With the commentaries of:

R. Joseph b. Abraham Gikatilla (Chiquatilla, 1248–c. 1325), Spanish kabbalist whose works exerted a profound and permanent influence on kabbalism. Gikatilla, who was born in Medinaceli, Castile, lived for many years in Segovia. Between 1272 and 1274 he studied under Abraham Abulafia, who praises him as his most successful pupil. Gikatilla, who was at first greatly influenced by Abulafia's ecstatic, prophetic system of kabbalism, soon showed a greater affinity for philosophy. R. Gikatilla made an original attempt to provide a detailed yet lucid and systematic exposition of kabbalism. He was also the originator of the doctrine equating the infinite, Ein Sof, with the first of the ten Sefirot. The conception was rejected by the majority of kabbalists from the 16th century onward, but his works continued to be highly esteemed and were published in many editions.

R. Jacon Emden (pen name Yavez; derived from Ya'akov Ben Zevi; 1697–1776), rabbi, halakhic authority, kabbalist, and anti-Shabbatean polemicist. Emden was regarded as one of the outstanding scholars of his generation. R. Emden's teacher was his father R. Zevi Hirsch Ashkenazi (Hakham Zevi). He inherited his father's interest in secular studies, his dissociation from the Ashkenazi method of study (pilpul) and customs, his stormy, independent, and uncompromising character, and his devotion to the campaign against the Shabbateans and their sympathizers. In addition, he possessed a fine literary talent, a critical tendency, and a knowledge unusual for his age of general non-halakhic Jewish literature. He was also familiar with sciences and languages (German, Dutch, Latin). Despite his distinguished descent and his remarkable Talmudic attainments, R. Emden occupied no official position, with the exception of a few years as rabbi of Emden (1728–1733). This made it possible for him to be exceptionally critical toward the society and the tradition of his time. He was more on guard about anything that he considered hillul ha-Shem (bringing the name of the Jew into disrepute) than for the good name of the rabbinate and of the community. He made extensive use of the private printing press he founded in Altona to disseminate his views. As a result, because of his views on a number of issues, both personal and communal, he became a figure of contention. His important halakhic works are: Lehem Shamayim, on the Mishnah (pt. 1, 1728; pt. 2, 1768); a letter of criticism against R. Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen, rabbi of Altona (1736); responsa, She'elat Yavez (2 pts. 1738–59), Mor u-Kezi'ah, on the Shulhan Arukh, OH, (2 pts., 1761–68). In addition, he published an important edition of the prayer book (whose parts had different names) with a valuable commentary (1745–48). This prayer book was reprinted several times. His main historical importance lies in his campaigns against the Shabbateans to which he dedicated many years. He relentlessly examined and investigated every suspicious phenomenon pertaining to the sect. He called upon the contemporary rabbis to publish excommunications and mercilessly attacked anyone suspected of supporting or showing sympathy to the Shabbateans. The Shabbateans were accustomed to introduce hints of their secret doctrine into their literary works, particularly in the field of Kabbalah. Consequently, R. Emden became an expert in uncovering such allusions and hidden meanings, and developed an extraordinarily sharp critical faculty by which he could recognize any suggestion of the Shabbatean heresy. Many books in which no one saw anything to which objection could be taken, were condemned by him as heretical. Though at times he was at fault and suspected the innocent without cause, his judgment in general was sound (F. Lachover and I. Tishby (eds.), Mishnat ha-Zohar, 1 (1957), 52–56).

R. Elijah ben Solomon Zalman of Vilna (Vilna Gaon, Gra, 1720-97) is a dominant figure in Jewish intellectual thought, his importance and prestige undiminished, as great today, if not greater, than in his own time. The Vilna Gaon’s extraordinary intelligence, expressed by his expertise in Torah at the age of three, outdistancing his tutors while a young child, his incredible proficiency over the entire expanse of the written and Oral Torah by nine, by which time he was already studying Kabbalah, accompanied by complete piety, are attested to by numerous reputable sources. More than seventy works, encompassing Bible, halakhah, Talmud, and Kabbalah, are attributed to the Vilna Gaon, among them a Torah commentary entitled Adderet Eliyahu published posthumously by his sons and son-in-law, and commentaries on other books of the Bible, also entitled Adderet Eliyahu, beginning with Joshua (Shklov, 1802). As noted above, this edition includes commentaries on thirteen books of the Bible.

