later Ones”).
Rashi
Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak HaSerfati (“The Frenchman”), born in 1040 in Troyes, Champagne, died in 1105 in Troyes, buried there. His commentaries of the Tanakh (particularly the Torah) and the Talmud are the most famous commentaries across Judaism. Many non-Sephardic communities place him as the most authoritative ruling on Halakha. He prefers simple explanations, his style is direct, he often uses grammar, common sense, and gloses (contemporary French words, directly transcribed phonetically in Hebrew characters in his text) to explain text. On his own style of commentating, Rashi writes: “I only come to explain the simple meaning of scripture” (Rashi to Bereshit 3:8). He is the only one of the great commentators who is not born in Spain.
Rambam (Maimonides)
For Ladino Jews, the greatest of all commentators after the Talmudic era is Rambam (Rabbeinu Moshe Ben Maimon), Maimonides. Whenever a question a law arises, Sephardic Ladino Jews consider him a reference before (1) Nahmanides (Ramban), (2) Rashi and (3) ibn Ezra.
Philosopher (aristotelian), astronomer, physician, famous medieval Torah scholar, born on Cordoba around 1137 under the Moorish Almoravids, died in Fustat, Egypt in 1204, buried in Israel in Tiberias. He wrote in Judeo-Arabic (except for the Mishneh Torah that he wrote in hebrew). His most famous books are the Mishneh Torah, a deep analysis of the Bible written as a Jewish Law Codex (possibly the greatest of all books on Halakha), and “The Guide to the Perplexed” (Moreh Nevukhim), a philosophical book about Judaism. He also wrote a famous Commentary of the Mishnah (Pirush Hamishnayot), a famous treaty on Logic, and several other books on medicine, biblical criticism and philosophy.
Ramban (Nahmanides)
Rabbi Moses ben Nahman (Catalan name Bonastruc Sa Porta), born in 1194 in Girona, Catalonia, died in 1270 in Jerusalem. Philosopher opposed to the Greek philosophers, physician, Torah scholar and kabbalist. Wrote a famous commentary of Tanakh and of the Talmud, many other theological books. He disagrees with Rambam and Ibn Ezra but greatly respects them. A gentle man.
Ibn Ezra
Abraham Ibn Ezra was born in 1087 in Tudela, Spain, province of Navarra, and died in 1167, probably in Calahorra, Navarra. He was a poet, philosopher ( neoplatonist), mathematician, grammatist and great Torah scholar. He wrote in Hebrew. He was among the first to write hints that imply that he suspects the Torah was not written by Moses.
Yosef Karo
Rabbi Yosef (ben Efraim) Karo (born in Toledo, in 1478, went through the Great Exile of 1492, died 1575 in Tzfat, Israel), author of the famous Shulkhan Arukh, the most famous of all halakha codices, written in 1555, wrote: “Who would dare force communities who follow the Rambam to follow any other decisor, early or late? … The Rambam is the greatest of the decisors, and all the communities of the Land of Israel and the Arabistan and the Maghreb practice according to his word, and accepted him as their rabbi.”
Born left-handed 