Aaronsohn, Moses (“Ba’al Hapardess”). Matei Moshe [sermons, responsa and commentary to the Canticles]

(AMERICAN JUDAICA)

Joel Moses ben M. Salomon (etc.)

Jerusalem

1878

FIRST EDITION. Title page with Hebrew autograph note by the publisher, the Author’s widow. Woodcuts of the Holy Places.

Born in Salant, Lithuania in 1805, Aaronsohn served as rabbi in several neighboring towns before migrating to New York in 1860, thus becoming the first Eastern European rabbi to settle in the United States. He was energetically involved in establishing a more thorough system of maintaining standards of Kashruth in New York, which led to frequent correspondence with the great rabbinic decisors of Europe. However, Aaronsohn abandoned New York in 1873 following a fierce dispute with his rabbinic peers concerning the supervisory suitability of wine from California. He then served as an itinerant preacher, living only another two years before he died in Chicago in 1875. Aaronsohn’s intention of migrating to the Land of Israel was fulfilled by his widow and sons, where they published the present work. It includes responsa dealing with synagogue and ritual life in America, especially the Lower East Side of New York. See Halevy (Jerusalem 308) regarding printing history.