Background
He was born in Narbonne in 1125.
He was born in Narbonne in 1125.
Abraham ben David studied in Lunel.
He lived for many years in Posquières, near Nîmes, where he established a Talmudic academy, that attracted students from far and near. It is known that for a time (1172-1173), he had to flee Posquières because of the enmity of the local ruler, but he soon returned and resumed his activities.
Abraham was the outstanding rabbinic authority of his time in western Europe and queries were referred to him for his ruling from many countries. He enjoyed considerable affluence (possibly through his dealings in textiles) and helped to maintain his academy and subsidize its students.
His literary activity was varied and included codification of rabbinic law, critiques of his predecessors, Talmudic commentaries, homiletics, and responses to legal queries. He was the first scholar to comment on legal literature other than the Talmud.
Abraham was an outstanding critic of Moses Maimonides, and immediately on the publication of the latter's code, Mishneh Torah, wrote a detailed criticism of it, also incorporating approbation for those sections with which he concurred.
Among his objections were Maimonides’ failure to indicate his sources and his pioneering formulation of dogmas of Judaism, which Abraham felt to be contrary to Jewish tradition. He also wrote glosses on the codes of Isaac Alfasi and Zerahiah ben Isaac ha-Levi, and was known as ba’al hassagot (“Preeminent Critic”).
Abraham feared that the appearance of codes would lead to the neglect of the Talmud, although he himself was the author of codifications, that concentrated on practical issues. Not all his writings have been preserved, while some have survived by virtue of their having been incorporated in the works of later authorities.
The rabbis told many stories about Abraham. According to one of the best-known, Abraham was left alone with the idols of his father, Terah. Taking an ax, he destroyed all of them except the largest, in whose hands he placed the ax. When his father saw the damage, he asked, who was responsible, and Abraham told him that the remaining idol had shattered all the rest, adding, “If you don't believe me, ask him.” His father said angrily: “You are telling lies. These are only wood and stone which I made myself,” to which Abraham responded, “So how can you worship these idols who have no power to do anything?”
A similar story is told about Abraham destroying the idols of King Nimrod. Nimrod in his fury ordered Abraham’s imprisonment and sentenced him to burn in a great furnace. He was delivered by the angel Gabriel and emerged alive. The princes of Nimrod in reaction acknowledged the One God of Abraham. Because of Abraham’s proselytizing activity, he was seen in Jewish tradition as the father of all proselytes, and to this day all converts to Judaism are called “son [or daughter] of Abraham.”