Yonah Gerondi

Jonah ben Abraham Gerondi ( * 1200 in Girona, † 1263 in Toledo) was a medieval Spanish rabbi and moralist.

In his youth Gerondi studied in yeshivot in southern France at Moses ben Schneur and his brother Samuel of Evreux, and later with Solomon ben Abraham of Montpellier. As this in 1232 as part of the Maimonidesstreits attacked the philosophical works of Maimonides, Jonah followed his teacher and became one of the fiercest opponents of these works, which were eventually burned according to the tradition of the Dominican Inquisition. Jonah returned from Provence back to his native Girona and began publicly his Torat ha - Musar to preach ( " teaching on moral behavior "). He later left Girona and settled in Barcelona where many students studying with him, including Solomon ADRET, later rabbi of Barcelona. In advanced age he wanted to take a trip to the Holy Land, but was stopped and asked to spend a year or two in their city on the way to Toledo by members of the local community. He came to this desire for, built in Toledo a large yeshiva and died here.

Jonah was famous both as a scholar and as "the father of virtues" piety, humility and asceticism. In his ethical books, he criticized the numerous Spanish Jews who neglected the religious commandments, and announced a " ban against concubines ". He condemned the actions of despots and tyrants and the Jewish landowners in Spain, which small farmers were to force them from their land. Among his works are a commentary on the Book of Proverbs, a commentary on the sayings of the Fathers and short stories to various Talmudic treatises. Gerondi was in contact with major Jewish scholars of his time. With Itzhak Sagi Nahor, the son of Abraham ben David of Posquières, he talked about issues of Kabbalah.

His most important work, the Scha'are Teschuba were (Gates of Repentance ).

Jonah Gerondi was a relative of Nahmanides.