Torat HaAdam by the Ramban: illness, mourning and recompense
Torat HaAdam (תורת האדם), “The Law of Man,” is the 13th-century work of the Ramban on the laws surrounding the end of life: the treatment of a dying person on Shabbat, confession, burial and mourning.
Quick facts
| Title | Torat HaAdam (“The Law of Man”) |
| Author | Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides) |
| Century | 13th |
| First printing | Istanbul, 1519 (according to Sefaria) |
| Genre | Halakhah (Jewish law) |
Authority
Sefaria notes that the book was considered an essential source of authority, quoted often by medieval scholars and incorporated by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher and Rabbi Yosef Karo into their codes, the Arba’ah Turim and the Shulchan Aruch.
The title
The title Torat HaAdam (likely a reference to II Samuel 7:19) is absent from the work’s manuscripts but appears on the title page of the first printed edition. Other medieval scholars also refer to the work by this title.
Structure
According to Sefaria’s table of contents there is an introduction and four gates: the Gate of Malady (Shaar HaMichush), the Gate of Mortality (Shaar HaSof), the Gate of Mourning (Shaar HaEvel) and the Gate of Recompense (Shaar HaGmul).
Shaar HaGmul
The last gate deals with reward and punishment, theodicy, heaven and hell, and the afterlife. Wikipedia describes it as the last chapter of Torat HaAdam, dealing with eschatology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Torat HaAdam about?
The laws of serious illness, death, burial and mourning, ending with a gate on recompense.
Who wrote it?
The Ramban, in the 13th century.
Sources
- Torat HaAdam, entry and table of contents on Sefaria
- Nahmanides, reference article (English Wikipedia)