Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, known by the acronym Ridbaz (Rabbi Yaakov Dovid ben Ze'ev), was born in Kobrin, in the Grodno province, on 30 Shevat 5605 (February 7, 1845). He was the son of Rabbi Ze'ev Wilovsky and his wife Hendel. Already in his youth he was recognized as a prodigy.

At twenty-three he was elected rabbi of Izabelin. He later served as preacher in Vilna and as rabbi of Bobruisk, of Polotsk in 5643 (1883) and of Vilkomir in 5647 (1887), a post he had to leave because he did not meet a language requirement then imposed on rabbis by law. In 5650 (1890) he became chief rabbi of Slutsk, where in 1896 he founded a noted yeshiva, appointing Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer to head it.

His major work is on the Jerusalem Talmud. He studied it for thirty years, using a copy annotated by the Vilna Gaon, and worked for seventeen years on his commentaries: Chiddushei Ridbaz, a concise commentary in the style of Rashi, and Tosfot HaRid, an extended commentary in the style of Tosafot, published from 5659 to 5662 (1899-1902). In 1900 he travelled to the United States to secure subscriptions, and later dedicated the order of Nezikin to his American supporters. He also wrote Migdal David (1874), Chana David on tractate Challah (1876), responsa (1881), Nimukei Ridbaz on the Torah, and Beit Ridbaz on Pe'at HaShulchan by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov.

In 1903 he was elected chief rabbi of the Russian-American congregations of Chicago, but facing opposition to his efforts to reform kashrut, he resigned after ten months. In 5665 (1905) he moved to the Land of Israel, settled in Safed and founded the Toras Eretz Yisrael yeshiva, which had about a hundred students. He opposed the heter mechira for the Shemittah year and debated it with Rav Kook, with whom he nevertheless shared a deep friendship.

He passed away in Safed on Rosh Hashanah, 1 Tishrei 5674 (October 2, 1913), and is buried in the old cemetery of Safed, near the grave of Rabbi Leib Ba'al HaYissurim.