Nissim of Gerona (Ran)

Rabbenu Nissim ben Reuven (Ran) of Gerona was a Spanish rabbi, talmudic commentator, philosopher, and the preeminent Spanish halakhic authority of his generation. His commentaries to the Talmud and to Hilkhot HaRif are central elements of a traditional yeshiva curriculum to this day. He was responsible for the establishment of the yeshiva and beit din in Barcelona. Like his predecessor, Rashba, Ran's renown extended to Jewish communities well beyond Spain, who addressed their questions to him and sought his guidance. He was not inclined toward Kabbalah and tended toward a more philosophical bent in his great ethical work, Derashot HaRan.