Physical Description:

Only edition. 30, [2], 284, [2] pp., 4°, 252:160 mm., usual light age staining, wide margins. A very good copy bound in contemporary half cloth over boards, rubbed.

Detailed Description:   

Solomon Judah Friedlaender (c. 1860–c. 1923), author and literary forger. Friedlaender gave contradictory biographical accounts of his life, claiming at various times to have been born in Hungary, Turkey, and Rumania, but in all probability he was born in Beshenkovichi near Vitebsk, Belorussia. He supposedly studied at the yeshivah in Volozhin and afterward wandered throughout Europe. He was in Czernowitz (1880–1882), Mainz (1884), Frankfort on the Main (1885), Mulhouse (c. 1888–c. 1895), Waitzen (1900–1902), Naszod (1902–1906), and finally in Szatmar, from 1906 onward. It seems that he died in Vienna. Friedlaender published a number of works of doubtful authenticity or pure forgeries.

Friedlaender's most important forgery, his pretended Seder Kodashim of the Jerusalem Talmud with his commentary Heshek Shelomo. Friedlaender proclaimed his fortunate discovery of an ancient Spanish manuscript, dated Barcelona 1212, which contained this long lost and most important talmudic text. With this publication, he reached the summit of his audacity, claiming to be of pure Sephardi descent (Sephardi tahor) from the well-known Algazi family and a native of Smyrna. He asserted that he was assisted in the acquisition of the manuscript by his brother, Elijah Algazi, and a business associate of the latter, both citizens of Smyrna. Some of the leading scholars of this period, such as Solomon Buber, Solomon Shechter, and R. Shalom Mordecai Schwadron of Brzezany accepted his story. However, the majority of scholars gave no credence to his tales, and R. B. Ritter of Rotterdam conclusively proved the fallaciousness of Friedlaender's claims. On the basis of internal evidence, R. Ritter showed that the text was an overt forgery. R. Ritter's conclusions were supported by many experts, including R. V. Aptowitzer, R. W. Bacher, R. D. B. Ratner and R. Meir Dan Plotzki. The controversy continued for the next few years, and as late as 1913, Friedlaender still published booklets on this issue.

Hebrew Description:   

מסודרת בתכלית הסדור (לברור נוסחא הישרה ... אותה שמתי בפנים, והערתי ע"ז בהערתי) ומפורשת ... ע"י הפירוש חשק שלמה אשר חנני ה' לבאר... עפ"י המכילתא, ספרא, ספרי וגדולי המפרשים ועפ"י ים התלמוד ... ונכחו חדושים ובאורים הערות וחקירת דברים ... אנכי ... שלמה (יהודא) ליב פריעדלענדער הי"ו ... פה ק"ק מילהוזען בעלזאס המדינה. [חלק א].

שער נוסף לכל חלק:
La Tosephta ... avec le commentaire: Hosak (Heschek) Schlomoh ... Par le Rabbin Lev Friedlaender a Mulhouse...

עם מבוא, מקצתו בראש זרעים ומקצתו בראש נשים. המבוא נדפס שנית בהוספות ובשינויי עריכה בשם "מבוא לתוספתא", טירנוי תר"ץ, על ידי מאיר פרידלנדר, בנו של המפרש, שבקש להוציא לאור גם את החלקים האחרים של התוספתא עם הפירוש "חשק שלמה". [חלק א]: סדר זרעים. דפוס דוד לוי ואברהם דוד אלקאלאי, תרמ"ט.

Reference:   

Bibliography of the Hebrew Book 1470-1960 #000181998; EJ; D. B. Ratner, in: Haolam, 1 (1907), 26ff.; Tel-Talpioth, 1907 and 1908