Nissim ben Jacob

Nissim ben Jacob (Hebrew: ניסים בן יעקב), also known as Nissim Gaon (Hebrew: רבנו נסים גאון, lit. 'Our teacher Nissim the Gaon'; 990–1062), was a rabbi and Gaon best known today for his Talmudic commentary ha-Mafteach, by which title he is also known.

Rav Nissim ben Jacob
ניסים בן יעקב
Title	Gaon
Personal
Born	990
Died	1062
Religion	Judaism
Parent	Jacob ben Nissim (father)
Era	10th-11th centuries
Notable work(s)	Sefer mafteaḥ le-manʻ ūlei ha-talmūd, Siddur Tefillah, Sefer ha-Mitzvot, Hilkhot Lulav, Megillat Setarim, Sefer Ma'asiyyot ha-Hakhamim wehu Ḥibbur Yafeh meha-Yeshu'ah
Teachers	Chushiel, Jacob ben Nissim
Known for	Talmudic commentary ha-Mafteach
Other names	Nissim Gaon, רבנו נסים גאון
Senior posting
Based in	Kairouan, Tunisia
Students Isaac Alfasi

Not to be confused with Nissim of Gerona.

Biography

Rav Nissim studied at the Kairouan Yeshiva, initially under his father, Jacob ben Nissim, who had studied under Hai ben Sherira and then Chushiel, who succeeded as head of the yeshiva. Nissim himself later became head of the yeshiva; in this capacity he is closely associated with Chananel ben Chushiel. His most famous student is probably Isaac Alfasi. Nissim maintained an active correspondence with Hai ben Sharira and with Samuel ibn Naghrillah, whose son Joseph married Nissim's only daughter in 1049.

Chushiel

Jacob ben Nissim

Nissim

Isaac Alfasi

  Teachers

  Students

Works

The commentary Sefer mafteaḥ le-manʻ ūlei ha-talmūd (Hebrew: "The book of the key to unlocking the Talmud"; often, simply ha-Mafteach, (The Key), linked here) is essentially a Talmudic cross-reference. In it Rav Nissim identifies the sources for Mishnaic quotes, identifying obscure allusions to other places in Talmudic literature. He quotes from the Tosefta, Mekhilta, Sifre, Sifra, and from the Jerusalem Talmud, the explanations of which he sometimes prefers to those of the Babylonian Talmud. Nissim did not confine himself to quoting references, he also discusses these in connection with the text; this work is thus also a commentary. The work was written on several tractates, and is printed, in many editions, on the page itself.

Nissim also wrote other works, some of which have been lost, but which are quoted by later sages:

• "Siddur Tefillah", a siddur (prayerbook)
• A commentary on the Torah (now lost)
• A "Sefer ha-Mitzvot" on the commandments (now lost)
• "Hilkhot Lulav" a polemic against the Karaites (now lost)
• "Megillat Setarim": a collection of notes concerning halakhic decisions, explanations, and midrashim, primarily a note-book for the author's private use, and published by his pupils probably not until after his death.
• A collection of tales, "Sefer Ma'asiyyot ha-Hakhamim wehu Ḥibbur Yafeh meha-Yeshu'ah": about sixty tales, based upon the Mishnah, Baraita, the two Talmuds, and the midrashic writings; and written at the request of Nissim's father-in-law, Dunash, on the loss of his son. This is translated into English as "An Elegant Compilation concerning Relief after Adversity" (Bibliography, below)

Literary portrayals

R. Nissim appears as a character in A Delightful Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval Mediterranean, a novel by Burton Visotzky. The novel expands on the few known biographical facts (including the marriage of his daughter). Its title, A Delightful Compendium, derives from "Ḥibbur Yafeh".

See also

• History of the Jews in Kairouan
• History of the Jews in Tunisia

Bibliography

• Nissim ben Jacob ibn Shahin, tr. William M. Brinner, An Elegant Composition concerning Relief after Adversity: Yale 1977 (Yale Judaica Series vol 20) ISBN 0-300-01952-1

External links

• Nissim ben Jacob ben Nissim ibn Shahin, jewishencyclopedia.com
• Nissim ben Jacob, jewishhistory.org
• Sefer ha-Mafteah, Prof. Eliezer Segal
• R' Nissim ben Yaakov z"l, torah.org