Bidspirit auction | Sefer Mikveh Yisrael – Responsa

Sefer Mikveh Yisrael – Responsa of the Italian Sages Who Invalidated the Rovigo Mikveh, Edited by Rabbi Yehudah Saltaro of Fano. Venice, 1607. Sole Edition. - At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a major halachic controversy erupted among the rabbis of Italy regarding the kashrut of the mikveh in the city of Rovigo. Water had been drawn into it through a perforated vessel, leading to fierce disagreement: some authorities prohibited it, while others permitted it. The dispute became so intense that the sages of Italy divided into two camps—the forbidding party and the permitting party. The present work is the published manifesto of the prohibiting camp, engaging in sharp polemic against the rulings of those who permitted the mikveh. On leaf 83, the author writes that Rabbi Menachem Azariah of Fano (the Ram”a mi-Pano), whose signature appears at the conclusion alongside those seeking to quiet the dispute with the permitting rabbis, was in truth aligned with the prohibiting camp. On leaf 85 appears a list of thirty-five rabbis who ruled against the mikveh. Included is a scholarly article concerning this fascinating controversy, in which many of the leading sages of the generation took part. 85 leaves. 18.5 cm. Fine white paper. Condition: Good to very good. Minor worming. New half-leather binding.