From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Acharonim (Hebrew: אחרונים; sing. אחרון, Acharon; lit. "later ones") is a term used in Jewish law and history, to signify the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present.

The Acharonim follow the Rishonim, the "first ones" - the rabbinic scholars between the 13th and the 16th century following the Geonim and preceding the Shulkhan Arukh. The publication of the Shulkhan Arukh thus marks the transition from the era of Rishonim to that of Acharonim.

According to Orthodox Jewish tradition, scholars in one era within the history of halachic development do not challenge the rulings of previous-era scholars, and hence Acharonim cannot dispute the rulings of rabbis of previous eras unless they find support from other rabbis of previous eras.

The question of which prior rulings can and cannot be disputed has led to efforts to define which rulings are within the Acharonim era with precision. According to many rabbis the Shulkhan Arukh is from an Acharon. Some hold that Rabbi Yosef Karo's Beit Yosef has the halakhic status of a work of a Rishon, while his later Shulkhan Arukh has the status of a work of an Acharon.^{[citation needed]}

• Isaac Abendana, 17th century Sephardic scholar in England
• Jacob Abendana, 17th century Sephardic rabbi in England
• Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, 17th century Dutch scholar and Kabbalist, first Rabbi in the Americas
• Yehudah Leib Alter (Sfas Emes) Gerer rebbe.
• Bezalel Ashkenazi, (Shittah Mekubetzet), 16th century Talmudist
• Chaim Joseph David Azulai, (Chida, Shem ha-Gedolim) 18th century scholar and traveler, pioneered history of rabbinic writings
• Yair Bacharach, (Havvot Yair), 17th century German Talmudist
• Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, (Netziv ; Ha'emek Davar) 19th century head of Volozhin Yeshiva in Lithuania
• Josef Chaim of Baghdad, (Ben Ish Chai) 19th century Iraqi Halakhist, Posek, Kabbalist and communal leader
• Moses ben Jacob Cordovero, (RaMaK) 16th century Holy Land Kabbalistic scholar
• Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, (Michtav Me'Eliyahu) 20th century religious philosopher and ethicist
• Dovber of Mezeritch, (Maggid), 18th century Eastern European mystic, primary disciple of the Baal Shem Tov
• Elijah ben Solomon, (Gra, Vilna Gaon), 18th century Lithuanian Talmudist and Kabbalist, leader of the Mitnagdim, opponent of Hasidim
• Mordechai Eliyahu, Halakhist, posek and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Jacob Emden, 18th century Danish/German scholar and controversialist
• Baruch Epstein, (Torah Temimah), 20th century Lithuanian Torah commentator
• Moshe Mordechai Epstein, (Levush Mordechai), 20th sentury Talmudist and co-head of Slabodka Yehiva
• Yechiel Michel Epstein, (Aruch ha-Shulchan) 19th-20th century halakhist and posek (decisor)
• Jonathan Eybeschutz, 18th century scholar, Dayan of Prague, accused of heresy
• Moshe Feinstein, (Igrot Moshe), 20th century Russian-American legal scholar and Talmudist
• Nosson Tzvi Finkel, (Alter / Sabba), early 20th century founder of Slabodka Yeshiva, Lithuania. Disciples opened major yeshivas in US and Israel
• Kalonymus Haberkasten, 16th century Polish rabbi; Rosh Yeshiva of many early acharonim
• Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi, (Bet Hillel), 17th century Lithuanian scholar
• Samson Raphael Hirsch, 19th century German rabbi, founder of the Torah im Derech Eretz movement
• Yitzchok Hutner, (Pachad Yitzchok), 20th century European-born, American and Israeli Rosh Yeshiva
• Moshe Isserles, (Rema), 16 century Polish legal scholar, author of Hamapah component of the Shulkhan Arukh.
• Yisrael Meir Kagan, (Chofetz Chaim), 20th century Polish legalist and moralist
• Yosef Karo, (Mechaber), 16th century Spanish and Land of Israel legal codifier of the Shulkhan Arukh code of Torah Law
• Abraham Isaac Kook, 20th century philosopher and mystic, first chief rabbi of Palestine
• Judah Loew ben Bezalel, (Maharal), 16th century Prague mystic and Talmudist
• Isaac Luria, (Ari), 16th century Holy Land mystic, founder of Lurianic Kabbalah
• Solomon Luria, (Maharshal), 16th century Posek and Talmudist
• Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, (Ramchal), 18th century Italian philosopher, mystic, and moralist
• Malbim, Meir Lob ben Jehiel Michael, (The Malbim), 19th century Russian preacher and scholar
• Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, (Ohr Sameiach ; Meshech Chochmah) Lithuanian-Latvian Talmudist and communal leader
• Menasseh Ben Israel, 17th century Portuguese/Dutch Kabbalist, diplomat and publisher
• Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro, (Bartenura) 15th century commentator on the Mishnah
• Chaim Rabinowitz Rosh Yeshivah in Telz, Lithuania
• Yisrael Lipkin Salanter, 19th century Lithuanian ethicist and moralist
• David HaLevi Segal, (Taz) 16th century Halakhist, major commentatry on the Shulchan Aruch
• Sforno, 15th, 16th, and 17th century family of Italian Torah scholars and philosophers
  • Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, (Sforno), 16th century Italian scholar and rationalist
• Shalom Sharabi, 18th/19th century Yemenite Sage, Kabbalist and Founder of the Beit El Yeshiva
• Moses Sofer, (Chatam Sofer) 19th century Slovak rabbi
• Chaim HaLevi Soloveitchik ("Reb Chaim Brisker") Rosh Yeshivah in Volozhyn
• Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, 16th century Kabbalist and primary disciple of Rabbi Isaac Luria
• Ovadia Yosef, Iraqi-born Halakhist, posek and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel

• Rabbinic literature
• Eras of history important in Jewish law
• List of rabbis
• History of Responsa: Acharonim

• The Rules of Halacha, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
• The different rabbinic eras, faqs.org
• Torah Personalities and the Times in Which They Lived (MP3s), Rabbi R Y Eisenman
• Early Achronim 5160–5410 (1400–1650) & Later Achronim 5410 (1650), chabad.org
• Mini-biographies from chaburas.org
  • 16th Century
  • 17th Century
  • 18th Century
  • 19th Century
  • 20th Century