meforshim

Meforshim is a Hebrew word meaning "commentators" (or roughly meaning "exegetes"), and is used as a substitute for the correct word perushim which means "commentaries". In Judaism this term refers to commentaries by the commentators on the Torah (five books of Moses), Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, responsa, even the siddur (Jewish prayerbook), and more. Classic Torah and/or Talmud commentaries have been written by:

Geonim

Saadia Gaon, 10th century Babylon

Rishonim

Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki), 12th century France
Abraham ibn Ezra
Nahmanides (Moshe ben Nahman)
Samuel ben Meir, the Rashbam, 12th century France
Rabbi Levi ben Gershom (known as Ralbag or Gersonides)
David ben Joseph Kimhi, the Radak, 13th century France
Joseph ben Isaac, the Bekhor Shor, 12th century France
Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi, the RaN, 14th century Spain
Isaac ben Judah Abravanel (1437-1508)
Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, 16th century Italy

Acharonim

The Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, 18th century Lithuania
The Malbim, Meir Lob ben Jehiel Michael

Classic Talmud commentaries have been written by Rashi. After Rashi the Tosafos were written, which was an omnibus commentary on the Talmud by the disciplies and descendants of Rashi; this commentary was based on discussions done in the rabbinic academies of Germany and France. Modern Torah commentaries which have received wide acclaim in the Jewish community include:

Orthodox:

Ha-Ketav veha-Kabbalah by Rabbi Yaakov Zwi Meckelenburg
Haemek Davar by Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
Torah Temimah of Baruch ha-Levi Epstein
The Torah commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
Sefat Emet (Lips of Truth), Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger, 19th century Europe
The "Pentateuch and Haftarah" by Joseph H. Hertz
Nehamah Leibowitz
The Chofetz Chaim

Conservative Judaism:

The five volume JPS Commentary on the Torah by Nahum M. Sarna, Baruch A. Levine, Jacob Milgrom and Jeffrey H. Tigay
Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary by David L. Lieber, Harold Kushner and Chaim Potok

Modern Siddur commentaries have been written by:

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan HaCohen, The Chofetz Chaim's Siddur
Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Siddur, Feldheim
Elie Munk, The World of Prayer, Elie Munk
Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Siddur, Mesorah Publications
Reuven Hammer, Or Hadash, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
My Peoples Prayer Book, Jewish Lights Publishing, written by a team of non-Orthodox rabbis and Talmud scholars.

Meforshim

See also