Sha”s Ha’gadol She’ba’gedolim- Masechta Berachoth. With commentaries by Rashi, Tosafoth, etc. Prepared and with a commentary by Joseph Shapotshnick (London, England) and Shalom Isaac Levitan (Kristania, Norway)

(TALMUD, BABYLONIAN).

Baruch Weinberg

London

1919

Additional title within architechtural arch with central biblical vignette, printed in blue and red. The Shalom Isaac Levitan Copy (his stamps on first few leaves)

Rabinowitz pp. 186-8

ONLY TRACTATE PRINTED OF THE LARGEST FORMAT TALMUD A prolific author on a host of subjects (including science, psychology and music), Joseph Shapotshnick was a nonconformist figure of his time. In addition to this huge volume, he published controversial responsa releasing some 40,000 Agunoth whose husbands were among the missing in action of World War One. Samuel Hillman, Dayan of the United Synagogue of England (with whom Shapotshnick competed in the area of Kashruth supervision) wrote to the Rabbis of Poland delineating the actions of this “madman.” Thereafter a rabbinic proclamation opposing Shapotshnick was issued, led by the venerable Chaim Ozer Grodzinski of Vilna and signed by hundreds of others. For more on this maverick English rabbi see H. Rabinowicz, A World Apart: The Story of the Chasidim in Britain (1997) pp.56-66