Fascinating Discovery!
Mordechai 1559
with Handwritten Glosses and Annotations by Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Schor
Talmid of the Rama and Rebbi of the Bach.
The Mordechai (Riva di Trento, 1559) on Masechtos Brachos, Bava Kama, Bava Metziah, Ksubos and Chullin with hundreds of handwritten comments and annotations from the Rama and his talmidim.
Among them are hagahos and chiddushim handwritten by Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Schor, one of the great disciples of the Rama, Rebbi of the Bach, father of the author of ‘Toras Chaim’ and grandfather of the Tevuos Schor and Beis Efraim.
The leaves of this valuable manuscript encompass unknown hagahos from the Rema that are not included in the Rema’s hagahos on the ‘Mordechai’, found here for the first time.
Also includes important variations and corrections in the Mordechai’s text written by the talmidim of the Rema based on very old handwritten manuscripts of his sefer.
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The Mordechai by Rabbeinu Mordechai ben Rabbi Hillel is a treasure trove of halachah and primary source of halachic rulings, teshuvos and commentary by the Rishonim of Ashkenaz. Many of the rulings found in the Rama and Shulchan Aruch are based on the ‘Mordechai’, which was one of the most widely studied sefarim in Polish yeshivos. Gedolei Torah throughout the generations, among them our nation’s foremost luminaries such as the Maharshal, Rema, Shla”h Hakadosh, Bach, Sma and others, authored extensive commentary and explanations upon the ‘Mordechai’.
In his yeshivah in Cracow, the Rema delivered a regular shiur on the ‘Mordechai’ and engaged extensively in explaining and correcting its teachings and text. There are no less than 16 teshuvos in ‘Shu”t HaRema’ devoted to analyzing the Mordechai’s rulings and clarifying the proper text and meaning of obscure sections in his writings.
Numerous copies of the Rama’s comments on the ‘Mordechai’ were disseminated among his talmidim during the Rama’s lifetime. Gedolei Hador of the era eagerly sought to obtain copies as well (see Shu”t Rema Ch. 67).
In many instances the Rema’s talmid who authored ‘Chiddushei Anshei Shem’ attributes chiddushim he includes to the “Mordechai de’Rama”. Over the years, many of the Rama’s talmidim added their own comments, notes and explanations to the Rema’s glosses. However, foremost amongst those who engaged in the teachings of the ‘Mordechai in’ the yeshiva of the Rama, was the renowned Rabbi Hirsch Schor, and most of the teshuvos addressing the words of the ‘Mordechai’ in the Rema’s responsa are directed to him.
Handwritten Chiddushim and Comments by Rabbi Hersh Schor in the Present Manuscript
The present copy of the ‘Mordechai’ is an authentic version originating directly from the Rama’s beis medrash in Cracow, as is presented below.
However, its main significance and uniqueness lie in the fact that it contains glosses and innovations written directly in the sacred handwriting of Rabbi Hirsch Schor, one of the great disciples of the Rama, who, as mentioned, engaged extensively with the Mordechai and its glosses.
Scholars have long presumed that the glosses printed as “Hagahos HaRama” on the ‘Mordechai’ were actually the work of Rabbi Hersh Schor, and this copy now proves it beyond a shadow of doubt. The sefer clearly identifies Rabbi Hersh Schor as the author of these glosses, indicating that he was the one to originally inscribe the other hagahos, as well.
Leaf 49a in the sefer reveals a lengthy annotation in which the writer challenges the Beis Yosef’s and writes: “V’ani hahedyot, I, the humble one, say that his words are perplexing…Therefore I assert that his words are nothing but bewildering.”
The content of this gloss appears almost verbatim in Rabbi Hersh Schor’s question to the Rama, which is printed in ‘Shu”t Rema’ 95:3. Both the content and tone are virtually identical, although the Rema omits the words emphasized above.
The appearance of the aforementioned lines in our sefer demonstrates without a doubt that the writer of this gloss is Rabbi Hersh himself (!) (as opposed to a comment copied merely from Shu”t HaRema.)
Indeed, it has already been noted that the phrase “V’ani hahedyot" which appears in the note above, is a common expression used by Rabbi Hirsch Shor.
The printed edition of ‘Hagahos Rama’ likewise includes sections that a talmid wrote in the name of the Rama, and it is known that this talmid was none other than Rabbi Hersh Schor. This can be seen in the comment on the ‘Mordechai’ at the end of Maseches Brachos in which the words of the Rema were mentioned first, followed by the words of the talmid, who is Rabbi Hersh Schor: “This is what my master taught me… and then I found in the Tosfos…” This comment appears almost letter for letter in the present copy (leaf 7b).
Many glosses in the sefer which include discussions on the words of the ‘Mordechai’, are written in the same handwriting, and by the style of the script, it is possible to identify many of the corrections in the book and to determine that Rabbi Hirsch Shor authored and wrote them.
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Hersh Schor (d. circa 1587) was the patriarch of the illustrious Schor family in Poland. He was born and raised in Alsace, and is often referred to as Rabbi Hersh Alsacer. In his youth, he relocated together with his family to Poland, where he was privileged to draw Torah and wisdom from the Rama and learn in his Beis Medrash. As one of the Rema’s most brilliant talmidim, he was sought out as a son-in-law by the Rema’s brother-in-law, Rabbi Yisrael ben Rabbi Shalom Shachna of Lublin.
