Rabbeinu Tam
Jacob ben Meir (1100 in Ramerupt – 9 June 1171 (4 tammuz) in Troyes), best known as Rabbeinu Tam, was one of the most renowned Ashkenazi Jewish rabbis and leading French Tosafists, a leading halakhic authority in his generation, and a grandson of Rashi. Known as "Rabbeinu" (our teacher), he acquired the Hebrew suffix "Tam" meaning straightforward; it was originally used in the Book of Genesis to describe his biblical namesake, Jacob.
Biography
Jacob ben Meir was born in the French country village of Ramerupt, in the Aube département of northern-central France, to Meir ben Shmuel and Yocheved, daughter of Rashi. His primary teachers were his father and his brother, Shmuel ben Meir, known as Rashbam. His other brothers were Isaac, known as the Rivam, and Solomon the Grammarian. He married Miriam, the sister of R. Shimshon ben Yosef of Falaise, Calvados, although she may have been his second wife.
His reputation as a legal scholar spread far beyond France. Avraham ibn Daud, the Spanish chronicler of the sages, mentioned Rabbeinu Tam in his Sefer HaKabbalah, but not Rashi. Rabbeinu Tam's work is also cited by Rabbi Zerachya HaLevi, a Provençal critic. He also received questions from students throughout France and from the Italian communities of Bari and Otranto.
