Bidspirit auction | Responsa Naḥalat Shiv‘ah. Fürth (Fuerda),

Responsa Naḥalat Shiv‘ah. Fürth (Fuerda), [1692]. First edition - Responsa Naḥalat Shiv‘ah. By the Gaon Rabbi Samuel ben Rabbi David Moshe ha-Levi. Fürth (Fuerda), [1692]. First edition. An important responsa work by Rabbi Samuel ha-Levi, among the prominent Ashkenazic halakhic authorities of the late seventeenth century, known to posterity by the title of this book, Naḥalat Shiv‘ah. Presented here is the first edition of the responsa section. On the title page it is explicitly stated: “The second part of the book Naḥalat Shiv‘ah, called ‘Responsa’”—that is, this volume constitutes the first appearance in print of the responsa themselves. The author — Rabbi Samuel ha-Levi (5384–5441 / 1624–1681): A leading disciple of the author of the Taz (Rabbi David Segal), and a student of Rabbi Shabbethai Sheftel Horowitz, son of the Shelah ha-Kadosh. He served as rabbi in several important communities, including Halberstadt, Bamberg, and Steinbach. His work Naḥalat Shiv‘ah became a foundational text in Ashkenazic responsa literature, and his name became synonymous with the book. Printed in Fürth in the year 5452 [1692], one of the major centers of Hebrew printing in Germany, the book reflects the halakhic world of post-Rishonim Ashkenaz. [2], 46 leaves. Height: 20 cm. Condition: very good. Light age staining. Binding: worn.