CHAIM SHABTHAI. (MaHaRCHa”SH). Torath Chaim [responsa]. Parts I, II and III. [Vinograd, Salonika 211, 212 & 223]. Salonika, 1713,1715 and 1722
AUCTION 21 |
Thursday, December 04th,
2003 at 1:00
Kestenbaum & Company Holds Inaugural Auction of Hebrew Printed Books & Manuscripts at Their New Galleries
Lot 18
(AMERICAN JUDAICA)
CHAIM SHABTHAI. (MaHaRCHa”SH). Torath Chaim [responsa]. Parts I, II and III. [Vinograd, Salonika 211, 212 & 223]. Salonika, 1713,1715 and 1722
v.d
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
PRICE REALIZED $2,800
The earliest recorded responsa from the New World
Torath Chaim, Vol. III, Responsa no.3, discusses the appropriate season to pray for rain. The inquiry was sent to R. Chaim Shabthai, Chief Rabbi of Salonika and one of the outstanding scholars of his time, from the Jewish Community in Recife, Brazil. The circumstances of living in the tropical climate of Brazil created concerns regarding preserving the traditional season to recite the Prayer for Rain. “Thus making the New World’s first contribution to the Responsa Literature.” See M.A. Cohen, Sephardim in the Americas, American Jewish Archives vol. XLIV (1992) p.218