The Ri was a nephew and talmid of Rabenu Tam, but the two were polar opposites in temperament. Rather like Rashi in his gentle nature, he was particularly accepting of those Jews who wanted to return to a Torah life in spite of having converted to Christianity under the threat of the Crusaders. Yet at the same time, the Ri was a fierce proponent of Halachos that drew strong distinctions between Jews and Christians. With this foresight, he insulated the Jewish community from further Christian influence and preserved the Jewish people in catastrophic times.