R. Jonah ben Abraham Gerondi (Rabbenu Yonah, c. 1200-1263) was a cousin of Nahmanides (Ramban), who married Rabbenu Yonah’s father’s sister, and a student of the brothers R. Moses and R. Samuel ben Shneur Evreux and afterwards R. Solomon ben Abraham of Montpellier. When the latter opposed and placed a ban on Maimonides’ Moreh Nevukhim Rabbenu Yonah was a signatory, an action he later regretted and publicly repented after Maimonides books were burned by the Inquisition. Rabbenu Yonah determined to settle in Erez Israel, but was delayed in Barcelona where he gave discourses for three years. He again set out for the Holy Land, but in Toledo the community induced him to stay and instruct them. Rabbenu Yonah founded a yeshivah there and died before he could complete his journey. Among his students are R. Solomon ben Abraham Adret (Rashba), R. Solomon ben Eli of Sarai and R. Hillel ben Samuel of Verona. It is from the latter that we have biographical information about Rabbenu Yonah.

Sha’arei Teshuvah is Rabbenu Yonah’s most important and influential work. Among the other ethical works written by him are Iggeret Teshuvah (Constantinople, 1548), Sha’arei ha-Avodah (Bnei Brak, 1967), recently discovered and, although the attribution is uncertain, credited to Rabbenu Yonah. He also wrote a commentary on Hilkhot Rav Alfas, compiled by his students, of which only the portion on Berakhot has been published; novellae on Bava Batra and Sanhedrin, as well as on other tractates that are no longer extant; and commentaries on Proverbs and Avot.

In 1847 the Shapira printing press was established by the three brothers Hanina Lipa, Aryeh Leib, and Joshua Heschel Shapira, sons of R. Samuel Abraham Abba Shapira, the printer in Slavuta. Until 1862 this was one of the only two Hebrew presses the Russian government permitted to operate in the whole of Russia, the other being in Vilna. This press had 18 hand presses and four additional large presses. In 1851 Aryeh Leib broke away and established his own printing press in Zhitomir. In these two establishments only sacred books of every kind were printed.

הטופס שראינו חסר בסוף, אחרי דף נג. בראש הספר "הקדמה": "נראה בעליל מתוך הספר... כי... המחבר ... חיבר חיבור גדול ... וחלקו לשערים הרבה... והביא מאמריו מיתר שעריו, שערי התורה, שערי היראה, שערי הענוה, שערי האכזריות, שערי גדרי הזהירות, שערי גדרי הזריזות, וכיוצא באלה... ומי אשר ימצא אתו מן השערים ההם כתובי יד... יכתוב ידו... לזכות בהם הרבים...".