Manuscript – Notar Zevachim, important complete work on the halachahs of shechitah and treifah by a contemporary and close associate of the author of Netivot HaMishpat [mentioned many times in the manuscript]. The author’s identity is unknown, but he was clearly a prominent and admired shu”b , who transmits many ancient traditions, some of which [as he himself notes] are not recorded in scholarly literature; they are transmitted directly from teacher to select students only. [Jerusalem, c. 1860-1890, late 19th century].
The author relates many cases in which he himself was directly involved, in which he was present to observe that many ritual slaughterers do not know the relevant halachahs, and in many cases, they caused the public to eat forbidden foods. Likewise, he brings rulings from leading rabbis – not name –
The only rabbi the author mentions is the gaon hador Rabbeinu Ya’akov Loberbaum of Lissa, author of Netivot HaMishpat , whom he asked him many questions at several opportunities. He mentions him in several places:
“I, the writer, attest that I had the following question – there was a sircha k’sadran … and Rabbi Ya’akov of Lissa permitted it …”
“I showed the gaon Rabbi Ya’akov of Lissa … and it was unbelievable to him, had he not seen it himself … and I showed him many, in order … and all the questions were resolved, declaring them kosher. After that, I came into the possession of a manuscript of many dinim , by the pious gaon Rabbi Shneur Zalman, author of the Shulchan Aruch [that is, the Ba’al HaTanya], where I saw …”
“The gaon Rabbi Ya’akov of Lissa shared this line of reasoning with me …”
Content of the sefer : The sefer opens with the author’s preface, the prayer for before slaughtering, ten simanim from the laws of ritual slaughter, and 22 simanim from the laws of treifah . The writer shows astonishing mastery of the fundamental sefarim of the discipline of shechitah u’bedikah : Tevuot Shorr , Beit Avraham , Levushei Srad , Torat Yekutiel , Damesek Eliezer (Lublin, 1646), Chok L’Yisrael (by Rabbi Ch. Kazis), Chatam Sofer , and many more.
He mentions Torat Zevach (Salonika, 1852) by Rabbi Chaim David Chazzan several times. He calls him the “Rishon LeTziyon” – the title Rabbi Chazzan earned about a decade after the first edition was printed. He calls him Chacham Rabbi David Mizrachi [!]”
In one place, the author tells of a case that happened to him with an unfit shochet , and in his genius, he hints to his name in the first letters of the words in the sentence describing the case: [“ר’איתי מ’עשה א’שר י’עשה ש’ו”ב מ’ומחה ו’מובהק א’יש ר’ע ו’בליעל נ’חר ב’שאט נ’פש א’ווזי’ ל’כל י’ראי ע’ירו ז’מן ר’ב [-רמאי שמו ארון בן אליעזר]”]. In another place, he tells an interesting story about this shochet , and hints at his name again, in the same way: “א’שר ר’שעו ו’פעו נ’עשה ב’שאט נ’פש, ל’כן י’תקלל י’מח ז’כר ר’שעים [-ארון בן לייזר]”.
To the best of our examination, this important manuscript has never been published. The National Library has another copy of Notar Zevachim; a comparison has not been made between the two writings.
[138] written pages. 23.5 cm (one leaf is smaller: 14.5 cm). Comments and revisions on the sheets by various writers. Hebrew-language stamps in the margins of some of the leaves.
Overall moderate-fine condition. Wear and adhesions in the margins of the first leaves and several additional leaves. The first leaf is detached with a tear without lack [except for one letter]. Stains. Old binding, detached and blemished.