Yona Gerondi

Rabbenou Yona de Gérone or Yona Gerondi (1200, Gérone - 1264, Tolède (Spain) is a Rabbin and Jewish moralist Spanish of XIIIe century. Cousin of the Ramban, which succeeded to him the head of the community of Gérone.

Biography

One does not know any much on his first years and his formation.
Il is especially famous to have been one of largest despisers of the Guide of stray the and its author, the Rambam (Maïmonide). It went until pronouncing the excommuniation against whoever would read it, by fear that the philosophical influences, menaçantes in this time, cause an unforeseeable wrong to the religiosity of the people.

However, the controversy with Rambam escaped any control, and arrived at the ears of Christian informers. Those, in order to alleviate the conflicts, ordered the public fire of the philosophical writings of Rambam in 1240, and in their great mind of charity, not wanting to cause other controversies, burned quantity of other writings (Four years later, the Talmud would be burned with Paris).
Interprétant this disaster like a divine sign of its error, he proclaimed publicly that all his hostile acts towards Rambam were unjustified and made the wish go to Tibériade, in Ground of Israel for prosterner on the tomb of the Master, in order to beseech his forgiveness, in the presence of ten people, during seven days consecutive.
Il thus left the France in this intention, but following the example Juda Halevi, he died before arriving at destination, in 1264.

He had always maintained close links with his cousin, the Ramban, which had given his/her daughter in marriage to the son of her cousin.
Lorsque Rabbénou Yona died, it was pregnant. The son to which it gave birth was fore-mentioned Yona , on the authority of Ramban, so that he excels in Torah and piety like his grandfather.

Its Work

He founded Yeshivot. He even one of the pupils most remarkable of Rav Shmouel Ben Avraham of Montpellier ( Min Hahar ). It formed in its turn of the many pupils, among most famous Rav Solomon Ben Aderet, Rashba.

He wrote much, in particular comments on certain parts of the Tanakh, on the Pirke Avot , of the " nouveautés" on several treaties of Talmud and its famous books of Moussar:

Iguéret HaTeshouva (Epistle on the repentance)
Shaaré Teshouva (Doors of the repentance)
Sefer will haYira (Book of Fear)

Its comments talmudic were compiled by its pupils under the title of Peroush Rabbenou Yona

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