CHAIM SHABTHAI. (MaHaRCHa”SH). Torath Chaim [responsa]. Parts I, II and III. [Vinograd, Salonika 211, 212 & 223]. Salonika, 1713,1715 and 1722

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