Don Isaac b. Judah Abravanel (1437-1508), received a careful education and was a pupil of R. Joseph Hayyim, rabbi of Lisbon. Well versed in Talmudic literature and in the learning of his time, endowed with a clear and keen mind, and full of enthusiasm for Judaism, he devoted his early years to the study of Jewish religious philosophy,and when scarcely twenty years old wrote on the original form of the natural elements, on the most vital religious questions, on prophecy, etc. His political abilities also attracted attention while he was still young. He entered the service of King Alfonso V. of Portugal as treasurer, and soon won the confidence of his master. Notwithstanding his high position and the great wealth he had inherited from his father, his love for his afflicted brethren was unabated. When Arzilla, in Morocco, was taken by the Moors, and the Jewish captives were sold as slaves, he contributed largely to the funds needed to manumit them, and personally arranged for collections throughout Portugal. He also wrote to his learned and wealthy friend Jehiel, of Pisa, in behalf of the captives. After the death of Alfonso he was obliged to relinquish his office, having been accused by King John II. of connivance with the duke of Bragança, who had been executed on the charge of conspiracy. Don Isaac, warned in time, saved himself by a hasty flight to Castile (1483). His large fortune was confiscated by royal decree. At Toledo, his new home, he occupied himself at first with Biblical studies, and in the course of six months produced an extensive commentary on the books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel. But shortly afterward he entered the service of the house of Castile. Together with his friend, the influential Don Abraham Senior, of Segovia, he undertook to farm the revenues and to supply provisions for the royal army, contracts that he carried out to the entire satisfaction of Queen Isabella. During the Moorish war Abravanel advanced considerable sums of money to the government. When the banishment of the Jews from Spain was decreed, he left nothing undone to induce the king to revoke the edict. In vain did he offer him 30,000 ducats ($68,400, nominal value). With his brethren in faith he left Spain and went to Naples, where, soon after, he entered the service of the king. For a short time he lived in peace undisturbed; but when the city was taken by the French, bereft of all his possessions, he followed the young king, Ferdinand, in 1495, to Messina; then went to Corfu; and in 1496 settled in Monopoli, and lastly (1503) in Venice, where his services were employed in negotiating a commercial treaty between Portugal and the Venetian republic (Zurita, "Historia del Rey Don Fernando el Católico," v. 342a).

R. Jacob b. Jacob Moses Lorbeerbaum (c. 1760–1832), Polish rabbi and halakhist. His father, the rabbi of Zborow, died before Lorbeerbaum was born and his relative, R. Joseph Te'omim, brought him up. After his marriage he settled in Stanislav and engaged in business, but devoted most of his time to study. He frequently attended the lectures of R. Meshullam Igra. When after a few years his business failed, he accepted the rabbinate of Monasterzyska where he founded a yeshivah. He was later appointed rabbi of Kalisz where he wrote most of his books and with exceptional humility published anonymously his work on parts of Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De'ah: Havvat Da'at, a name by which he himself became known in scholarly circles when his authorship came to light. This work was accepted in the rabbinic world as a compendium of practical halakhah, and won him the reputation of an outstanding posek. In 1809 he was invited to become rabbi of Lissa, long a center of Torah in Poland. R. Lorbeerbaum enlarged the yeshivah, to which hundreds of students streamed, among them many who later became great scholars and pioneers of the Hibbat Zion movement such as R. Elijah Gutmacher, R. Zevi Hirsch Kalischer, and R. Shraga Feivel Danziger. Many of R. Jacob's contemporaries turned to him with their problems. During his time the war between the reformers and the rabbis flared up, and R. Lorbeerbaum, together with R. Akiva Eger and R. Moses Sofer, unleashed a vehement attack against the maskilim and the reformers. In Lissa, however, as in other towns of Great Poland that came under Prussian rule after the partition of Poland, the influence of the Berlin reformers grew continually stronger. The schism between R. Lorbeerbaum and a large section of the community eventually became so great that in 1822 he decided to leave Lissa and return to Kalisz. There he devoted his time to study, rejecting all offers of rabbinic posts from large and ancient communities such as Lublin. In 1830 he quarreled with a powerful member of the community who denounced him to the government, compelling him to leave Kalisz. On the way to Budapest, where he had been invited to become av bet din, he passed through the regional town of Stryj and was persuaded to remain there.

R. David b. Joseph Abudarham (14th century), liturgical commentator in Spain. Abudarham came from a distinguished family, and apparently an earlier namesake was a communal leader in Toledo. Abudarham was moved to write his book in 1340 in Seville, like R. Asher b. Saul of Lunel before him, because “the customs connected with prayer have become varied from one country to another, and most of the people do not understand the words of the prayers, nor do they know the correct ritual procedures and the reasons for them.” The book is based on the Talmud and the decisions of the geonim, and on the early and later commentators. It abounds in source material of Spanish, Provencal, French, and Ashkenazi origins, not all of which has otherwise survived. Abudarham made extensive use of the prayer book of R. Saadiah Gaon, and it seems he was the last to see and use an original of this book. He also utilized the Manhig of R. Abraham b. Nathan ha-Yarhi of Lunel and the Minhagot of R. Asher b. Saul, the legal dicta of R. Asher b. Jehiel and the Turim. Some scholars think he was a disciple of R. Jacob b. Asher, author of the Turim. Abudarham commented upon the prayers in great detail and traced the variations in custom in different countries. He included a commentary on the Passover Haggadah, rules of intercalation, the order of weekly pentateuchal readings and haftarot for the entire year, and calendrical and astronomical tables. Abudarham appended to his book rules governing benedictions, dividing them into nine sections, along with their interpretation and explanation. His book was first published in Lisbon in 1490 and has since been republished frequently. Abudarham also wrote a commentary on liturgy for the Day of Atonement ascribed to R. Yose b. Yose, as well as on other liturgical poems (published under the title of Tashlum Abudarham).

