Midrash Rabbah – Vilna, 1878 – Copy of Rebbe Shlomo Shapiro, the Shem Shlomo, With Stamps from His Tenure in Strzyżów

Midrash Rabbah – Vilna, 1878 – Copy of Rebbe Shlomo Shapiro, the Shem Shlomo, With Stamps from His Tenure in Strzyżów
Midrash Rabbah, Parts II-III, on Vayikra-Devarim and Five Megillot. Vilna: the widow and brothers Romm, 1878. Two title pages (the first shortened). Two parts in one volume. Not including Part I (on Bereshit-Shemot).

Copy of Rebbe Shlomo Shapiro, Av Beit Din of Munkacs – many of his stamps on title pages and margins of other leaves, from his tenure as Rabbi of Strzyżów: "Shlomo Shapiro, Av Beit Din of Strzyżów".

Rebbe Shlomo Shapiro, Av Beit Din of Munkacs (1831-1893), first Rebbe of the Munkacs dynasty, son of Rebbe Elazar Shapiro of Lantzut (Łańcut) and grandson of Rebbe Tzvi Elimelech Shapiro of Dinov (Dynów), author of Bnei Yissachar. Son-in-law of R. Shmuel Shmelka of Sassov. In 1858, when his father Rebbe Elazar moved to serve as Rabbi of Łańcut, he was appointed to his place as Av Beit Din of Strzyżów, Galicia. In 1880 he began to serve in Munkacs. He traveled to Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin, Rebbe Meir of Premishlan, Rebbe Tzvi Hirsch of Rimanov, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, the Sar Shalom of Belz and more. His son is Rebbe Tzvi Hirsch Shapiro of Munkacs, the Darchei Teshuvah. His grandson, Rebbe Chaim Elazar Shapiro of Munkacs, the Minchat Elazar, describes his great holiness and the wondrous effects his singing had on his listeners: "Anyone whose soul was sick would be healed immediately, and they would see that while he was singing God's hand was upon him…". He left behind several halachic and aggadic works named Shem Shlomo, but he left the instruction in his will not to publish any of them, since he had not completed them in a state fit for printing, and for another reason he did not disclose. Nonetheless, his teachings were often copied in the book of his son and grandson. In his will, he permitted to write only the following praise in his epitaph: "Did good in religious matters for the town and for individuals".

[2], 2-54, [5]; 2-95, 1-2, 97-120; 1-13; 1-43, [1]; [1], 2-31; [1], 2-31; 1-15 leaves. Missing leaf 3 from the second sequence (before leaf 97). Additional leaves may be missing. 38 cm. Dry paper. Good-fair condition. Stains. Creases and wear. Marginal tears and open tears, some reinforced with paper. Inscriptions and stamps. New binding.