Bidspirit auction | Beis Meir, author's  Personal Copy,

Beis Meir, author's  Personal Copy, with Hundreds of Glosses in His Handwriting * Sefer Beis Meir, Even HaEzer Frankfurt an der Oder, 1787. First Edition. — the very volume used by its author, the great Gaon Rabbi Meir Posner, containing hundreds of chiddushim and additions penned in his own holy handwriting. These additions, numbering approximately three hundred and fifty (!!), are substantial enough to amount to a composition of “Beis Meir – Mahadura Basra.” The Beis Meir refers to this singular volume containing his handwritten additions in his sefarim—see Beis Meir Yoreh Deah, siman 187:10: ”See my sefer Beis Meir, for there I explained this properly in siman 117, and I will not repeat the matter, except from what I wrote there on the side of my aforementioned sefer unique to me; I will copy it here.” In this instance, he indeed reproduces two glosses that are found word for word in the margins of the edition we have today. Similarly, in Chiddushei Beis Meir Bava Basra, leaf 142a, he writes: ”See what I wrote on the side of my sefer Beis Meir in siman 145, etc.” The essence of his words is also present in the current volume. Numerous glosses begin with phrases such as: ”I revisited and saw, ” ”I came upon it once more, ” ”again the sefer reached me..., ” ”In this, it seems I was mistaken, ” ”I reviewed the matter anew, ” ”It has since come into my possession..., ” ”I was once again privileged..., ” and ”I found support for my view.” In summary, the present sefer serves as an exceedingly important copy of the foundational text Beis Meir. The author dedicated many years to this work, contributing numerous significant and valuable additions in the margins, while revising, correcting, refining, and clarifying his original words, at times even retracting prior statements. As noted, this volume may also be regarded as a preparation for the publication of ”Beis Meir – Mahadura Basra (revised edition).” Rabbi Meir Posner (c. 1725–1807) was one of the great poskim of the Achronim. He served as Av Beis Din of Mezritch in Poland, Königsberg, and from 1782 as Av Beis Din of Schottland and the Danzig district (succeeding the author of Sidrei Taharah). The Beis Meir was a bridge between two generations of Achronim. He addressed questions to the Noda BiYehuda (Noda BiYehuda Yoreh Deah siman 55), the Pri Megadim sought his approbation for his sefer Ginas Veradim, and the Gedolei Hador of the subsequent generation turned to him with questions, such as Rabbi Akiva Eiger, the Chemdas Shlomo, and the Chayei Adam. He shared a strong bond of friendship with Rabbi Akiva Eiger (who was more than twenty years younger than the Beis Meir), and they corresponded extensively. Rabbi Akiva Eiger revered and honored him, writing to him: “The honorable Rav, the great and true Gaon, crown of holiness, the great one of his people who speaks for his generation, the light of his nation.....” (Shu”t R’ Akiva Eiger, manuscript responsum, siman 85). In one gloss in the present sefer (leaf 6b), the Beis Meir writes: “… As I explained in the kuntress teshuvah of the great Rav Morenu HaRav Akiva Eiger.” In another gloss (leaf 41a), he refers to what he wrote in his sefer “Shifat Chaim”, meaning his sefer Beis Meir Orach Chaim, which is how he refers to it in several places in his sefarim. Beis Meir Even HaEzer This sefer is the first and only one Rabbi Meir Pozner printed in his lifetime. From the time of its printing, it became a sefer yesod in matters of Even HaEzer, and there is no discussion in matters of Even HaEzer which does not cite his words for halachah and practice. The Chasam Sofer writes about the sefer: “The aforementioned great Gaon is a gaon in our generation, and we follow him in most of his rulings” (Shu”t Chasam Sofer Even HaEzer siman 117). “And the gaon Beis Meir — his words are the truth of the Torah; to him shall you hearken” (ibid. siman 110; see also simanim 134, 159). The author of Shu”t Sho’el U’Meishiv writes: “There is none comparable to him among all the commentators on the words of the Shulchan Aruch and the poskim of the Achronim, and one may rely on his words for practical halachah as one relies on a solid foundation” (approbation to Beis Meir, Lemberg edition 1860). Frankfurt an der Oder, 1787. First edition. Page Count: Beis Meir: 150 leaves. Shu”t Tzla’os HaBayis with separate title page: [1], 19 leaves. Size: 35 cm (slightly larger than the usual copies). Condition: Lacking the title page and final leaf; upper portions of the side margins damaged by dampness and wear, with some paper loss, but almost without harm to the notes. Fine new leather binding. Bibliography: Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod no. 200. This holy and important copy was already well-known over a century ago, and Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Naftali Silberberg, Dayan of Warsaw, printed a few select glosses from it in the journal Etz Chaim, issue III (Warsaw, 1919),