Bidspirit auction | Talmud Bavli with Original Glosses

Talmud Bavli with Original Glosses of Rabbi Bezalel HaKohen of Vilna, as Printed in the Vilna Shas! Includes a Lengthy Gloss in the Handwriting of His Brother, the Cheshek Shlomo! * A volume containing the masechtos Rosh Hashanah, Yoma, Taanis, and Moed Katan from the Talmud Bavli. The personal Gemaros studied by the leading Rav of Vilna - Rabbi Bezalel HaKohen of Vilna, author of the glosses on Shas. This volume contains over 25 glosses, emendations, and notes, some of them lengthy and of significant content, in the characteristic handwriting of the gaon Rabbi Betzalel HaKohen. The present glosses are the very same famous glosses that were printed under the title 'Mar’eh Kohen' in the renowned Vilna Shas, a cornerstone of study that remains on the tables of Torah learners to this very day! The glosses of Mar’eh Kohen include both important textual emendations - some of which were incorporated into the text of the Gemara as known today - as well as talmudic insights on the Talmud and its commentaries. Rabbi Bezalel merited that his foundational glosses were published in the third edition of the Vilna Shas (printed between 1880–1886). This is the famous ”Vilna Shas” which was enthusiastically received by Talmidei Chachamim. These glosses are printed today in all editions! Only some of the glosses found here were printed in the Vilna Shas, and even those that were, are often phrased differently (and conversely, a few glosses printed there are not found in this copy). One gloss is dated 1877: “...And based on this, an exceptional idea occurred to me on the night of Yom Kippur in the year 1877, with G-d’s help, to explain the statement of the Sages…” (Yoma 86a). Following a lengthy gloss in Rosh Hashanah (leaf 30a) in the handwriting of Rabbi Bezalel HaKohen, there appears a lengthy addition on the same topic in the handwriting of his brother, the gaon Rabbi Shlomo HaKohen of Vilna, known by his glosses on Shas titled Cheshek Shlomo! This gloss of Rabbi Bezalel was not printed in the Vilna Shas, while Rabbi Shlomo’s gloss was printed there in altered form. In his words, the Cheshek Shlomo writes: “And in the chiddushim of my brother, the gaon zt”l, I saw…” - a clear reference to Rabbi Bezalel’s gloss that appears here, on the same topic, which, as noted, was not printed there! On the final leaf are several additional lines in the handwriting of Rabbi Shlomo HaKohen, dated at the beginning: “Year 1895” (without completion). Several leaves bear ownership stamps of Rabbi Betzalel HaKohen. A handwritten inscription on the final page reads: “This Gemara belongs to the great Rav and gaon, eminent and renowned, Rav of the Diaspora, our master and teacher, the honorable Rabbi Betzalel HaKohen, may he be well, moreh tzedek and Rav of the holy community of Vilna, may it be built and established.” Provenance: From the archives of the Chazon Ish, from his years of study in Vilna. Description of the Volume: [4] masechtos in one volume, Vilna 1862–1863. Rosh Hashanah: [2], 2–55 leaves. 13 glosses. Yoma: [2], 2–107, 111–118, 118–119 leaves. 11 glosses. Taanis: [1], 2–39, 2–3, 3–6 leaves. 2 glosses. Moed Katan: [1], 2–45, 45–46; 1–3; [1], 280–281, 281–282 leaves. 2 glosses. Some glosses are brief, containing textual corrections, while others are quite lengthy and extend across the margins of the page. Size: 37.7 cm. Condition: Good overall. Some glosses are difficult to decipher due to ink spreading. Two leaves are bound out of order. Light repair to title page. Rabbi Bezalel HaKohen of Vilna (1820–1878) was a prodigy from his youth. His brother, the Cheshek Shlomo, testified that by age 11 he had mastered two Sidrei Shas “in great depth” (in his introduction to Shu”t Binyan Shlomo). At 23, he was appointed as a moreh tzedek in the community of Vilna and his name became well-known in Klal Yisrael. He devoted himself to every aspect of communal life in Vilna: issuing halachic rulings, granting semicha, taking care of the eiruv, and addressing all the city’s needs. He authored a vast number of halachic teshuvos sent to all corners of the globe, yet of his Torah legacy, only a small portion has survived: His sefer Reishis Bikurim, and his glosses on Shas under the title Mar’eh Kohen. A few surviving teachings of his Torah were printed in various sefarim and some were printed for the first time in recent years. The Cheshek Shlomo – Rabbi Shlomo HaKohen of Vilna (1828–1906) - grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Rabbi Bezalel HaKohen. From 1865 he served as second moreh tzedek of Vilna, and after his brother’s passing, he become the main moreh tzedek for many decades, emerging as one of the preeminent halachic authorities. Among his works are: Cheshek Shlomo glosses on Shas, Shu”t VeChiddushim Binyan Shlomo, Shu”t Atzei Beroshim, and others. Glosses on Shas by Two Torah Giants In addition to his greatness in Torah and halachah,