Bidspirit auction | Torat HaBayit by the Rashba

Torat HaBayit by the Rashba – Vienna, 1811 – Copy of the Holy Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich of Șimleu, Author of Lechem Shlomo - Torat HaBayit HaAroch, by Rabbeinu Shlomo ben Aderet – the Rashba, with Bedek HaBayit and Mishmeret HaBayit. Vienna, 1811. The Rashba’s fundamental halachic work, dealing extensively with the laws of issur v’heter, kashrut, mixtures, niddah, mikvaot and other areas of Yoreh De’ah. Alongside Torat HaBayit are printed Bedek HaBayit – the critical glosses of Rabbeinu Aharon HaLevi (the Ra’ah) on the Rashba’s rulings – and Mishmeret HaBayit – the Rashba’s responses to these objections. Together, these three works constitute cornerstones of halachic literature and Jewish law. A copy of distinguished provenance: The title page bears the holy handwritten signature of the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich of Șimleu, author of Lechem Shlomo, and the front endpaper bears his official stamp. The holy Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ehrenreich (תרכ”ג–תש”ד), Av Beit Din of Șimleu and author of Lechem Shlomo, was renowned as one of the foremost halachic authorities and disseminators of Torah in Hungary. He was raised in the home of his illustrious grandfather, the holy Gaon Rabbi Avraham Yehuda HaKohen Schwartz, author of Kol Aryeh, and already in his childhood received the blessing of the holy Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Liska. In later years he was close to the holy author of Kedushat Yom Tov of Sighet and was held in extraordinary esteem by the leading Torah and Chassidic figures of his generation. In Șimleu, he headed a large and important yeshiva and raised numerous disciples. He became particularly renowned as an outstanding halachic respondent and posek. It is related that the holy Rabbi Shalom Eliezer Halberstam of Ratzfert, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, would refer halachic questions to him, declaring: “There is no one in the generation who answers questions of Halachah like the Rabbi of Șimleu.” He is also remembered as one of the symbols of the self-sacrifice of Hungary’s rabbinic leaders during the Holocaust. In תש”ד, when the Jewish community of Șimleu was being destroyed, he was given an opportunity to escape to Romania, but refused to abandon the members of his community and chose to remain with them and share their fate. In the final pamphlet he composed during those terrible days, he wrote the poignant words: “It is a time of distress for Jacob, but from it he shall be saved.” Shortly thereafter, he was murdered al kiddush Hashem together with members of his community. The present volume is thus a distinguished copy of a fundamental halachic work from the library of one of the foremost Hungarian halachic authorities – the author of Lechem Shlomo of Șimleu – bearing both his holy handwritten signature and his official ownership stamp. 122 leaves. Approx. 35 cm. Good–very good condition. Worn binding, detached.