# Judah ben Nathan

Judah ben Nathan, also referred to by the Hebrew acronym RiVaN, was a gifted French rabbi and commentator on the Talmud in the eleventh to twelfth century, best known for being the son-in-law and pupil of the great commentator Rashi, and to a great extent his continuator.
It was Judah who completed Rashi's commentary on tractate Makkot of the Talmud (from 19b to the end), and who wrote the commentary on Nazir which is erroneously attributed to Rashi. He is also known to have written independent commentaries on Eruvin, Shabbat, Yevamot, and Pesahim. Finally, Halberstam manuscript No. 323 contains a fragment of Judah's commentary on Nedarim.
He also contributed some of the first tosafot (additions) to Rashi's Talmud commentary, pulling out certain points in greater detail. It is generally considered that Judah b. Nathan wrote tosafot to several treatises of the Talmud, and he is mentioned as a tosafist in Haggahot Mordekhai (Sanhedrin, No. 696). He is often quoted in the edited tosafot.
Judah married Rashi's second daughter Miriam, and they had several children. Their son Yom Tov later moved to Paris and headed a yeshiva there, along with his brothers Shimson and Eliezer; their daughter, Alvina, was a learned woman whose customs served as the basis for later halakhic decisions.
vteRashi family tree :
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac Hatzarfati | Isaac Hatzarfati | Isaac Hatzarfati | Isaac Hatzarfati | Isaac Hatzarfati | Isaac Hatzarfati | | |
| | | | | | | | | Samuel | Samuel | Samuel | Samuel | Samuel | Samuel | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rashi | Rashi | Rashi | Rashi | Rashi | Rashi | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | Meir | Meir | Meir | Meir | Meir | Meir | | | Jochebed | Jochebed | Jochebed | Jochebed | Jochebed | Jochebed | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rachel | Rachel | Rachel | Rachel | Rachel | Rachel | | | Eliezer | Eliezer | Eliezer | Eliezer | Eliezer | Eliezer | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | | | Judah ben Nathan | Judah ben Nathan | Judah ben Nathan | Judah ben Nathan | Judah ben Nathan | Judah ben Nathan |
| Samuel ben Meir | Samuel ben Meir | Samuel ben Meir | Samuel ben Meir | Samuel ben Meir | Samuel ben Meir | | | Rabbeinu Tam | Rabbeinu Tam | Rabbeinu Tam | Rabbeinu Tam | Rabbeinu Tam | Rabbeinu Tam | | | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | | | Samson ben Yosef | Samson ben Yosef | Samson ben Yosef | Samson ben Yosef | Samson ben Yosef | Samson ben Yosef | | | Rivam | Rivam | Rivam | Rivam | Rivam | Rivam | | | Solomon ben Meir | Solomon ben Meir | Solomon ben Meir | Solomon ben Meir | Solomon ben Meir | Solomon ben Meir | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | Miriam | | | Samuel of Vitry | Samuel of Vitry | Samuel of Vitry | Samuel of Vitry | Samuel of Vitry | Samuel of Vitry | | | Yom Tov | Yom Tov | Yom Tov | Yom Tov | Yom Tov | Yom Tov | | | Eliezer? | Eliezer? | Eliezer? | Eliezer? | Eliezer? | Eliezer? | | |
| Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | | | Solomon | Solomon | Solomon | Solomon | Solomon | Solomon | | | Abraham of Sens | Abraham of Sens | Abraham of Sens | Abraham of Sens | Abraham of Sens | Abraham of Sens | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Judah ben Yom Tov | Judah ben Yom Tov | Judah ben Yom Tov | Judah ben Yom Tov | Judah ben Yom Tov | Judah ben Yom Tov | | | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | Joseph | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac ben Samuel | Isaac ben Samuel | Isaac ben Samuel | Isaac ben Samuel | Isaac ben Samuel | Isaac ben Samuel | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | | | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | Isaac of Dampierre | | | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | Samson ben Abraham | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | Isaac | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | | | | | | | | | | | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | Rabbeinu Elhanan | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | Rabbi Jacob | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon | | | | | | | | | | | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Samuel of Acre | Samuel of Acre | Samuel of Acre | Samuel of Acre | Samuel of Acre | Samuel of Acre | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan | Samuel ben Elhanan |
Notes:
Rashi's daughters :