Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman • Nachmanides • Bonastruc ça Porta
Ramban
Era of the RishonimThe Ramban — Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (c. 1194–1270) — was one of the greatest sages of Spain and a pillar of the Oral and Written Torah across all generations. He was born in Girona, Catalonia, and in his youth studied Talmud under Rabbi Yehuda bar Yakar and Rabbi Natan ben Meir,…
Biography
The Ramban — Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (c. 1194–1270) — was one of the greatest sages of Spain and a pillar of the Oral and Written Torah across all generations. He was born in Girona, Catalonia, and in his youth studied Talmud under Rabbi Yehuda bar Yakar and Rabbi Natan ben Meir, disciples of the Tosafists, thus becoming a bridge between the sages of France and the sages of Spain. He was a posek (decisor), biblical commentator, kabbalist, poet, thinker, and physician. His commentary on the Torah — which combines peshat, midrash, and kabbalah — is one of the crown jewels of sacred literature, and his novellae on the Talmud and his glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot are a foundation of halachic study. In 1263 he prevailed in the great Barcelona disputation against the apostate Pablo Christiani, before the king of Aragon, and so stood as a bulwark for the faith of Israel. Following the disputation he was persecuted, and in 1267 he ascended to the Land of Israel. He found Jerusalem desolate — 'only two brothers, dyers' — and built a synagogue there, thus renewing the Jewish settlement in the city. He died in Acre around 1270. The Iggeret HaRamban — his ethical will to his son — became an eternal educational text in Israel.
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in Girona, Catalonia (then part of the Crown of Aragon), around 1194, to a family of Torah scholars in Spain. His family was the Nachmani family, and his cousin was Rabbi Yona Girondi, one of the great moralists. In his youth he was educated in the Torah of the sages of France and the Tosafists.
Teachers
In the field of Talmud he studied under Rabbi Yehuda bar Yakar and Rabbi Natan ben Meir, disciples of the Ritzba of Dampierre, from whom he received the Torah of the Tosafists of France. In the field of Kabbalah the name of his teacher is not known explicitly, but it is conjectured that he learned from the kabbalists of Girona. He mentioned his teachers many times in his works with the title 'my teacher.'
Students
He raised many disciples, chief among them the Rashba (Rabbi Shlomo ibn Aderet) — one of the great decisors of Spain — the Ra'ah (Rabbi Aharon HaLevi), and Rabbi David Bonafid. His disciples continued his path in halacha and commentary, and spread his Torah throughout the diaspora.
Family
His cousin was Rabbi Yona Girondi, the author of Sha'arei Teshuva. He had sons — Nachman and Shlomo — and daughters. He wrote his famous ethical letter to his son, in which he charged him to conduct himself with proper traits all the days of his life.
Key Events
In 1263 he was commanded by King James I of Aragon to participate in the great Barcelona disputation against the apostate Pablo Christiani. In the disputation the Ramban stood for the faith of Israel — on the messiah, on the abrogation of the Torah, and on the divinity of the messiah — and prevailed. Following the disputation he was persecuted and forced to leave Spain. In 1267 he ascended to the Land of Israel, found Jerusalem desolate, and renewed the Jewish settlement there and built a synagogue. Afterward he moved to Acre, where he died around 1270.
Miracles
On his journey to the Land of Israel he found Jerusalem desolate and ruined — 'only two brothers, dyers' dwelt there. Despite the destruction, he did not yield: he built a synagogue there, gathered Jews to it, and so renewed the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem after the Crusader destruction. Thus he became the renewer of the Jewish settlement in the city.
Influence
The influence of the Ramban is felt in every field of Torah: his commentary on the Torah is a foundation of exegesis and is studied in every study hall; his novellae on the Talmud are a cornerstone of halachic study; his glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot shaped the enumeration of the commandments; and his works in Kabbalah and ethics — chief among them the Iggeret HaRamban — influenced generations of education and morality. The renewal of the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem is his historical legacy.
Death
He died in Acre in the Land of Israel around 1270, at the age of 76. The place of his burial is disputed in the traditions: some point to Haifa (the Tomb of the Ramban known today), and others to Acre or Jerusalem. His memory is preserved in Israel as one of the greatest of the Rishonim.
Writings
Ramban's Commentary on the Torah
c. 1263–1267Biblical exegesis
A deep and comprehensive commentary on the five books of the Torah, combining four planes: peshat, remez, midrash, and sod. Considered one of the crown jewels of sacred literature, and studied in every study hall to this day.
Ramban's Novellae on the Talmud
13th centuryHalachic novellae
Novellae and in-depth analyses of many tractates of the Babylonian Talmud. A foundation of halachic study and sugya analysis, and a cornerstone of the study of the Rishonim.
Torat HaAdam
13th centuryHalacha
A comprehensive work on the laws of the sick, death, and mourning. It explains the laws from the Talmud through the rulings of the Geonim and the Rishonim, and also deals with matters of faith and morality relating to death and mourning.
Ramban's Glosses on Sefer HaMitzvot
13th centuryEnumeration of commandments
Glosses on the Rambam's enumeration of the commandments, in which he added commandments that the Rambam had omitted — chief among them the commandment to settle the Land of Israel. These glosses shaped the enumeration of the commandments for the generations.
Iggeret HaKodesh
13th centuryKabbalah and ethics
A letter on the sanctity of the body, marriage, and the commandment of procreation, written to Rabbi Shmuel haSardi. It combines halacha, Kabbalah, and morality.
