Judah ben Yakar (d. between 1201 and 1218) was a rabbi and talmudist.
Born in Provence, he later studied under Isaac ben Abraham of Dampierre in northern France.Lekutot HaRamban, Pesachim 117b s.v. veani omer Surviving documents place him in Barcelona in 1175, and establish that he died between 1201 and 1218.
He was the teacher of Nahmanides (Ramban), and through him Nahmanides learned the scholarship of the Tosafists. He is quoted frequently in the works of Nahmanides, and occasionally in those of Shlomo ibn Aderet (Rashba), Yom Tov Asevilli (Ritva), and others.For example: Chiddushei HaRamban to Kiddushin 22a, 26a, 27a, 65b, 75b; Chiddushei haRashba Bava Batra 82a; Chiddushei HaRitva Bava Batra 82b; and many others He was known as "a great storehouse of the two Talmuds".Shut HaRashbash, 89 He wrote a commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud - apparently the first such commentary - which is no longer extant.Shut Harashba 1:523; Tashbetz, Magen Avod 4:11 (p.67) According to some, he also wrote a commentary to the Babylonian Talmud, but this too is lost.שלם יהלום, ר' יהודה בר יקר – תולדותיו ומקומו במשנת הרמב"ן, סידרא יז, תשס"א-תשס"ב, עמ' 88. He wrote a commentary on the prayer liturgy, known as Maayan Ganim, which was often quoted by later rishonim, particularly David Abudirham.
According to Gershon Scholem and Moshe Idel he was one of the earliest kabbalists, but Haviva Pedaya disagreed.גרשם שלום, "לחקר קבלת רבי יצחק בן יעקב הכהן" תרביץ ג תרצ"ב, עמ' 277; משה אידל רמב"ן: קבלה הלכה ומנהיגות רוחנית, תרביץ סד, תשנ"ה, עמ' 542; חביבה פדיה, הרמב"ן - התעלות: זמן מחזורי וטקסט קדוש תל אביב תשס"ג עמ' 89, הע' 5.
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