Abudarham

David Abudirham (fl. 1340) (Hebrew: דוד אבודרהם‎‎) or Abu Dirham) was a rishon who lived at Seville and was known for his commentary on the Synagogue liturgy. He is said to have been a student of Jacob ben Asher. This view originates in Chaim Yosef David Azulai's Shem Gedolim. Hirsch Jakob Zimmels argues that this is intrinsically unlikely, as Abudirham gives full citations of authority up to and including Asher ben Jehiel; father of Jacob ben Asher) but does not mention Jacob ben Asher himself. He also mentions that he lived at Asher ben Jehiel's house, and was a "friend" of Jacob ben Asher. The rabbi is believed to be the ancestor of Solomon Abudarham (d. 1804), Chief Rabbi of Gibraltar.

Abudirham belonged to the class of writers who, in an age of decline, felt the need of disseminating in popular form the knowledge stored up in various sources of rabbinical literature. His book, popularly known as Sefer Abudirham, has no specific title beyond the name Ḥibbur Perush ha-Berakot we-ha-Tefillot, ("Commentary on the Blessings and Prayers"), probably because it was intended to serve as a running commentary to the liturgy. In the preface he states that he desired to afford the people, whom he found lacking in knowledge, the means of using the liturgy intelligently, and for this purpose he collected, from both the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmuds, from the Geonim and all the commentators down to his own time, the material for the explanation of each portion of the prayer-book. In order to elucidate the meaning and origin of each observance connected with divine worship throughout the year, he made use of all the works concerning the rites he could obtain, some of which were very rare. In addition he gave a systematic exposition of the Hebrew calendar, but at the same time, he lays no claim to any originality. He certainly succeeded, as no one did before him, in writing a commentary which is very valuable, if not altogether indispensable, to the student of Jewish ritual.

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