Samuel ben Meir after his death known as "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for: RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi."
Background
He was born in the vicinity of Troyes, in around 1085 in France to his father Meir ben Shmuel and mother Yocheved, daughter of Rashi. He was the older brother of the Tosafists Isaac ben Meir (the "Rivam") and Jacob ben Meir ("Rabbeinu Tam"), and a colleague of Rabbi Joseph Kara.
Education
He was the son of Rashi’s daughter, Jochebed, and Meir, one of the first Tosafists (one of a school of Talmud commentators originating in Northern France who supplemented the commentary of Rashi, Samuel was the older brother of the famed Rab-benu (Jacob) Tam. Born in Ramerupt, near Troyes, he studied with his father, but more intensively with Rashi himself, who admitted to having occasionally changed his own commentary in favor of his grandson’s interpretation.
Career
Samuel worked as a sheep farmer and wine grower, lived humbly and piously, devoting himself to prayer, study, and the writing of biblical and Talmudic expositions, piyyutim (liturgical poetry) and a Hebrew grammar (Sefer Daikut). His knowledge of the Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate) encouraged hint to participate actively in disputations with Christians.
Samuel ben Meir is known for his devotion to the peshat, or literal understanding of the biblical text, in which he does not hesitate to express very original views. In claiming that the Torah does not require the wearing of tefillin (phylacteries), for example, or that a day according to the Hebrew calendar begins in the morning instead of the evening, he intended not to undermine Jewish religious law, but to clarify how the biblical and rabbinic traditions operate according to separate and distinct principles.
His most noted commentaries are on the Pentateuch, on the scrolls of Esther, Ruth, and Lamentations, and on the Talmudic tractates of Pesahim (chapter 10) and Bava Batra, which have been incorporated in every edition of the Talmud since it was first printed. He draws comprehensively from the Aramaic translation (Targum Onkelos), homilitic, and Talmudic sources, paying special attention to linguistic nuances in the biblical text. His explanations throw light on the realities of Jewish life in medieval Europe, providing a glimpse into the customs and language of his generation of French Jewry. He probably wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, some of which remain in manuscript form today. His style is exacting, erudite, and lucid, tending to the verbose, and shows the unmistakable imprint of Rashi’s influence.