Judah haLevi (also Yehuda Halevi or ha-Levi; Hebrew: יהודה בן שמואל הלוי, romanized: Yəhūḏā ben Šəmūʾēl ha-Lēvī; Arabic: أبو الحسن يهوذا اللاوي, romanized: Abū-l-Ḥasan Yahūḏā al-Lāwī; c. 1075–1141) was a Sephardic Jewish poet, physician and philosopher. HaLevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew-language poets and is celebrated for his secular and religious poems, many of which appear in present-day Jewish liturgy.
Judah haLevi was born in either Tudela or Toledo in Al-Andalus, then under Almoravid rule. Although little is known about his early life or education, it is clear that he was well-versed in Arabic, Hebrew, and classical sciences, including medicine and philosophy. In his youth, he began composing Hebrew poetry, and his reputation eventually reached Moses ibn Ezra in Granada. After initial difficulties in traveling due to political shifts, haLevi was able to establish literary connections across major Jewish centers in al-Andalus.
HaLevi's poetic corpus includes a wide array of genres, including panegyrics, friendship poems, wine songs, riddles, didactic verse, and wedding poems.
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