Auction 42 - Rare and Important Items

Beit Meir – Frankfurt an der Oder, 1787– First Edition, with Handwritten Glosses by Rabbi Meir Posner

Opening: $1,000
Unsold
Beit Meir, on Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer, with Tzalot HaBayit – "Debates" on Even HaEzer, by Rabbi Meir Posner. Frankfurt an der Oder, [1787]. Special title page for Tzalot HaBayit.
At the bottom of the title page is a note in the author's handwriting concerning a mistake of the printers: "…(The letter) Mem (was printed) instead of (the letter) Zayin and vice versa…". The book has many glosses in the author's handwriting: corrections or addition of words omitted by the printers (at times, an entire row was omitted, see Leaf 5/2), and glosses with important content [for example, on Leaf 17/2 he retracts his words: "Although this was difficult for me…].
On the title page is a self-dedication: "Given to me by Rabbi --- belongs to Mordechai Pińczów here in Middelburg [?]". At the bottom of the title page is a dedication: "To Moshe…the important book by the outstanding rabbi… Mordechai of Pińczów". A similar dedication is on the title page of Tzalot HaBayit. [At that time, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai of Pińczów was alive. He was a leading Chassidic figure, disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdychiv, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Zusha of Annopol, etc. We have not been able to determine that this is his handwriting].
Rabbi Meir Posner (1729-1807, Otzar HaRabbanim 12928), was a prominent rabbi and Torah authority in his times. After his marriage, he lived by his father-in-law in Pozna and was therefore called Posner. After his wife's death, he moved to Lissa where he studied with his companion Rabbi Daved Tevil of Lisa. In 1763, he served as Rabbi of Mezritch whereupon he became famous all over Poland and the leading rabbis of his generation sent him questions [including Rabbi Akiva Eiger who calls him "The Truly Great Gaon…", the Chemdat Shlomo, Rabbi Avraham Danzig author of Chayei Adam, etc]. Afterward he served as Rabbi of Königsberg and later was Av Beit Din of Danzig, Schottland, Weinberg, and Langfuhr. His book Beit Meir on the Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer is one of the basic works on these laws. He also wrote many other books.
[1], 150, [1], 20 leaves. 33 cm. Good-fair condition. Spotting and wear, worm damages. Damaged binding.
Rare and Important Items
Rare and Important Items