She’erith Yoseph [responsa]

HA’KOHEN, JOSEPH BEN MORDECHAI GERSHON OF CRACOW

Isaac Prostitz

Cracow

1590

FIRST EDITION. Title within wreathed architectural arch.

Vinograd, Cracow 134; Mehlman 724; not in Adams

Mehlman notes that a few copies have two additional unnumbered leaves containing four unnoted responsa that were printed after the work was completed. Indeed, these four responsa were not reprinted in later editions. Joseph ben Mordechai Gershon was the brother-in-law of R. Moses Isserles (ReM”A) and served as a member of his Beth Din. She’erith Yoseph contains his responsa as well as expositions on the Mordechai to the Orders Nezikin and Mo’ed, Tractate Berachoth, the minor Tractates as well as the Tur, Choshen Mishpat. Most of his respona deal with financial and commercial matters, an area in which he was expert. He was approached with problems from Moravia, Italy and even Turkey as well as his native Poland. As a Posek, he was inclined to be stringent. For example, in responsum no. 46, when a grain of wheat was found on a slated piece of meat during Passover, he prohibits all the pieces that were in the vessel at the time. He corresponded with R. Meir Katzenellenbogen (see responsum no. 1), and R. Solomon Luria (see responsum no. 17)