(Gaon of Vilna). Eliahu Raba [commentary to Seder Taharoth].

Although the purported editor of this work, R. Meir of Vilna, presented himself as a disciple of the Vilna Gaon and presents in the introduction here two letters to that effect, Vinograd states that he published the work without permission of the Vilna Beth Din. In addition Vinograd (see Gr’a pp. 10-12) cites the children of the Gaon who state that the manuscript shown to them was full of errors. However, Raphael Nathan Nata Rabinowitz writes in the introduction to “Gaon Yaakov” by his teacher R. Yaakov Kahana (a disciple of the Gaon and son-in-law of his brother Yissachar Dov) that in reality R. Yaakov Kahana edited this volume. Indeed R. Meir Vilna did not understand many of the Gaon’s comments and requested that R. Yaakov Kahana correct and explain these esoteric comments - yet due to his humility, he requested his name not be noted in the publication.