Bidspirit auction | The ”Tur” of the Resh

The ”Tur” of the Resh Galuta, the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger; a long gloss in his own sacred handwriting - Set of Arba'ah Turim – Orach Chaim, Yoreh De'ah, Choshen Mishpat, and Even Ha'ezer. Most of the volumes printed in Berlin, 1702. The personal copy from which—and literally upon which!—the genius of the generations, our master Rabbi Akiva Eiger, wrote his famous novellae on the Shulchan Aruch, which illuminated the Torah with brilliance. At the beginning of the Choshen Mishpat volume appears the sacred autograph of the Gra”AkE (Rabbi Akiva Eiger) in Latin letters: ”AKIWA GINZ” [–Akiva Ginz]; and on the rear flyleaf of Choshen Mishpat appears an ownership note in the handwriting of a disciple of the Gra”Ake: ”Belongs to the great and renowned gaon throughout the Jewish world, the head of the diaspora, the pious and humble, the perfect Torah scholar, our master Rabbi Akiva N... Av Beit Din of the holy community of Poznan, may it be established and built. And as testimony, I sign, his disciple who clings to the dust of his sacred feet, Mordechai P...” Sensational discovery: on folio 56a of that volume, a beautiful marginal gloss of approximately [10] lines, about [40] words, in the distinct sacred handwriting of the Gra”Ake, has been identified. The gloss underwent professional comparison and was definitively matched to the known handwriting of the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger [see attached certification], and this is the sacred text in his own hand: ”On folio 124b there, Rabbi Yochanan said it is clear, the firstborn does not receive a double portion in a loan. But according to Rabbi. Didn’t he say heir to a debt receives a double portion both in a loan and in interest, and why not resolve that there it deals with a promissory note, and this would explain and also explain why he doesn’t challenge from that baraita...” It is known that every word issued from the sacred quill of the Gra”Ake is weighed and measured with utmost precision. Rabbi Chaim Halevi Soloveitchik of Brisk would scrutinize the words of the Gra”Ake as he did those of the early sages, and the Gaon of Tchebin declared that if the Gra”Ake brings a proof from the Gemara, one may still debate it, but if he writes based on reasoning, there is no room to dispute him! Here we have about [40] words in the distinct sacred handwriting of the Gra”Ake, which to the best of our research, have never been published. On the remaining three volumes in the set [Orach Chaim, Yoreh De’ah, and Even Ha’ezer] there also appear numerous annotations, signatures, and glosses. Among them are autographs from prominent associates of the Gra”Ake: On Tur Orach Chaim appears the signature of Rabbi Michel of Lissa, one of the closest associates of the Gra”Ake; on Tur Even Ha’ezer appears the signature of Rabbi Meir Neipfeld, parnas of the city of Poznan, who was likewise very close to the Gra”Ake; and on Tur Yoreh De’ah appear many glosses, some of which resemble known manuscripts of the Gra”Ake. Details: Four thick volumes, approx. 35 cm. Overall condition: Good-moderate. Ancient bindings. The complete set originates from the collection of the Yashar Zilberberg family [his stamps appear in the books], who were known to possess many manuscripts from Rabbi Akiva Eiger, and he even published previously unknown writings of the Gra”Ake. (See: WINNERS Catalog, Auction 147, Lot 27, “Sefer Machtzit HaShekel by Rabbi Akiva Eiger, ” which also came from the Yashar Zilberberg collection and contains a long gloss by the Gra”Ake, in the same handwriting as the gloss before us). Included is a certification from the handwriting expert, the righteous Rabbi Yitzchak Yeshaya Weiss, Av Beit Din of Neve Achiezer and editor of the journal Tzefunot for manuscript research [whose expert opinion is required by collectors and auction houses], confirming with his signature that he examined the sacred handwriting of the Gra”Ake before us, and found a definitive match with his known manuscripts. Biography: The Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger (1760–1837) – who can fully recount his greatness, a wondrous and exceptional figure among our recent sages. As Rabbi Chaim Berlin wrote of his father the Netziv of Volozhin: “And I hereby testify truthfully that the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger was held as exalted and holy in my father’s eyes, and whenever he mentioned him, his whole body would tremble from the awe of his holiness and righteousness. His responsa never left his table, and a single phrase from Rabbi Akiva Eiger would outweigh many pages of scholarly analysis.” So too, Rabbi Zvi Sorotzkin wrote of his father-in-law, the Gaon Rabbi Eliezer Gordon of Telz: “Although he considered the words of the later authorities in all his Torah paths, he still critiqued and disagreed with them – except for the Gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger, of blessed memory, whom he regarded almost like an early authority.” In the words of his grandson, the Ketav Sofer,