Aphei Ravr’vei [commentary to Joseph Karo’s Shulchan Aruch-Even Ha’ezer]

ELIJAH BEN SOLOMON ZALMAN (GAON OF VILNA).

Menachem Mann-Simcha Zimmel

Vilna

1819

FIRST EDITION OF GAON’S COMMENTARY. Title printed in red and black. THE NAPHTALI TZVI JUDAH BERLIN (NETZI’”V) OF VOLOZHIN COPY, attested to by his disciples on front free-end paper. Marginalia apparently in his hand. Signature of his uncle, R. Meir Berlin of Mogilev on title.

Vinograd, Vilna 134

A striking example of the entrenched conservatism of traditional Jewish scholarship. Paragraphs 1-25 of Joseph Karo’s work are twinned with the commentary of the Vilna Gaon alone, whereas the classic commentaries Beth Shmuel and Chelkath Mechokek are here moved to the end of the volume. However, R. Chaim of Volozhin, the Gaon’s foremost disciple, objected to this formula as disrespectful to these two early decisors. Thus, from paragraph 26 onward, in deference to his opinion, the publishers reverted to the traditional page lay-out.