Tur Yoreh Deah, with the Beit Yisrael commentary (Drisha U’Prisha), by Rabbi Yoshua Falk Katz. Lublin, [1635]. Printed by Klonimus ben Rabbi Zvi Yaffe. First edition of the Drisha U'Prisha commentary.
Many ancient signatures on title page and on Leaf 2: "Yitzchak [Shapira?]"; "Binyamin Ze'ev"; "Yosef ben A. Yehuda Leib from ---"; "I have acquired it from him Yitzchak Shapira"; "Moshe Brandeis of Furth"; "…I have studied from this book… Moshe Segal Brandeis, 1742".
Rabbi Moshe Segal a prominent rabbi in his times – Rabbi Moshe Charif (c. 1680-1767), son of Rabbi Ya'akov Brandeis Av Beit Din of Mainz, descendent of the Maharal of Prague. In his youth, he studied by Rabbi Avraham Broide who held him in great esteem and would call him by the honorary title of Chaluka D'Rabanan before his disciples in his presence. After his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi Gavriel Frankel, the founder of the Furth Kloiz [Rabbi Moshe used to sign after his name: C.R.G.- Chatan (son-in-law) of Rabbi Gershon], he began teaching Torah in 1706 to the Kloiz students [the Furth Yeshiva], and in 1713, he also began to serve as Av Beit Din of Schnaittach and Ansbach. In 1717, he moved to serve as rabbi of Bunzlau, and in 1733 was appointed rabbi in Mainz, an position he retained for 34 years. He was famous as one of the foremost rabbis of his times (the generation of the Pnei Yehoshua and Rabbi Yehonatan Eibeshitz), a clever genius, also proficient in Kabbalah. He taught many disciples who later served in the rabbinate and taught Torah. He was renowned for his phenomenal sharp mind and was therefore called "R' Moshe Charif" [this name was even written on his tombstone – "He taught Torah in the yeshiva and was called by all R' Moshe Charif”]. Remnants of his novellae were printed in the book Chiddushei Rabbi Moshe Charif (Machon Yerushalayim, Jerusalem, 1987), see his history in the introduction.
356 leaves. 30 cm. Good condition. Stains and wear, damages to title page. Handsome ancient leather binding, detached and worn.