R. Nathan Nata ben Solomon Spira (Shapira, c. 1585-1633). R. Spira, a grandson of R. Nathan Nata ben Samson Spira (Shapira, d. 1577) served, from 1617, as rabbi in Cracow, not accepting a salary as he was self sufficient and did not need the money. He later was av bet din and also headed a yeshiva in that city. Although a Talmudic scholar of considerable repute, R. Spira’s reputation and great esteem in which he is held is based on his deep interest in Kabbalah, striving to and greatly responsible for the dissemination of Lurianic Kabbalah in Poland. Megalleh Amukkot, his most    important work, was brought to press by his sons.

חזות קשה; להחכם הרב ר' יצחק בן ערמאה ז"ל (חלקו מחברו לחידה ופתרון. החידה חד אותה לעורר קנאה ותלונה... על עלבון התורה עם המתפלספים... וסוד פתרונה... בשנים עשר שערים)... והוספנו בו (בגליון אשר בפנים) מראה מקום מהתלמוד והמדרשים והפסוקים וספרי החכמות... (ואמנם בגליון אשר מחוץ שמנו פרטי הכללים) גם בסופו מפתח... מענייני הספר... והמראה מקום... ... נדפס מחדש... מוגה ומבואר היטב על ידי הפירוש מקור חיים אשר חבר... מו"ה חיים יוסף פאללאק, מורה עדת ישרון בק"ק טרעביטש במדינת מעהרן. הובא לדפוס בהשגחת ובהוצאות אביגדור בן... מו"ה מיכל קיצע ז"ל...

פרעססבורג, דפוס פראנץ שמיד, 1849.

שכחת לקט מילקוט חדש [לובלין ת"ח, לר' ישראל ב"ר בנימין מבעלזיץ] (שנשמטו ממנו ... מאמרים ... גם חסרו ממנו איזה ספרים) אשר לקט (מהם) ... ומה שנמצא בספר הפליאה והתמונה [בכתבי-יד]. הוסף על הראשון ... ר' נתן (בן ... ר' יצחק יעקב בון זלה"ה) דק"ק פרנקפורט, לע"ע אב"ד ור"מ דק"ק המלבורג ...

חשומ"ד ערך תר"ך

צוואות הרב אהרן משה מגזע צבי, ... אשר נפטר ... בליל ש"ק ז תמוז [תר"ה] ... על ידי הני גיסי ... מוה' משה יהודה הלוי איש הורוויץ נ"י חתן הרב נ"י וגיסו ... מוה' ישעיה אשר הורוויץ מייזליש נ"י בהרב נ"י.

הצוואה נכתבה בירושלים בחודש מרחשון ת"ר.
דף ו,ב-ח,א: שלשה דרושים מהגאון ... רבינו ישראל [הופשטיין] מ"מ דק"ק קאזניץ.
דף ח,ב: "פרפרת" בסוגיה "מצא שובר" בבבא מציעא, דף יט,ב, מאת ר' מנחם מענדיל ב"ר יעקב קאפיל [האגר] מקאסיב.

טשערנאוויץ, [תרי"ח], בשנת כ'י' ט'ו'ב' ל'י'ש'ר'א'ל'

Hebrew Description

והוא סדר הגדה של פסח עם ... כל הדינים ... עם ספורי נפלאות מנסי אלהים ... עם עמו מימי צאתם ממצרים ... אשר קיבץ וליקט הרב ... מהו' משה זצלה"ה מזאלשין ... ופירוש ילקוט הרועים הם פרושים ... המקובצים משבעה רועים (א. אברבנאל, ב. פי' מהגאון ... ר"א [אליהו] מווילנא, ג. פירוש מעשה נסים מהגאון מהר"י [יעקב לארבערבוים] מליסא, ד. מסידור ... ר"י [יעקב] עמדין, ה. צפנת פענח מהגאון ... יוסף גיקטליא, ו. מהגאון מר"ן [נתן] שפירא ... ז. רבינו דוד אבודרהם) ... עם סדר קצירת עומר כל זה לקטתי ואספתי אחרי מות משה עבד ה' ... ישראל (זאב ב"ר שמשון מזאלשין). מוגהה היטיב ... ע"פ הגהת רעדלהיים ...