The Early Acharonim

The closing years of the fifteenth century marked the beginning of a new era. Spain, Portugal, and France had disappeared; and Italy and Germany were dimming, but Torah greatness was finding new homes. Poland, Bohemia, and Moravia were coming to the fore in Europe, as were Eretz Yisrael and Turkey in the Middle East. Other countries, too, were proving the eternal validity of the Divine promise that the words of the Torah would never depart from the mouths of Israel. New golden eras were in the making in new lands.

This book tells the story through the lives and accomplishments of those who made it happen. It presents the sages and leaders who taught and shaped the continuing destiny of Israel.

This book has been exhaustively researched and includes maps, charts, and indices, among them in index matching authors with their most important works. In addition, it contains an introduction providing a historical perspective on the spread of Jewish settlement and the development of new communities.