Bidspirit auction | Shu”t HaRivash – Kushta, 1546–1547

Shu”t HaRivash – Kushta, 1546–1547 – First Edition – Exceptionally Complete Copy First edition of Shu”t HaRivash, the classic responsa of Rabbeinu Yitzchak bar Sheshes (the Rivash), printed in Constantinople, 1546–1547. An exceptionally complete copy of one of the most important early responsa seforim ever printed. The sefer was brought to print by the renowned gaon Rabbi Shmuel Chacham HaLevi , one of the leading chachmei his generation, whose words are cited by the Beis Yosef , the Mahari Basan, the Knesses HaGedolah and other gedolim. The edition includes his glosses on numerous teshuvos of the Rivash. A fascinating feature of this edition is its unique publication history. The sefer was issued in weekly fascicles over the course of forty-seven consecutive weeks , between the years 1546–1547. Subscribers received a new section each week upon payment of their subscription. As a result, most surviving copies are incomplete. The present copy is preserved in unusually complete condition. From the Rishonim to the Acharonim The Rivash (1326–1408) stands at the close of the period of the Rishonim and at the threshold of the Acharonim. His teshuvos became a cornerstone of halachic literature, and their influence is felt throughout the Beis Yosef, Shulchan Aruch, and the major poskim who followed. Containing 618 responsa spanning virtually every area of Torah and halachah, Shu”t HaRivash remains among the most frequently cited seforim in halachic literature. It is difficult to find a major halachic topic in which the Rivash's opinion is not discussed by the leading poskim. The Beis Yosef expressed his reverence for the Rivash in extraordinary terms: “For we are disciples of the Rivash and drink from his waters. Who is like him, a great teacher in Israel? Would that we could fully understand his words, all the more so to disagree with them.”