Zechariah ben Judah Aghmati , also spelled Agamati, was a Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 and Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

ist who lived from 1120 CE - 1195 CE in Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

.

Works

R. Zechariah's major contribution was the Sefer Ha-Ner, a supercommentary on the Halachot of Isaac Alfasi

Isaac Alfasi

for other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...

. The work is extremely significant from a historical perspective as it is the first known compilation work on the Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

. This Shittah Mekubbetzet genre grew in the 12th and 13th century and reached a pinnacle of popularity in the 15th century. His sources are almost all Sephardic and include: R. Chananel ben Chushiel

Chananel Ben Chushiel

Chananel ben Chushiel or Ḥananel ben Ḥushiel , an eleventh-century Tunisian Rabbi and Talmudist, was a student of one of the last Geonim. He is best known for his commentary on the Talmud. Chananel is often referred to as Rabbeinu Chananel - Hebrew for "our teacher, Chananel" .-Biography:"Rabbeinu...

, R. Barukh ha-Sefardi, R. Isaac ibn Ghiyyat

Isaac ibn Ghiyyat

Isaac ben Judah ibn Ghiyyat was a Spanish rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher, and liturgical poet. He was born and lived in the town of Lucena, where he also headed a rabbinic academy. He died in Cordoba.According to some authorities he was the teacher of Isaac Alfasi; according to...

, Joseph ibn Migash

Joseph ibn Migash

Joseph ben Meir ibn Megas or Megas was a Rabbi, Posek, and Rosh Yeshiva in Lucena. He is also known as Ri Megas , the Hebrew acronym for "Rabbi Joseph Megas".-Biography:...

, Maimonides

Maimonides

Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...

' Perush ha-Mishnayot, Rashi

Rashi

Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...

, and Hai Gaon

Hai Gaon

Hai ben Sherira , was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038...

 and the Geonim

Geonim

Geonim were the presidents of the two great Babylonian, Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders of the Jewish community world wide in the early medieval era, in contrast to the Resh Galuta who wielded secular authority...

. The quotes are all in the original, either Hebrew or Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

, and R. Zechariah’s own comments are also in Arabic.

Editions of Sefer ha-Ner

Arranged in reverse chronological order:

• Sefer ha-Ner al Massekhet Shabbat, S. Eidenson Jerusalem, 2010
• Shittah Mekubbetzet Kadmon: sefer ha-ner, massekhet Bava Kamma, ed. Dov Zeev Havlin, Jerusalem, Institute for the Complete Israeli Talmud (Yad ha-Rav Herzog) 2009/10, 358 pp
• Shittah Mekubbetzet ha-Ner, massekhet Bava Batra, Jerusalem, Otzar ha-Poskim 1999
• Shittah Mekubbetzet ha-Ner, massekhet Bava Batra, Jerusalem, Machon Harry Fischel 1987/8, ed. Yekutiel Zalman Cohen, 175 pp
• Sefer ha-Ner al Massekhet Berakhot (ed. Meir David ben-Shem), Jerusalem, Machon Torah Shelemah 1958, 141 pp, linked here
• A digest of commentaries on the tractates Bābhā ķammā, Bābhā meṣīʻā and Bābhā bhātherā of the Babylonian Talmud, ed. Leveen, British Museum 1961

Compilations of commentaries including extracts from Sefer ha-Ner

Arranged by order of tractate:

• Kovetz Rishonim le-Massekhet Moed Katan, ed Nissan Sachs, Institute for the Complete Israeli Talmud 1966
• Ohel Yeshayahu, ed Hillel Mann, Bava Kamma, 2000-1
• M.Y. Blau, Shittat Ha-Kadmonim Bava Metzia, Bava Batra (2 volumes)
• Arba’ah Sefarim Niftahim: Sefer Perushe Rabbenu Hananel u-Vet Medrasho: Bava Batra, ed Cohen, 2002, 544 pp
• Kadmonim al Massekhet Bava Batra, Jerusalem, Agudat Torat Hesed 2004
• Kovetz Sakotah le-Roshi, Bava Batra, Bnei Brak 2003
• Hiddushe ha-R”I Migas le-Massekhet Bava Batra, ed. Shapira, Machon Torani-Sifruti Oraita, 1985, 280 pp
• Hiddushe ha-R”I Migas le-Massekhet Bava Batra, ed. Shapira, Friedman, 1978, 266 pp

Secondary literature

• S. Assaf, "Chelek miPirush Kadmon le-Massekhet Berachot le-Echad mi-Bnei Zemano shel ha-Rambam", in Le-Zikhron R' Z. P. Chayyes, Jerusalem 1933
• Yehoshua Hutner, "Sefer ha-Ner le-Rabbenu Zechariah Aghmati", in Sefer Zikkaron le-R. Yitzchak Yedidyah Frankel, Tel Aviv 1992 (contains first chapter of Bava Kamma)
• C. Z. Hirschburg, Tarbiz 42 (1973)
• Ta Shma Sifrut Haparshanit pp 156-159
• Y. Malchi, "R. Zechariah Aghmati, ha-Ish, Yetzirato, ha-Parshanut, ve-Yachasah le-Ferushei Rashi", Shanan 14 (2009) pp 65-73
• Y. Malchi, "Rashi's Commentary to Tractate Berachot Included in Sefer Haner of R. Zecharyah Agamati" [in Hebrew], Alei Sefer, vol. 17, 1993, p. 85-95.