Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon (1283 – c. 1330) (
Hebrew: שם טוב בן אברהם אבן גאון) was a Spanish
Talmudist and
kabbalist.
Biography
Shem Tov was born at
Soria, Spain. From his genealogy given in the preface to his Keter Shem Tov,
Azulai[1] concluded that "Gaon" must have been the proper name of one of Shem Tov's ancestors.
Zunz[2] and
Geiger[3] however, suppose "Gaon" to be the
Hebrew transliteration of "
Jaén", indicating that Shem Tov's family originally came from that Spanish city.[4]
At Safed Shem Tov wrote the following works,[4] of which only the first two have been published:
Migdal Oz, a commentary on
Maimonides'
Mishneh Torah; in this he defends Maimonides against the strictures of
Abraham ben David. The part covering the first volume of Mishneh Torah was printed with the text at Constantinople in 1509; and parts of other volumes, also with the text, at Venice in 1524. Certain rabbis,
Gedaliah ibn Yahya[6] among them, ascribe the Migdal Oz to
Ritva.
Keter Shem Tov,[7] a supercommentary on and continuation of
Nahmanides' commentary to the
Pentateuch (particularly its kabbalistic part); Shem Tov's interpretations differ from those of Nahmanides in many places. Shem Tov says in his preface that at first he had entitled his work "Sitrei Setarim", and that he then revised it and gave it the title "Keter Shem Tov", the work having been completed at
Safed in 1315.
Isaac ben Samuel of Acre (in his Meirat Einayim) violently attacks Keter Shem Tov, saying that most of the author's theories are not those of the older kabbalists, but are simply his own inventions. Keter Shem Tov is printed at the end of
Judah Koriat's Ma'or va-Shemesh,[7] where it is entitled Perush Sodot haTorah; and the preface has been published in
Jehiel Ashkenazi's Heichal Adonai[8] under the title Perush Likkutim.[4]
Badei haAron uMigdal Hananel, a kabbalistic work in five parts, finished in the month of Iyyar, 1325, and named by Shem Tov after his traveling companion, Hananel' b. Azkara, who died before reaching his destination.
A supercommentary on
Meir Abulafia's Ginnat Bitan, a kabbalistic commentary on
Genesis.
A commentary on
Saadia Bekor Shor's kabbalistic poem, which he quotes in his Badei haAron.
Sefer haPe'er, a kabbalistic treatise on
tefillin.
De Rossi[9] declares the author's name to be doubtful, since the manuscript is anonymous; but
Assemani[10] concludes that its author was Shem Tov of
Soria.
Zivchei Tzedek and Rosh haShalishim, mentioned in Badei haAron, while in Keter Shem Tov[11] the author speaks in general terms of his "other works."
In a manuscript containing
piyyutim of various liturgists, there is one written by a Shem Tov b. Abraham, whom L. Dukes[12] supposes to be identical with the subject of this article. But Dukes seems to have distinguished between Shem Tov b. Abraham and Shem Tov of Soria, the author of the Sefer ha-Pe'er. On the other hand, Conforte[13] confusing Shem Tov b. Abraham with Shem Tov Ardotial, wrongly ascribes to the former the
viddui recited on
Yom Kippur in the
Musaf prayer.[4]
The following works are erroneously attributed to Shem Tov b. Abraham ibn Gaon by Wolf[14] and by other bibliographers: Keter Shem Tov (Venice, 1601), a collection of sermons, and Ma'amar Mordekai (Constantinople, 1585), a commentary on
Book of Esther, the author of both works being Shem Tov Melammed; also a kabbalistic treatise by an unknown author on the crowns ("taggin") of the letters.[4]