Yom Tov Asevilli


Yom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli, commonly known by the Hebrew acronym as the Ritva, was a medieval rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Seville, known for his commentaries on the Talmud.

Biography

Asevilli was born in the city of Seville, Spain around 1260. His name, Asevilli is itself a topographic surname that identifies him as being from Seville.
He was the student of Solomon ibn Adret and Aaron ha-Levy. His works suggest that he spent some time studying in France. He spent most of his life in Zaragoza. He died between 1314 and 1328.
He was the rabbi and head of the Yeshiva of Seville in Spain.

Writings

His commentary on the Talmud was collected and published as a novellae entitled Chiddushei Ha-Ritva. It is extremely concise, and therefore is one of the most frequently referred-to Talmudic commentators today. Many sections of the commentary have been subject to debate regarding their actual authorship. For example, the commentary often attributed to him on Gittin was in fact authored by Crescas Vidal according to the editor of the Mossad Rav Kook edition. However, the majority of the work has remained free from controversy.
He also wrote commentaries on the writings of Isaac Alfasi and certain works of Nahmanides.