Complete work, deep and comprehensive, about the renowned Talmudic sugya in Tractate Bava Metzia, “Takfu Kohen, ” with many ramifications for all matters of uncertainties in financial law. Unknown author. Beautiful, clear Askkenazic script. [Europe, 18th century.]
Complete manuscript, from the title at the beginning through the colophon at the end, including the “Omissions.” The author’s identity is unknown, except for his given name, which appears in the colophon: “Yehonatan.” The writing style indicates that it was authored by one of the geonim of the period.
The author opens his manuscript in rhyme [in Hebrew]: “In the sugya Takfu Kohen/ I have found a great fortune / To respond to Rishonim and Acharonim / And also the Urim V’Tumim [by Rabbi Yehonatan Eibschutz] / And what I have grasped from the Sha”ch, master of the home.”
The author also wrote in [Hebrew] rhyme at the end: “I have more to say on the topic of mara kamma and its validity, but the winds of creation have worn me out, every day the foundations of my strength collapse, May Hashem spread his goodness on a son of straw like me, Yehonatan.”
The two authors mentioned by this author at the opening of the manuscript, the Ba’al Ha Sha”ch (1622-1663) and Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeschütz (1694-1764), both deal extensively with the sugya ‘Takfu Kohen’ – the Sha”ch, in his work on the topic entitled ‘Takfu Kohen’ and Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeschütz, in siman 25 in Urim V’Tumim , as appears in the introduction to the Urim V’Tumim (Karlsruhe, 1875) by the publisher, his grandson, the gaon Rabbi Yisrael Eybeschütz: “I saw in siman 25 at the end of his work on ‘Takfu Kohen’ this tzaddik’s intention. It would really have been useful, because this work has simani d’Oraita from Sha”s and poskim , but time ran out.”
25, [2] leaves, written on both sides of the leaf. [50 written pages of the work itself, and [4] pages of omissions]. Approximately 12×20 cm. Most is on greenish paper. Beautiful, clear script. Owner’s signature on leaf 26a: “I, the youth Yosef Ber Lakner, of Tseylem by Orenburg.
Moderate-fine condition. Most of the leaves are torn with lack; the tear is restored with paper completion. Original soft cardboard binding covered by a new leather binding.