An account of many Torah works that were written and
preserved in difficult circumstances.
The Pri Chodosh, work of R' Chizkiyah de Silva, was
first published in Amsterdam in 5460 (1700). It was printed
posthumously by his son, R' Dovid de Silva. In the
introduction, the son relates the miracle that involved the
manuscript while he was transporting it from Jerusalem, where
the Pri Chodosh had been living until his death, to
Amsterdam.
"During the voyage, we were attacked by pirates who stripped
us of our valuables and searched our baggage. They were about
to seize the precious manuscript but thanks to Hashem's
mercy, they had a change of mind and agreed to give me back
the work of my deceased father. And, `I thank You Hashem for
having been wrathful with me but Who turned away Your anger
and comforted me' " (Yeshayohu 12:1).
Another author whose writings were spared by robbers was the
Maharam Ash, R' Meir ben R' Yitzchok Eisenstadt. He authored
the responsa Ponim Meiros and Kosnos Ohr on the
Torah. The incident referred to here involved a different
work of his, the Ohr Hagonuz, which was printed
posthumously by his son, R' Yehuda from Bialy.
In the introduction, the son tells how the manuscript was
stolen, together with the author's other manuscripts, during
a pogrom which took place in Bialy in 5524 (1764), when
Stanislav Ponyatovksy was appointed king of Poland. The event
was followed by mass rioting, which peaked with the
destruction of the communities in Ukraine and Podolya in
1768. "That year, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz fell on Shabbos
Parshas Chukas," he writes, "and we saw the
fulfillment of the Targum Onkelos' translation [of `Zos
Chukas . . . ']: `This is the decree (literally, tearing)
of the Torah.'"
On the following Sunday, the second of Tammuz, the mob began
rioting for three hours in R' Yehuda's community. "Who can
imagine the extent of the devastation, especially what they
wreaked upon the great synagogue and beis medrash of
our community. They looted all my possessions besides, and
stripped the expensive clothing from my wife and me and our
children.
"The rioters intended to sell their spoils in other
communities, knowing that Jews would pay handsomely to redeem
those things, but the communal heads of Brisk, where the
looters planned to go, decreed upon the members of the
congregation that they must return any property they bought
to its rightful owners without accepting any remuneration
beyond the cost. This helped our community immeasurably."
In spite of the help from the Jews of Brisk, many of the
writings of the Maharam Ash were lost, though the miracles
that he experienced prompted R' Yehuda to travel from city to
city, "until Hashem enabled me to print the writings of
Ovi Mori."
"Os Mutzal Mei'eish — Letters Spared from the
Fire"
Many treasured manuscripts and works were lost in the course
of generations as a result of fires. Sometimes, whole
communities were totally consumed, together with their sacred
books and writings. But it sometimes happened that this was
the very cause for works to be printed. Jews whose entire
property had been burned and only a manuscript spared, would
regard this as a sign from Heaven to make a supreme effort to
print what they called, "Os mutzal mei'eish —
holy letters spared from the fire."
Some considered those fires a punishment from Heaven for not
having been energetic in printing manuscripts which had been
bequeathed to them by their forebears, and made haste to
right that wrong. Some, altogether impoverished, were also
able to cash in on the printing. Either way, the fact is that
we now possess works that might otherwise not have been
printed, had fire not broken out in the homes of their
owners.
R' Chaim Falagi was the av beis din of Izmir some 170
years ago. This gaon composed 68 works, according to
the numerical value of his name `Chaim.' On the eve of the
11th of Av, 5611 (1851), however, a huge conflagration
erupted in Izmir that consumed a great portion of those
works.
One of the students of his yeshiva, Yitzchok Yeshurun, leaped
into the flames in an attempt to salvage whatever he could.
He succeeded in dragging out a chest containing fourteen of
his master's compositions. "And Yitzchok emerged like a
skilled runner after the race," writes R' Chaim Falagi. "He
guarded the works in a basement of hewn stone against the
light of day." The first one was brought to print but the
fate of the other manuscripts was different and he was forced
to begin rewriting them from the beginning. Many writings
from other scholars of Izmir suffered a similar fate from
that terrible conflagration.
In 5517 (1757), the responsa Me'il Tzedokoh by R'
Yonah Landsover was printed. The author's grandson, R' Yom
Tov, who had it printed, expressed his apologies and
explained that fire broke out in his home on a Friday night
in 1754. No one was around to help him and, left with no
recourse, he quickly dragged his grandfather's works to the
basement in the hope that they would be spared.
He then quickly left the burning house, but not before he
made sure to take his grandfather's will along so that at
least this would remain. When he returned in the morning, he
discovered that nothing had survived the fire. "Everything,
from cellar to attic, had been totally burned. For this did I
weep," he writes, "and my eyes overflowed with lakes and
rivers of tears." But, to his great amazement, the
manuscripts which he had left in the cellar remained
unharmed. "How good this is! Not one of those pages of all
those works written by my master was singed." Immediately
after this event, he began the work of preparing those
manuscripts for publication.
