Novellae on tractate Ketubot, with halachic novellae called “Shevet Achim” at the end, by Rabbi Pinchas HaLevi Horowtiz, Av Beit Din of Frankfurt am Main.
Specifications: [1], 6, 90, [should be: 180]:[1], 86, ,[1] leaves, 2 cm. First edition. Stefansky Chassidut 182.
Unique Features: At the end of the book are novellae from the author’s son-in-law Rabbi Avraham Chaim of Zlotchov author of Orach L’Chaim. Also added to the back of the book are Torah novellae from Rabbi Zvi Yehoshua Horowitz, son of Rabbi Shmelke and the author’s son-in-law.
12 leaves of Torah novellae by Rabbi Meir Yaakov Horowitz, the son-in-law of Rabbi Shaul of Amsterdam, are printed at the end of the book [75-86].
This book is one of the earliest books of the disciples of the ‘Maggid of Mezritch’. It is the first of the author’s books to be published.
It contains important signatures: At the top of the title page, “The small one Shmuel Horowitz son of the wondrous Rabbi Yitzchak of…”. This may be Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz, son of Rabbi Yitzchak, who is mentioned in Otzar HaRabbanim 19118. Brother-in-law of Rabbi Meshulam Igra, who was the son-in-law of his father Rabbi Yitzchak Horowitz, [Otzar HaRabbanim 15,689].
Sefer Hafla’ah on tractate Ketubot is a fundamental and basic book for understanding the tractate. In his introduction to the introduction of Shu”t Noda B’Yehuda, Rabbi Yaakovka Landau writes that his father said “That Rabbi Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz did wonders (niflah) with the Sefer Hafla’ah”.
Background: The booklet “Shevet Achim” on the laws of Ketubot in the Shulchan Aruch, was written together with his brother Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg, therefore Rabbi Pinchas writes at the beginning of the booklet “…I am bound with strong and powerful ties of great love, my soul is bound with the soul of my brother the great Rabbi Shmelke Levi, to discuss halacha together with tremendous love like the love of David and Jonathan, and to learn the Talmud and Poskim, to delve after the roots of the truth of the Torah and its foundations…and I learned with extreme diligence for several years…and then the laws of Ketubot in slight depth, and when we came up with the new approach, I wrote it down in order to remember”.
Together with his brother the Rebbe Rabbi Shmelke, he travelled to learn Torah from the great Maggid of Mezeritch – until they became Rabbis of Nikolsburg and Frankfurt respectively, where he headed the yeshiva, the Chatam Sofer was one of his primary students.
Condition: Fine-very fine. Slight tears on the title page without lack. New binding.