Bidspirit auction | Responsa Maharam of Rothenburg. First

Responsa Maharam of Rothenburg. First Edition, Prague 1608- Signatures of Rabbi Yitzchak, ABD Zaslav, Brother-in-Law of Rabbi Samson of Ostropol. - She’elot u-Teshuvot of Meir of Rothenburg, one of the foremost Rishonim and the leading Ashkenazic halachic authority of his time. One of the foundational responsa works of the early rabbinic authorities. First Edition. Prague, 1608. This edition contains the responsa known as the “long responsa”, printed here for the first time. In later rabbinic literature they are referred to as the “Prague edition”, in contrast to the “short responsa” first printed in Cremona in 1557 and known as the “Cremona edition.” At the end of the volume appear the famous enactments (takkanot) of Gershom ben Judah, together with enactments instituted by Jacob ben Meir and other early authorities. On the final leaves appears Darkei Teshuvah — “A path of repentance for every sin and transgression, ” attributed to Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yehudah, who received it from Judah the Pious, son of Rabbi Shmuel the Pious, son of Rabbi Kalonymus of Speyer, son of Rabbi Isaac—transmitted through a chain of sages “from teacher to teacher… a tradition reaching back to Moses at Sinai.” The work promises that anyone who has transgressed the commandments of his Creator can consult the sefer and find an appropriate path of repentance corresponding to his sin and thereby find peace for his soul. On the title page and at the head of leaf 14 appear very early signatures: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Yitzchak, son of the late Rabbi Shmuel.”  There is also a contemporary ownership inscription:  “Belonging to the gaon, our teacher Rabbi Yitzchak, son of the gaon our teacher Rabbi Shmuel, Av Beit Din of the holy community of Zaslav.” It appears that the signer is the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak of Zaslav, Av Beit Din of Zaslav, brother-in-law of the Holy kabbalist Rabbi Samson of Ostropol, as he was the son-in-law of his father Rabbi Pesach. Many followed the mistake of Rabbi Yosef Lewinstein of Serock, who wrote that the rabbi in question was Rabbi Yitzchak son of Rabbi Yedidya, Av Beit Din of Terebovlya, the publisher of Shivrei Luchot by Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Nemirov, and that he was the son-in-law of Rabbi Pesach. However, the introductions to the modern editions of Nitzotzei Shimshon and Sefer Karnayim have demonstrated clearly that this is incorrect, and that two different rabbis named Yitzchak were involved. Rabbi Yitzchak, Av Beit Din of Zaslav, fled the city during the Khmelnytsky Uprising of 1648, and was later appointed maggid meshayrim  in Zolkiew. On the verso of the title page appears another early inscription : “I am a worm and not a man, the reproach of mankind and despised by the people — Yitzchak son of Samson HaKohen, of blessed memory.” Notably, this edition of the responsa of Maharam of Rothenburg was brought to print by Rabbi Yitzchak Katz, son-in-law of Judah Loew ben Bezalel. This is recounted in the introduction to the responsa of Yair Chaim Bacharach. It is also alluded to on the title page by the phrase: “And Yitzchak sowed in that year and found a hundredfold.” The keen-eyed bibliographer Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai - the Chida noticed that the acrostic formed by the opening words of each line in the publisher’s unsigned introduction spells out the statement: “I am a worm and not a man, the reproach of mankind and despised by the people — Yitzchak son of Samson HaKohen, of blessed memory , son-in-law of the great gaon Rabbi Leib…” As he writes in Shem HaGedolim (entry under “M”): “I saw in the introduction to Chavot Yair that the introduction to these responsa of Maharam was written by the gaon Rabbi Yitzchak HaKohen, son-in-law of the Maharal of Prague. Later I examined it carefully and found that it is hinted within the introduction itself, whose initial letters form this statement…” Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, no. 264. 2, 5-114 Leaves. 28.8 cm.