Another work that was miraculously spared from the fire was
the responsa of the Mahardach, R' Dovid ben R' Chaim Kohen
from the island of Corfu. This was first printed in 5297
(1537) and again, in 5563 (1803). On the front page, the
author's son, R' Chaim HaKohen, tells of the fire which
erupted and which damaged some of his father's property,
including his responsa. However, this was miraculously
spared. "The fire had seized it and had already consumed two
verses, but it did not penetrate further. The fact that this
alone was spared was hailed as a miracle and of this can it
be truly said, "Os mutzal mei'eish — Letters
spared from the fire."
Writings in Prison
The imprisonment of the Maharam of Rottenberg is one of the
most famous stories in Jewish history. The Maharam headed a
celebrated yeshiva in his city and was the recognized leader
of all German Jewry in his time. In 5046 (1286), he was
arrested and imprisoned while en route to Eretz Yisroel, on
the grounds that his emigration was illegal. The Maharam
refused to let himself be ransomed, knowing that the real
reason for his imprisonment was to extort money from the
Jewish community. He did not want to set a precedent for
future acts of this kind.
During his stay in prison, the Maharam dispatched many
responsa to the numerous questions sent to him. He would sign
the letters "The poor one" or "I do not have poskim
seforim at my disposal and what I reply is what Heaven
has illuminated for me."
He writes to his disciple, the Rosh, "And if you find that
Tosafos and the works of poskim differ with me
in any area, I bow and nullify myself before them, for what
can a poor man know, sitting in the darkness . . . for the
past three-and-a-half years. I have forgotten all that is
good . . . [signed] Meir bar Boruch."
The Maharam died in the Ansitzheim fortress after some six
years of imprisonment, but the authorities refused to release
his body for burial. Only fourteen years later, on the 4th of
Iyar 5066, were his remains given over for burial. He was
interred in Worms.
Another work produced during imprisonment was that of R'
Zecharya Altzhadi, one of the great scholars of Yemen in the
16th century. R' Zecharya traveled extensively to Jewish
communities in various lands and was the author of works on
halochoh and aggodoh, among them a commentary
to the Torah called Tzeidah Laderech. One of the most
momentous of his works is Sefer Hamussar which
includes chapters of reproof, good practices, parables and
poems. Also noteworthy are the descriptions of his travels,
which include a visit to Eretz Yisroel in 5327 (1567), at the
time of Maran the Beis Yosef, the Ramak and the Mabit from
Trani.
The years 5328 and 5333 were years of dreadful decrees
against the Jews of Yemen. The country was in the midst of a
war against the Turks, and the Imam Almathar, who defeated
them, decided to imprison the Jews of Tzaana, including R'
Zecharya. In order to distract himself from his suffering, he
threw himself completely into writing a sefer.
In the introduction, he describes the difficulties which he
and the imprisoned members of his community suffered. "In
5328 . . . up till Rosh Chodesh Av of the following year,
the governor scattered us throughout the fortress, each in a
separate tower, youths and old men, chained in iron fetters.
Any eye would shed tears at the sight of them sent off to
harsh labor."
He made a superhuman effort to encourage the dispirited Jews
and infuse new hope in them. He named the work he composed
during this period, Sefer Hamussar. "So that everyone
who reads it, in the style and accent familiar to him, can
extract from it a message and lesson from his own hardships
as reflecting his sins and shortcomings." He concluded it
after being released from prison.
A work that was written completely during incarceration was
Dovid Bametzudah on Pirkei Ovos by R' Dovid
Chazan. R' Dovid was a noted, distinguished rabbi and printer
in Izmir in the eighteenth century who authored many works.
The abovementioned was written while he was falsely
imprisoned in Vienna under the charge of bearing forged
documents. He was detained there for the period between
Pesach and Shavuos until the heads of the Viennese
kehilloh succeeded in having him transferred to the
Jewish hospital due to his poor state of health and paid for
his stay there.
"I asked the communal trustees to send me copies of
Peirush Shmuel and Ein Yaakov, and during this
period, I succeeded in writing a commentary on Pirkei
Ovos. On the very day I completed this work, the
government released me."
Shem Hagedolim by the Chida is a very familiar work,
but less known is the fact that it was written while he was
in quarantine. In 5533 (1774), the Chida traveled to Europe
for the second time to raise funds for the city of Chevron.
After many adventures, he finally reached the port of
Livorno, Italy, where he was quarantined for forty days
before being allowed to enter the city, as was the practice
for all travelers hailing from the east where there were many
diseases. During this waiting period, the Chida composed the
above work.
