Samuel ben Reuben of Béziers

French Talmudist; flourished at the beginning of the fourteenth century. He was one of Solomon ben Adret's numerous correspondents during the religious controversy of 1303-6. He addressed a rimed epistle to Adret, in which he took the part of his relative Levi of Villefranche, while excusing himself for having signed the letter sent by the liberal party to the rabbis of Barcelona, a letter the contents of which, as he said, were unknown to him. He agreed with Adret in forbidding the study of the liberal sciences to young students. According to Gross, Samuel was perhaps a son of Reuben ben Ḥayyim of Narbonne, the uncle of Levi of Villefranche.

Bibliography: Renan-Neubauer, Les Rabbins Français, p. 674; Zunz, Z. G. p. 478; Gross, Gallia Judaica, pp. 105-200.

By Executive Committee of the Editorial Board., A. Peiginsky.