Solomon ben-Abraham (Rashba) Adret

Solomon ben-Abraham (Rashba) was a Spanish financier and scholar. His business activities were mentioned regularly from 1263 in the secular archives of the Kingdom of Aragon. Like many Spanish Jewish scholars, he was a wealthy financier whose business activities included providing loans to non-Jews and to the royal treasury. Archives also mentioned his defense of Jews at the civil courts, which required knowledge of fluent Latin and secular as well as Jewish law.

After some years of business activity, he was appointed rabbi of Barcelona and he held that post for the following forty years. He was regarded as the most prominent Jewish scholar and personality in Spain, respected by the secular authorities as well as by the royal House of Aragon. His opinions were sought from all over the Jewish world as well.