After his marriage, Rabbi Hersh returned to his native Germany for a period of time, and upon his return to Poland, was greeted by the Rama with the message, “Blessed are you upon your return, my beloved, my colleague, a champion in svaros and bekius…Moreinu Harav R’ Hersh Schor. I was delighted to hear of your peaceful return, despite your having said that you would remain in Germany to be their Rav and teacher…” Numerous teshuvos printed in ‘Shu”t Rama’ addressed to Rav Hersh refer to him as “my colleague, my student and my friend, ” and shower him with numerous accolades and honorable titles.
At the Rama’s recommendation, Rabbi Hersh was appointed Rav of the city in Brisk in Lithuania. He later settled in Lublin, where he founded a Beis Medrash and yeshivah and cultivated many exceptional talmidim, among them Torah luminaries such as the Bach. Whether pertaining to halachah, kabbalah or custom, the Bach always referred to Rabbi Hersh with the title of “mori, my master.”
Rabbi Hersh raised illustrious children, all Talmidei Chachamim and Gedolei Torah, among them Rabbi Avraham Chaim Schor, author of ‘Tzon Kodoshim’ and ‘Toras Chaim’, and Rabbi Zalman Schor, author of ‘Tevuos Schor’ (the first). His descendants include the Rabbanim and geonim Rabbi Alexander Sender author of ‘Tevuos Schor’; Rabbi Efraim Zalman Margalios, author of ‘Beis Efraim’; and the author of ‘Ateres Zekenim’.
The Rama and Rabbi Hersh Schor’s Hagahos on the ‘Mordechai’
Several of Rabbi Hersh Schor’s hagahos on the ‘Mordechai’ were printed under his name in the Talmud Bavli, Lemberg Edition (1860-1867) as stated on the title page, “The Sefer ‘Mordechai’ is edited based on the comments of the geonim Moreinu Harav Hersh Schor, Rav of the Bach, and Moreinu Harav Yisrael z”l ben [the renowned] Hagaon Moreinu Harav Shachna z”l.” (These comments were subsequently reprinted in the Vilna Shas under the title “Hagahos Hageonim”.)
Previously, the Rama’s hagahos on the ‘Mordechai’ in Shas appeared in the Zhitomir Edition (1858). Irrefutable evidence proves that these hagahos were not actually written by the Rema but merely derived from his teachings, and that many are the original glosses of his talmid Rabbi Hersh Schor. The copy of the sefer ‘Mordechai’ from which the Zhitomir edition copied and published the “Hagahos of the Rama”, is presently part of a private collection; and all the annotations found on that copy have already been printed.
New Hagahos by the Rama and His Disciples in the Present Copy
There is no doubt that the present copy was sourced in the Rema’s Beis Medrash. The vast majority of glosses that were printed are ascribed to the Rama, whom the writer describes as “mori sh”n (sheyichye netzach)”, with one annotation actually bearing the initials of Rema (see leaf 131a “מ"א—Moshe Isserles…annotation in the old Mordechai.”)
Additionally, other annotations reference additional handwritten manuscripts of the ‘Mordechai’ such as מ"י (Mordechai yashan, old Mordechai), ס"א—(sefarim acheirim, other works) and מ"א (Mordechai aroch, long Mordechai) which were available in the Rema’s Beis Medrash.
As opposed to other copies of the ‘Mordechai’ that do not contain new, unprinted glosses, the present copy contains many hagahos that have never yet been printed, including complete unknown passages from the pages of the ‘Mordechai Yashan’. It is quite possible that the present work is the sole testimony to this text and to a legacy of the Rema that has never yet been published (see leaf 48a: “I heard from my master…”)
This work also serves as an important reference that can be used to check and correct glosses that were misprinted over the years.
Summary
This sefer is an edited copy of the ‘Mordechai’ that was learned and reviewed by the illustrious talmidim of the Rama in his Beis Medrash in Cracow.
The leaves of this sefer boast numerous handwritten glosses and discussions on the ‘Mordechai’ by the Rema’s renowned talmid, Rabbeinu Naftali Tzvi Hersh Schor.
The sefer also contains comments and glosses by the Rema that have never been printed, and text that surpasses the quality and accuracy of other printed versions.
For additional evidence, sources, and expanded information, see the full study by Betzalel Debilitzy attached to the sefer.
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Description of Sefer: Mordechai. Rive de Trento, 1559. Page Count: 192: 19 leaves.
Page Size: 33 cm. Second page count includes a chart of halachos in the Ran with a separate title page.
Condition: Good, used. Minor tear in title page margin, fold marks in margins of first leaves; minuscule holes in several page margins. Antique parchment binding.
Title page boasts the stamp of the Jewish philanthropist Rabbi Daniel Jaffe of Berlin, famed collector of Jewish books and manuscripts. Jaffe maintained an expansive library and invited many a Torah scholar to learn and gain wisdom in his private study hall. In time, some of the young scholars who learned in his home, developed into leading Rabbanim and tzaddikim, the most famous among them being the Pri Megadim.
