Rabbeinu Tam (רבינו תם) is the son of Rabbeinu Meir & his wife Yochebed and the grandson of Rashi. He is one of the most famous author of the Tosafists. His real name is Rabbeinu Yakov, but he was called Tam just as in the Bible where Jacob is called Tam. He lived in France in the 12th century and passed away in 1171.
It is told that one time Rashi, his grandfather, was holding him when he was a baby and he touched the tefillin that were on Rashi's head. Rashi then said that he will argue with him about the order of the scripts that are put in the tefillin. When Rabbeinu Tam became a great rabbi he did switch the order of the scripts and there are many sects in Judaism, especaly amongst the hasidim, who after wearing the tefillin of Rashi wear the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam.
Rabbeinu Tam is also attributed to have written Sefer Hayashar (ספר הישר).
His brothers were the Rashbam (רשבם) and the Ribbam (ריבם).
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Last updated: 10-25-2005 04:49:54
