The aggadot of the Babylonian Talmud and some of those of the Jerusalem Talmud with a commentary culled from the commentaries of Rashi and tosafot on the Talmud and from the novellae on the Talmud of Nahmanides, R. Solomon b. Abraham Adret, R. Yom Tov b. Abraham Ishbili, R. Asher b. Jehiel, and R. Nissim b. Reuben Gerondi. The Author consistently and frequently quotes the words of "the Torah scholars," i.e., the commentators of the Talmud and the halakhists, on the aggadah. However, he purposely refrains from giving the explanations of philosophical works, the authors of which he consistently criticizes. Although quotations from early authorities are numerous in the first orders that were published in his lifetime, Zera'im and Mo'ed, his original contribution is extensive (particularly in Berakhot and Shabbat), and only in the remaining orders published by his son R. Levi b. Habib is the original part small and the vast bulk extracts. The commentary also contains quotations from the commentaries of rishonim not otherwise known. In his commentary he gives expression to his religious, social, and cultural aims, and where he sharply criticizes the philosophical school, he relies greatly upon such authorities as Nahmanides and his school, "R. Nissim Gerondi, and R. Hasdai Crescas, whose works he regarded as authentic expositions of the Torah. He seeks to lead the reader to the plain meaning of the text and to simple uncritical faith. He takes every opportunity of stressing what he considers to be the correct outlook on problems of faith, disputing other views. At times one can detect both overt and concealed polemics against Christian views and beliefs.

R. Jacob ben Solomon Ibn Habib (?1445–1515/16), was born in Zamora in Castile, Spain, where he is said to have been a pupil of R. Samuel Valency, and was one of the renowned scholars of Castile, heading a yeshiva in Salamanca which was one of the largest in Spain. On the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 he went to Portugal and before 1501 proceeded to Salonika where he became one of the leading scholars. First he taught in the Calabrian (native) community, and later was appointed rabbi of the Gerush community (of Spanish exiles), a position which he held until his death. His name appears among the first signatories on the early regulations of Salonika. He was personally responsible for some of these regulations, which would even seem to have been formulated by him. He also conducted a yeshivah in Salonika. His contemporaries and successors spoke of him in terms of the highest esteem and referred to him as gedol ha-dor ("the greatest of the generation"), mofet ha-dor ("the wonder of the generation"), and ha-ga'on.

 

Hebrew Description

עין ישראל. : ... נדפס עם תוספת הרבה חדושים ... ועל ראשם ספר בית לחם יהודה ... חלק א-ב.

חלק ב: בית ישראל (יבמות-עוקצין). קץ דף.