Ravid II, His Life and Times
Jews of Provence

Perhaps one of the clearest distinctions between Sephardim and Ashkenazim is their approach to Talmud study. One favors breadth, the other depth. It is the difference between viewing the entire forest or examining the details of each tree. Because Provence was influenced by both cultures, both types of Torah scholarship flourished there and amidst it all arose the Ravid II, a formidable scholar whose exacting eye spared nothing. What emerges is a picture of a vibrant community where Talmud study reigned supreme.