Chiddushei Torah on parashiyot , on Talmud and Chaza”l’s aggadot from leading geonim of Ashkenaz.
The gaon, the author of Shev Ya’akov ; the gaon Rabbi Yehonatan Eibeschütz; the gaon, the author of Sha’agat Aryeh , and other geonim of Furth and Germany, all collected into this rich and varied manuscript, full of glorious ancient Torah from leading Torah disseminators in German yeshivahs of the 18th century.
The manuscript concludes with a copy of the wondrous last will and testament by the gaon Rabbi Tevele Hesse, av beit din of Mannheim (see below).
Following is a list of the rabbis cited, in order of their appearance in the ledger:
The gaon Mahari”ch – this is the gaon Rabbi Ya’akov Katz Poppers, av beit din of Frankfurt am Main, author of Shu”t Shev Ya’akov (3a-11a and more)
In the name of the Adm”o, the great gaon, famed in his generation as Rabbi Wolf Fussweiler, (11a-14a and more)
Rabbi Baruch Kahane, av beit din of Furth (22a)
Copied from the body of the writing by the gaon Rabbi Wolf Oyeb ztz”l [24a, ]
Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch [Yanov] av beit din of Furth (24a, 2a 30a and more) (a Furth dayan , a disciple of the gaon, author of Yam Yissachar and friend of the gaon, the author of Be’er Ya’akov )
From the gaon Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch [Yanov], av beit din of Furth (24b and more)
In the name of the gaon, the author of Sha’agat Aryeh , av beit din of Metz (28a)
In the name of the great gaon Rabbi Yehonatan Eibeschütz, av beit din of Metz (34b)
From the Adm”o, the excellent dayan Rabbi Kaufmann Mentz, dayan in Furth (35a, 43a and more)
From the excellent dayan , Rabbi Lieberlin (38a)
From the gaon Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch, av beit din of Berlin (46a)
From the gaon Rabbi Meir Ritzingen, av beit din of Nuremberg (56a)
From the gaon Rabbi Avraham, av beit din of Guelders by Wilseh (?) (58b)
From the great gaon Rabbi Rabbi Tevele Shaier [ av beit din Mainz] (59a)
From the gaon Rabbi Michel Shaier (62b and more), rabbi of Mannheim, whom the Chatam Sofer refers to as ” Aluf Ne’urei ” ( Derashot Chatam Sofer 77:3)
From the gaon Rabbi [Naftali] Hirsch [of the Katzenelbogen family], author of Sha’ar Naftali , av beit din of Mannheim after the above-mentioned Rabbi Tevele Hesse.
Unknown last will and testament of the gaon Rabbi Tevele Hesse, av beit din of Mannheim:
The final three leaves of the manuscript are a a copy of the wondrous last will and testament with 24 sections, from the gaon Rabbi Tevele Hesse, av beit din of Mannheim, in which he tells his children about his conduct and how he spent his days in prayer, his study schedule, his conduct during Elul, issues of sanctity, purity and more.
Inter alia , he cautions them to study daily from mussar works, especially Orchot Tzaddikim . He attests that he himself had already reviewed this sefer 100 times!!
To the best of our examination, this last will and testament is unknown from anywhere else.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Tevele Hesse, av beit din of Mannheim .
The writer was a disciple of the gaon Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Yanov, av beit din of Furth (Refer to: 27a, 32a) and other Furth scholars, as demonstrated by this manuscript.
The dates mentioned in the manuscript are from 1780-1788. With owners’ signatures and notations from several scholars in Furth from that era, including: Shimon Oppenheim, Yuda Ben Michael Mosentheim (possibly brother of the gaon Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Mosentheim), Meir Ritzingen, Shimon Segal and others.
156 pp. 20 cm. many owners’ notations on the flyleaves.
Fine condition. The first leaves have slight tears in the bottom corners, minimal stains, semi leather binding.