Iggeret HaRamban (Ethical Will to His Son)
13th centuryEthics and education
An ethical and educational letter that the Ramban wrote to his son, in which he charged him with proper traits and paths of divine service. It became an eternal educational text in Israel, and is cited in books of morality and in many prayer books.
The Barcelona Disputation of the Ramban
1263Polemics and faith
A documentation of the great Barcelona disputation (1263) against the apostate Pablo Christiani, before King James I. The Ramban stood for the faith of Israel and prevailed, and afterward documented the disputation in writing.
Derashot HaRamban
13th centurySermons
Sermons for Sabbaths and festivals, combining halacha, midrash, exegesis, and Kabbalah. Some were printed and preserved in manuscripts.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
The Ramban saw the Torah as one whole — peshat, remez, midrash, and sod as one. His commentary on the Torah combines these four planes: he begins with the peshat, deepens with the midrash, and concludes with a hint to the secret of the Kabbalah. He saw in every word and letter of the Torah a generalization and specification from which laws are derived, and in every commandment a hint to a supernal secret. His novellae on the Talmud delve into the sugyot and branch out into halacha.
Halacha
He was a preeminent halachic decisor, and his work Torat HaAdam — on the laws of the sick and mourning — is a foundation of halacha. His glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot added commandments that the Rambam had omitted, and shaped the enumeration of the commandments for the generations. His rulings and responsa are cited throughout the literature of the decisors.
Faith
The faith of the Ramban was whole and deep. He believed in the Kabbalah and in the secrets of the Torah, and saw them as an inseparable part of the Torah of Israel. In the Barcelona disputation he stood with courage for the faith of Israel — that the messiah had not yet come, that the Torah was not abrogated, and that the messiah is not divine. He believed in redemption and in the ingathering of the exiles, and in his ascent to the Land of Israel he fulfilled the commandment of settling the land.
Ethics
In the Iggeret HaRamban to his son he embodied the foundations of Jewish morality: 'Accustom yourself to speak all your words softly to every person always,' 'Be the first to greet every person,' 'Let your strength be all soft and your shame be all blind.' He saw in humility, patience, and peace with all creatures the building blocks of human character. He charged his son to refrain from anger, to be soft and yielding, and to be the first to greet every person.
Customs
He conducted himself with holiness and abstinence. He was scrupulous in every commandment, and saw in the commandments of the Torah hints to supernal secrets. In his work Iggeret HaKodesh he dealt with the sanctity of the body and the commandment of procreation. He ascended to the Land of Israel and renewed the Jewish settlement there, thus fulfilling the commandment of settling the land in personal example.
Character
He was holy, courageous, and faithful. A man of humility and patience, and a man of courage to stand for his faith before kings. He did not recoil from the persecution that followed the disputation, and he ascended to the Land of Israel in old age in order to fulfill the commandments of the land and to renew Jerusalem.
Public Role
He was a spiritual and public leader of the Jews of Spain. He represented Israel in the Barcelona disputation, renewed the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem, and led the sages of his generation. His disciples continued his path, and spread his Torah throughout the diaspora.
Famous Quotes
"Accustom yourself to speak all your words softly to every person always"
"Be the first to greet every person, even a non-Jew in the market"
"Let your strength be all soft and your shame be all blind"
"Give your eyes and your heart to all the words of the Torah all the days"
"Remove your desire from all that your body craves, and precede in all that you do the will of your Maker"
"Every day a person should fear Heaven, and be in awe of Him, blessed be He"
Famous Stories
In 1263 the Ramban was commanded by King James I of Aragon to participate in the great Barcelona disputation against Pablo Christiani, a Jew who had converted and become a monk. The disputation lasted four days, and in it the Ramban stood for the faith of Israel: that the messiah had not yet come, that the Torah was not abrogated, and that the messiah is not divine. The Ramban prevailed in the disputation, and the king gave him gifts and praised him. Yet afterward he was persecuted by the Church, and was forced to leave Spain.
In 1267 the Ramban ascended to the Land of Israel. He found Jerusalem desolate and ruined — 'only two brothers, dyers' dwelt there. Despite the destruction, he did not yield: he built a synagogue there, gathered Jews to it, and so renewed the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem after the Crusader destruction. His memory as the renewer of the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem is preserved in Israel to this day.
In the ethical letter that the Ramban wrote to his son, he charged him: 'Accustom yourself to speak all your words softly to every person always... Be the first to greet every person... Let your strength be all soft and your shame be all blind.' This letter, brief and deep, became an eternal educational text in Israel, and is cited in books of morality and in many prayer books to this day. In it the Ramban embodied the foundations of Jewish morality — humility, patience, peace with all creatures, and the fear of Heaven.
Students
Teachers
Grave Site
Timeline
Birth in Girona, Catalonia
Study of Talmud under Rabbi Yehuda bar Yakar and Rabbi Natan ben Meir
The great Barcelona disputation against Pablo Christiani; victory and persecution
Ascent to the Land of Israel; renewal of the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem and building of a synagogue
Death in Acre
Legacy
The legacy of the Ramban is felt in every field of Torah. His commentary on the Torah — combining peshat, midrash, and Kabbalah — is one of the crown jewels of sacred literature, and is studied in every study hall. His novellae on the Talmud and his glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot are a foundation of halachic study and the enumeration of the commandments. The Iggeret HaRamban — his ethical will to his son — became an eternal educational text in Israel, and is cited in books of morality and in prayer books. And above all — the renewal of the Jewish settlement in Jerusalem after the Crusader destruction is his historical legacy, and he is considered the renewer of the Jewish settlement in the city. Streets and Torah institutions in Israel are named for him, and his tomb in Haifa is a pilgrimage site.