Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat with glosses and word definitions [Venice, 1632?]. Along the entire length of the book, there are thousands of lengthy glosses handwritten as a complete work. The glosses were written by two writers who lived in different periods.
According to an in-depth study, it has been determined that most of the glosses [close to 1500?] were written in the very hand of Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Katz, rabbi of Frankfurt, author of Semichat Chachamim . These glosses were written on the margins of the sheets arranged by numbered subsections [סעיפים קטנים], with markings indicating the lettered subsections in the text. Before is is actually a complete work, something of a Be’er Heitev on all the halachahs of Choshen Mishpat, composed and written by the author of Semichat Chachamim , who cited abbreviated Sha”ch, Sm”a and other adjudicators with his own determinations and many supplements by him.
The identification of these glosses as being in the hand of Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Katz in this manuscript before us was done by comparison with a letter known to be in his hand, from when he was imprisoned.
In one gloss, (page 13b) he mentions ‘my grandfather, in his book Gur Aryeh .’ Indeed, the author of Semichat Chachamim , was a great-grandson of the Mahara”l of Prague, author of Gur Aryeh , through his being a grandson of Rabbi Yitzchak HaKohen Katz, the Mahara”l’s son-in-law.
The Yeshurun 11 anthology, recently printed the beginning of a composition on Shulchan Aruch Ohr HaChaim by the Semichat Chachamim , and the style there is similar to the style here.
In a gloss on page 7a, he wrote: “And the same cemetery in which they bury their dead belongs to to the same Beit Din, and according to this, I ruled that the city Eger belongs to the Beit Din of the state of Pihem, and not to Ashkenaz.” – This inscription indicates that the writer ruled on and determined matters of ascription to communities, decisions given to the leaders of Va’ad Arba HaAratzot.”
We will point out that despite the discussion here being about the laws of Choshen Mishpat, it can be seen that the writer was a sanctified Kabbalist, such that in the midst of his words, he cites the prayer “restore our judges as in earliest times” and he is also particular to write his name Yehudah as ‘Yuda’ [יודא] as the kabbalists do.
Expert’s confirmation of the identity of Rabbi Naftali HaKohen Katz’s handwriting included.
In addition to these glosses, there are another approximately 500 glosses in a later handwriting, some of which deal with and delve into the earlier glosses. These glosses were apparently written in the 18th century, and were written over the course of many years. We note that, inter alia, he mentions the book Kreiti U’Pleiti by Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeschütz, which was printed in 1823. On leaf 141, he writes, ‘See what is written in my work Kos Yeshuot on the Ramba”m in Chapter 10 of hilchot ishut …” However, we don’t know of this work; it is apparently still in manuscript. Indeed, there is no doubt that the writer was a venerable scholar, expert in the halachah of Choshen Mishpat.
The gaon and G-dly Kabbalist Rabbeinu Naftali HaKohen Katz , rabbi of Ostroh, Poznań and Frankfurt, was born in 1650 to his father Rabbi Yitzchak Katz, Av Beit Din of Stefen and Lublin, son of Rabbi Katz, Av Beit Din of Lublin, son of Rabbi Yitzchak Katz, son-in-law of the Mahara”l of Prague.
In his youth he was known for his sanctity and his extreme diligence, and his good name preceded him, with Rabbi Shmuel Shmelka taking him as a son-in-law. Immediately after his wedding, his father-in-law appointed him as rosh yeshivah, and he later served as the city’s rabbi.
In 1689, he was appointed rabbi of Poznań, the place of Rabbi Yeshayah Horowitz, son of the Shla”h HaKadosh, author of the Levushim , and his grandfather the Mahara”l of Prague. He was also appointed head of the Va’ad Arba Aratzot when he was only 40 years old! – The position with the highest authority in all the countries of Ashkenaz and Poland.
He was appointed rabbi of Frankfurt am Main in 1704, where he also occupied himself very much with Kabbalah. In 1711, a big fire broke out in Frankfurt, and he was falsely accused of starting the fire while using practical Kabbalah. As a result, he was jailed, but eventually released, and forced to leave the city.
He moved to Prague, where he taught Torah, and c. 1718, he decided to ascend to the Land of Israel. Yet he passed away on the way there, while in Istanbul, Turkey, where he is buried.
His works include Semichat Chachamim as well as Kabbalistic poems, supplications and prayers, some of which are printed in the Tefillat Rachel prayer book. His awesome will has been printed many times under the name Tzava’at Rabi Naftali Katz . Kabbalists in the countries of Ashkenaz and the Ba’al Shem Tov praised him very much.
His descendants include many famous rabbis, and the Admo”rim of the Belz Chassidic dynasty.
Lacking the title page and the final leaves: 2-239 leaf (instead of 242, [2] leaves). 18 cm. Fine condition.
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