“The wonder of the Sanhedrin, the great and sacred Rabbi Baruch … from the remnants of the Great Assembly … he revealed every mystery, and every great secret … Blessed is his honored name … a sacred G-dly Angel; Baruch (“Blessed”) is his name and blessed is he” ( Shu”t Rabbienu Baruch Angel )
Very beautiful and lengthy halachic responsum [29 pages – approximately 10,000 words] by the gaon Rabbi Baruch Angel, among the gedolei hador and rashei yeshivah in Salonika, author of Chiddushei HaRav and Shu”t Rabbi Baruch Angel . [Salonika, early 17th century.] This responsum was printed in his book of responsa, siman 4.
The responsum deals with the halachahs of shidduchim , breaking engagements and the related financial issues. Another sage in the city was asked the same question – Rabbi Shmuel Gaon, who gave his answer. Along the entire length of his responsum, Rabbi Baruch addresses Rabbi Shmuel’s answer with utmost respect. Written at the top of the responsum: “I saw the question and what was decided by the complete sage, the posek , S inai v’oker harim Mar Shmuel. He discussed it in-depth and elaborated upon it, leaving no stone unturned; he dove into mighty waters … ” He concluded: “This is my flimsy, scant opinion, according to what I have been instructed from Heaven as the practical halachah, if it is acceptable to my teachers and rabbis.” Several leaves appear in the margins positively identified as his penmanship and his signature: “The small youth, tiniest of his contemporaries, who sits at the dust of the feet of sages and thirstily drinks of their words, Baruch Angel .
At the end of the responsum, he mentions the gaon Rabbi Chaim Shabtai (Maharcha”sh) with a reference to his being among the living, proving that this responsum was written before 1647, when the Maharcha”sh passed away. Ancient inscription at the top of the responsum: “… Rabbi Baruch Angel’s responsum was printed in his Shu”t Rabbeinu Baruch Angel (Salonika, 1717) siman 4.”
On the title page of this sefer , printed nearly forty years after Rabbi Baruch Angel passed away, the printers write rare and exalted praises, to the extent that there were rabbis (such as Rabbi Daniel Tirani, author of Ikrei HaDa”t ) who deliberated whether it is permissible to praise a talmid chacham to such an extreme extent. Inscribed on the title page: ” Sefer She’ulat (!) U’Teshuvot written by “The wonder of the Sanhedrin, the great and sacred Rabbi Baruch … from the remnants of the Great Assembly. He is known among the scholars; anyone who knew him was blessed … he revealed every mystery, and every great secret … Blessed is his honored name and his title – a sacred G-dly Angel; Baruch (“Blessed”) is his name and blessed is he, Rabbi Baruch Angel”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the mighty gaon Rabbi Baruch Angel .
[29] written pages. 20.5×13.5 cm. Light, high-quality paper. The final [13] words and the signature are certainly written in the hand of Mahara”v Angel. However, experts who examined the responsum are of the opinion that it is entirely in his penmanship.
Overall moderate-fine condition. Worming perforations blemish isolated words. Lack in the upper left corner of the leaves, without damage to the text.