Rav Yitzchok Alfasi zt"l
הרב יצחק בן יעקב אלפסי זצ"ל
Iyar 10 , 4864
Rav Yitzchok Alfasi zt"l
Rabbi Yitzchok Alfasi, one of the greatest of the early codifiers of Jewish Law, whose name is familiar to all students of the Talmud, was born in Kalat ibn Hamad, a village near Fez, in North Africa, in the Jewish year 4773, or 1013 of the Common Era. His name "Alfasi" (or Alfes) means (in Arabic) a native of Fez. He is also known as RIF (from the initials of Rabbi Isaac Fasi).
The RIF studied the Talmud under the famous Rabbinical authorities Rabbenu Nissim and Rabbenu Hananel in Kairwan, a city not far from Fez, which, by virtue of these two great luminaries, was then one of the leading centers of Talmudic learning. Afterwards he returned to Fez, where he became the head of the Jewish community. When his two great teachers passed away (about the year 1050), Rabbi Yitzchok Alfasi became the greatest recognized Talmud authority of his day, which was the second generation after the period of the Geonim came to an end, with the closing down of the great Yeshivos in Bavel.
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Stories of Rav Yitzchok Alfasi zt"l
Once, in his youth, Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov was studying in the Bais Medrash under Rav Doniel Yaffe in Berlin. He studied the works of the Rif on the Talmud diligently, and his soul thirsted for self-perfection. Once, he learned so much in one sitting that his tongue stuck to his palate. He began to daven deep in his heart and cried to Hashem to enlighten him and brighten his darkness. He davened and davened, until he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed. In his dreams he saw the Rif himself. The Rif showed him an image of Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk and told him to travel to the Rebbe, for there he would succeed in attaining his goal.
(Ohel Elimelech 183)