Rabbi Zerachya Halevy, the Baal Hamaor
Jews of Provence

Rabbi Zerachya Ha Levy, who was known for his great work, the Baal Ha Maor, was a Spanish Jew who came to Provence as a young man and achieved a reputation there for his genius and scholarship. In the great Jewish tradition of give-and-take intellectual debate, he and his contemporary, the Ravid III, wrote numerous books critiquing each other on many issues in Jewish Law and philosophy. Though he remained somewhat of an outsider among the rabbis of Provence, he brought the Spanish flavor of Torah study to the community and had a distinct and powerful influence.