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:
  • Sefat Emet (Lips of Truth), Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger, 19th century Europe
  • Haemek Davar by Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
  • Torah Temimah of Baruch ha-Levi Epstein
  • The Torah commentary of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch
  • 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.

See also

• Torah
• Torah study
• Rabbinic literature