Tzeidah LaDerech by Yissachar Ber Eilenburg. Prague 1523. Signatures and Glosses (of Rabbi David Oppenheim?)

Tzeidah LaDerech by Yissachar Ber Eilenburg. Prague 1523. Signatures and Glosses (of Rabbi David Oppenheim?)

Rare book In Single edition: Tzeidah LaDerech: Elucidations on the commentaries of Rashi and the Re’em on the Torah, as well as on other commentaries on Rashi. By Rabbi Yissachar bar Eilenburg, author of Be’er Sheva.

A number of unidentified signatures on the title page. Within the book are number of lengthy, handwritten glosses, also unknown. One of the glosses is signed "David" - perhaps from the hand of R' David Oppenheim from Prague, or R' Dovid Dishvak, the "Pardes Dovid".

The book was printed shortly after the author’s demise. The author’s son appends ‘Nusach HaKetavim Mitzfat’ to the front of the book. These are letters from Tzfat’s sages, requesting the author to serve as their town’s Rabbi.

Rabbi Yissachar Ber Eilenburg (Posen, Poland 1550 - Austerlitz, Moravia 1623) was a Polish-Italian Rabbi in the latter half of the 16th Century and beginning 17th Century. Rabbi Yissachar studied in the MaHaral’s Yeshiva. He later studied the revealed aspects of Torah under The Semah, Rabbi Yehoshua Falk Katz and The Ba’al HaLevushim, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe and the hidden parts of Torah under Rabbi Yisrael Srug.

He served as Rabbi of Gorizia and Privial, Italy. Towards the end of his life, he served as Rabbi of Prague. Rabbi Yissachar was referred to by the title of his book, The Be’er Sheva.

Rabbi Yissachar was appointed to serve as Rabbi of Tzfat, but he passed away on his journey to Eretz Yisrael. Some of Rabbi Yissachar’s famed Halachic rulings were regarding women wearing wigs as a head covering, and the custom of spilling Havdalah wine, both of which he opposed.

Rabbi Yissachar’s prominent composition, Be’er Sheva on Shas was regarded in a similar way to Tosafot on tractates and parts of tractates of Talmud Bavli, that do not have the accompanying commentary of Tosafot.

Prague, 1523. Single edition. Yosef and Yehudah Beck Press.

217 leaves. 29 cm. Fair-good condition. Margins of the title page are restored. The first 5 leaves are slightly restored on the corners – some individual words have been completed by photographic means. The final leaf is slightly worn. Some brown stains on a number of leaves in the last quarter-section of the book. Dark paper as is characteristic of Prague’s printers. Antique, simple binding.

Vinograd Prague 309.

Single edition of a rare book!