The Radal, R' Dovid Luria from Bichov, mentions in one of his
responsa that he composed a calendar while he was imprisoned
in 5598 (1838) under the false charge of treason. "Had I been
imprisoned for the year following," he writes, "I would not
have been able to write a calendar, for I would not have had
any source, any book or person who could have guided me in
this." Through Divine mercy, he was exonerated and released
after four months.
Thanks Offerings
A good many works were written as a sign of gratitude by
authors saved from captivity, illness, peril at sea or other
dangers. Their salvation provided the impetus to write or
print a manuscript they produced.
Famous is the work which the author of Pnei Yehoshua
wrote in 5563 (1803) when an explosion in a gunpowder factory
in his city caused the death of 36 Jews, including his wife,
daughter, mother and grandmother. He, himself, was buried
under a mountain of debris from which he could normally not
have been extricated.
He resolved at that time that "If Hashem rescued him
unscathed, `I will not leave the walls of the beis medrash
but will apply myself to intense study of Shas
uposkim and will reside in the depths of halochoh,
for many nights at a time on one topic.' Before I had
finished my declaration, Hashem answered my prayer . . . and
suddenly, a path was miraculously cleared before me and I
emerged safe and sound." It was this miracle that resulted in
the writing of the Pnei Yehoshua years later.
A similar incident occurred to R' Dov Ber ben R' Yehuda Leib
Troyes, rosh av beis din of Vilna, who passed away in
5563 (1803). He was also rescued from a building which
collapsed and, as a sign of gratitude, authored his work,
Revid Hazohov on the Torah.
"The communities in my vicinity are well aware of what
happened to me," he writes in the introduction. "May none of
you know of such troubles. I was punished by having my
children, young and mature, taken from me. The last trouble
that befell me was when a wall collapsed upon my home,
killing my wife, my daughter, a granddaughter who was a
kallah, a nephew, and others who were in my home at
the time." He, himself, sat near an outer wall, as usual, and
emerged unscathed. "I have no doubt that the merit of my
ancestors interceded for me by creating for me a safe place
where I was seated."
R' Shmuel Hanoggid, author of Mevo HaTalmud which is
printed at the end of Maseches Brochos, was a prince
of Spanish Jewry and a minister to the kings of Granada. In
4809 (1049), he was captured by the Malaga army and his life
was in danger, but he succeeded in escaping. As a thanks
offering for his rescue, he authored his work, Hilchesa
Gevirta. He also composed a poem to commemorate the
miracle. His son, R' Yehosef, introduced it with the words,
"Valorous men were lost in the war and my father, may Hashem
preserve him, was taken into captivity. Through amazing and
miraculous circumstances, he was saved, and vowed then to
compose this work."
The infamous decrees of Tach Vetat, 1648-1649, and the years
following, brought in their wake the printing of many works,
perhaps stemming from the feeling that if those manuscripts
were not brought to print they might be altogether lost in
the pogroms. Another reason might have been to bring some
income to their authors during those harsh times. Yet another
motive was as a sign of thanksgiving to Hashem for the rescue
of the author from danger. An example of the latter is
Birchas Hazevach on Kodshim by R' Aharon Shmuel
Kaidenower.
He was wounded in the riots and fled with his family from
Vilna to Lublin. But the Cossack sword intercepted him and
claimed the lives of his two daughters al kiddush
Hashem. In addition, he lost all his wealth, including
the manuscripts which he had written "about several study
approaches in Talmud uposkim which I received
transmitted from my holy teachers, and which I understood
through my own meager intellect . . . All was taken from me
by the accursed enemy."
Further on, he describes how he lay in the street together
with the surviving members of his family among those who were
murdered. He tells how the mobs even stripped him of his
clothing, leaving him with only a cotton shirt to his body.
Many were the times that he was face to face with death but
upon each occasion, a miracle occurred and he succeeded in
reaching the Jewish community of Nikolsburg.
"In His great mercy, Hashem allowed me to remain alive, to
this very day, together with my son. I was literally rescued
from the sword, and Hashem carried me, as it were, on the
wings of eagles through marvelous, miraculous ways, which we
fall so short to describe, involving so many escapades, then
and afterwards as well . . . And He brought us in peace,
together with my dear beloved surviving children to the
country of Merrin."
R' Aharon Shmuel began disseminating Torah in the Nikolsburg
yeshiva and decided to give expression to his thanksgiving to
Hashem by devoting himself completely to the study of
Kodshim, which the commentators had not dealt with
extensively.
Poel Tzeddek on the 613 commandments by the Shach was
printed for the second time by two descendants of the author,
R' Dov and R' Yisroel Yehoshua Prager, in 5674 (1914). This,
too, served as a sign of thanks for one of them having
recuperated from a severe illness. In the introduction, it is
told that while he was hospitalized in Berlin, when the
doctors had all but despaired of his life, he sent someone to
pray on the grave of his grandfather, the Shach. He then
resolved that if he survived, he would print one of the
Shach's manuscripts. And he truly fulfilled his word.
