Important Sefer Yesod: Chiddushei HaRashba on Maseches Berachos
First Edition. Venice, 1523
Bomberg Press
A long and fundamental commentary on Maseches Berachos by the Rashba, Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderet, one of the greatest halachic respondents of his generation and among the greatest halachic authorities of all times.
This is one of the foundational commentaries on Maseches Berachos and is studied to this day in all Batei Midrash.
The commentary on Maseches Berachos has great halachic importance because this masechta contains many laws pertaining to daily life – Krias Shema, prayer, blessings and more.
Printed by Daniel Bomberg.
Rabbi Shlomo ben Aderes (1235 – 1310), the Rashba, was one of the premier Sephardic Rishonim and commentators on the Talmud. The Beis Yosef extolled him with the praise, “Pillar of the world; through his light, we see light.” (Yoreh Deah Ch. 110). He was a talmid of Rabbeinu Yonah and the Ramban and authored thousands of teshuvos and chiddushim that are universally accepted as cornerstones of halachah.
Printed together with this sefer were three additional sefarim from the teachings of the Rishonim: Rashba on Gittin, Rashba on Chulin, and Ramban on Bava Basra.
Venice, 1523. First edition.
Page Count: 47 leaves.
Condition: Good, nice copy. Some stains. New binding.
Bibliography: Stefansky Sifrei Yesod, #52.
The present sefer was printed in the same year that the printing of Bomberg’s famous Shas was completed, establishing for all generations the classic layout of the daf. The present sefer was among the first sefarim in the world where next to each sugiya, its location in the Talmud is noted (and not citation by means of "dibur hamatchil" etc.).
The printer boasts of this feature on the title page, writing:
"We have made it our goal to indicate at the beginning of each discussion… on which page it appears in this Talmud edition that we have printed, so that the reader may easily find what he seeks. For our only desire and intent is to benefit the scholars who toil in the vast sea of the Talmud."
See more about this in Professor Y.S. Spiegel’s article: "On the Method of Citing Babylonian Talmud Pages Throughout the Generations" (Etz Chaim Bobov, 28, pp. 594-595).
