In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “north african medieval rabbi”. Today it says “maghrebi talmudist and posek”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Isaac ben Jacob ( 1013 – 1103 ), called Isaac Hakohen , or the Rif (רי"ף, an acronym for his Hebrew title and name), was a north African medieval rabbi .1He was born near Fes in Morocco .2Rif is an acronym of Rabbi Isaac alFasi and he was known in Arabic as Alfasi ("of Fes").3He is best known to scholars of Judaism for his work of Halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot (ספר ההלכות), considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature.4His code, an abridgement of the Babylonian Talmud , served as one of the "Three Pillars of Halakha" that contributed to the Arba'ah Turim (the "four Pillars" of the Jewish law) and Shulkhan Arukh .5
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16959686.
The opening as it stood in 2010 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen (1013 - 1103) (Hebrew: ר יצחק אלפסי) - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif ( R abbi I saac al- F asi), was a Talmudist and posek (decisor in matters of halakha - Jewish law).He is best known for his work of halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot , considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature .He was born near Fes in Morocco , and spent the majority of his career there, and is therefore known as "Alfasi" ("of Fes" in Arabic ).Blackwell Companion to Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 359784458.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen (1013 - 1103) ( Hebrew : ר' יצחק אלפסי, Arabic : إسحاق الفاسي) - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif ( R abbi I saac al- F asi), was a Moroccan Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of halakha - Jewish law). He is best known for his work of halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot , considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature . He was born in the Algerian city Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad , but spent the majority of his career in Fes , and is therefore known as "Alfasi" ("of Fes" in Arabic ). Blackwell Companion to Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 660627236.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen (1013–1103) ( , ) - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif ( R abbi I saac al- F asi), was an Algerian Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of halakha - Jewish law). He is best known for his work of halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot , considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature . His name "Alfasi" means "of Fez " in Arabic , but opinions differ as to whether he ever lived in Fez. Blackwell Companion to Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 964512044.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Maghrebi Talmudist and posek, commonly referee to as "the Rif" (1013–1103) Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013–1103) ( , ) - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym , the Rif ( R abbi I saac al- F asi), was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of halakha - Jewish law). He is best known for his work of halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot , considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature . His name "Alfasi" means "of Fez " in Arabic , but opinions differ as to whether he ever lived in Fez. Blackwell Companion to Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1176079284.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Maghrebi Talmudist and posek, commonly referee to as "the Rif" (1013–1103) Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013–1103) ( Arabic : إسحاق الفاسي , Hebrew : ר' יצחק אלפסי ), also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym , the Rif ( R abbi I saac al- F asi), was a Maghrebi Talmudist and posek (decider in matters of halakha , Jewish law). He is best known for his work of halakha , the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot , considered the first fundamental work in halakhic literature . Blackwell Companion to Judaism .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1296903417. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “north african medieval rabbi”. Today it says “maghrebi talmudist and posek”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
north african medieval rabbi
Now
maghrebi talmudist and posek
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
