Beit Yisrael on the Tur Yoreh De’ah (Drishah Uprisha). Lublin, 1635.

Beit Yisrael on the Tur Yoreh De’ah (Drishah Uprisha). Lublin, 1635.

first edition copy of a Halachic Sefer Yesod.

A first edition copy of Beit Yisrael on the Tur, Yoreh De’ah with the Drisha and Prisha explanations authored by Rabbi Yehoshua Hakohen Falk, a disciple of the Rema and the MaHarshal.

Books printed in Poland, (Lublin and Cracow) during the 1600’s are exceedingly rare due to the great persecution of that era. This was the period of the Tach VeTat – the Cossack riots (1648-49), during which thousands of books were destroyed in the Chmielnicki pogroms.

The title page features ancient, handwritten ownership listings.

The Drisha Uprisha Compostion:

The prominent work of Drisha Uprisha on the Tur began with this volume. The author’s son, Rabbi Yosef Yuspa published his father’s writings along with Rabbi Yuspa’s annotations under the title ‘Ketonet Pasim’. Parts of this composition on Choshen Mishpat and Orach Chaim were printed many years later.

The Prisha Udrishah with the Tur was first published in this edition. Most subsequent printings of the Tur included this commentary. Parts of this composition on Choshen Mishpat and Orach Chaim that we are familiar with today were only published much later. The importance of this composition on Yoreh De’ah and Even HaEzer takes on additional significance, due to the Bach’s action. The books of the Bayit Chadash (Bach) were published almost simultaneously (Crakow, 1635-1639), just a few months after Rabbi Falk’s books were published. Although the Bach’s book was already prepared for print, upon reading the Beit Yisrael, its author, the great Rabbi Yoel Sirkis decided to append a booklet to his as yet unpublished work. In this booklet Rabbi Sirkis extolls Rabbi Falk’s composition.

The composition’s was entitled ‘Beit Yisrael’ in the name of the author’s father-in-law, the philanthropist Rabbi Yisrael son of Rabbi Yosef of Lelov. He established a Beit Midrash for his son-in-law and supported him. The Beit Yisrael is the first commentary on the Tur Yoreh Deah, after the Beit Yosef, and is quoted extensively by subsequent Halachic authorities.

Many subsequent editions of the Tur include the Prisha Udrisha commentary, although many parts of this commentary that appear in the first edition, were omitted from in these later editions, as the Chida points out.

Rabbi Yehoshua Valk (Falk) HaKohen Katz (circa 1554-1614) was one of the greatest Jewish leaders and a foremost commentator on the Shulchan Aruch. He was one of the greatest disseminators of Torah in Europe. Rabbi Falk was a disciple of the Torah luminaries, the MaHashal and the Rema. He authored the monumental works, ‘Me’irat Einayim’ and ‘Prishah Udrishah’ and his piety, holiness and intensity of study were legendary. His famed disciples include Rabbi Yissachar Ber Eilenberg – author of ‘Be’er Sheva’, Rabbi Yehoshua Charif of Cracow - author of ‘Meginei Shlomo’ and Rabbi Shabbtai Shepsel Horowitz son of the Shelah, author of ‘Vavei Amudim’.

Lublin, 1635. First edition.

[1], 356 leaves. Very good condition. Magnificent, new, leather binding.

Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, 156.

Complete and rare, first edition copy of a Halachic Sefer Yesod!