Shu”t Radach. Copy Owned by Rabbi Akiva Breslau Ra’avad Altona and Rabbi Eizik Berlin. Constantinople, 1537.

Shu”t Radach. Copy Owned by Rabbi Akiva Breslau Ra’avad Altona and Rabbi Eizik Berlin. Constantinople, 1537.

First Print With Handwritten Glosses.

The Responsa of the Radach are some of his responsa that were printed by his son, Rabbi Chaim Hakohen in 1537, Constantinople. The responsa are divided into 33 chapters (batim - houses), each of which are further divided into ‘rooms’. The responsa are quoted by leading Halachic authorities, including Rabbi Yosef Caro.

The title page includes the handwritten signature of the owner – Rabbi Akiva Breslau Rosh Av Beit Din Altona.

The endpaper includes the handwritten owner’s signature of Rabbi “Eizik Berlin Nissan 5595”.

Leaves 2 and 3 feature handwritten glosses on the indices. A handwritten, lengthy, scholarly gloss appears on a page within the book.

Rabbi Akiva Wertheirmer (1778-1835) was the Rosh Av Beit Din of Altona, today part of Hamburg, Germany. He authored ‘Zichron Livnei Yisrael’ and edited ‘Tikkun Shlomo’. He ardently opposed the new Reform prayers.

Rabbi Eizik Berlin (1792-1865) was the son of the Gaon Rabbi Elazar Lazi, Av Beit Din of Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek, and brother-in-law of Rabbi Chaim Michel, author of the Ohr HaChaim. One of Hamburg’s leading Torah scholars, Rabbi Eizik’s glosses and annotations on Rabbi Wolf Heidenheim’s Machzor were published in the Hanover edition 1837-1838.

Rabbi David son of Rabbi Chaim HaKohen of Corfu (referred to as the RaDach) was among those expelled from Spain. The RaDach was one of the leading, early Halachic authorities as well as Rosh Yeshiva. He was born circa 1465 likely on the island of Corfu, Greece, to his father, Rabbi Chaim HaKohen. His scholarly talent was apparent from a young age, as was his great piety and astuteness. The RaDach studied in the Yeshivot of Rabbi Yosef Picho in Corfu and Rabbi Shlomo son of Rabbi Shmuel HaSfardi. He then continued his studies under Italy’s Ashkenazi Sages including Rabbi Yehudah Mintz of Padua who likely conferred him with Rabbinic ordination. The RaDach served as Rabbi of a number of Greece’s Jewish communities, although he returned to Corfu before 1508. Around 1510, he migrated to Ioannina where he practiced according to the Corfu customs, likely serving as Rabbi there. In Ioannina he became close to one of the town residents, Rabbi Yosef Taitazak. He later moved to Patras, on the border of Greece and Italy where he became close to Rabbi Moshe Elshaker.

The RaDach engaged in Halachic correspondence with the great Halachic experts of his generation including MaHaram Elshaker, Rabbi Eliyahu Mizrachi (The Re’em), Rabbi Yaakov ben Chaviv and his son Rabbi Levi ben Chaviv, Rabbi Yaakov Taitazak and others. The Radach suffered greatly in his life, undergoing great trials and tribulations including sickness and wanderings. The accurate date of his passing is unknown, although we know that in 1528 he is mentioned in the prayer for the deceased.

The title page details the miraculous saving of his manuscript from a fire in the house of the author’s son.

Constantinople, 1537. First print. Soncino Press.

Original copy: 225 leaves. This copy has a number of pages missing that have been filled in, in a beautiful handwritten script. Leaves: 1 (Title page and beginning of the indices), 8, the last leaf, pages not paginated.

Very good condition. Quality, thick paper. Magnificent, new, leather binding.

Winograd, Constantinople 160.

Striking and resplendent, pedigree copy printed by the famed Soncino press in Constantinople.