Rashbam

From Freepedia

Rabbi Shmuel the son of Meir (1085-1174), more commonly known by the acronym RaSHBaM, was the grandson of Rashi and was a biblical commentator and Talmudist.

The Rashbam was born in France, in somewhere close to Troyes. He learned from his grandfather, Rashi and from the Riva.

His commentary on the Torah is renown for its stress on the plain meaning of the text, and this approach often led him to state views that were somewhat controversial (thus resulting in the omission of his commentary on the first chapters of Bereishit in many earlier editions of the Chumash). Parts of his commentary on the Talmud have been preserved, and they appear on the pages of most of tractate Bava Batra (where no commentary by Rashi is available) as well as the last chapter of tractate Pesachim. He was the teacher of his brother Rabbeinu Tam.