Shmuel ben Ali ha-Levi (Hebrew: שמואל בן עלי הלוי, also Samuel ben Ali ibn al-Dastur; died 1194) was the most noteworthy of the twelfth-century Babylonian scholars[1] and the only one of his era whose written works have survived in any significant number.
[2] Samuel served as head of the academy in Baghdad for nearly thirty years and was a recognized leader of neighboring countries as well.
[3][4] He appointed judges throughout Iraq, Iran, and Syria,[5] and presided over many congregations throughout Asia.
His Talmudic lectures were attended by thousands of pupils, each who had undergone a preparatory course in advance.
[8] Samuel wrote glosses to Maimonides’ works,[9] and the latter addressed them in a letter to his student, Joseph b.