Copy of the The Holy Gaon Rabbi Elazar Löw- Shemen Rokeach. Yam shel Shlomo on Bava Kamma. Jaznitz, 1723

Copy of the The Holy Gaon Rabbi Elazar Löw- Shemen Rokeach. Yam shel Shlomo on Bava Kamma. Jaznitz, 1723

Sefer Yam shel Shlomo on Tractate Bava Kamma, by Rabbi Shlomo Luria - the Maharsh"al. Jasnitz, 1723. Second edition.

Flyleaf with ownership inscription ''This Sefer belongs to the Gaon Rabbi Elazar Rabbi of the Holy community Mikuláš''

Other signatures, Marginalia .One of them is signed 'Aaron', possibly his son the sharp young schloar Harav Ahron. See lot 61.

Another possibility is that's his son in law the Gaon Rabbi Ahron Fried of Böszörmény.

The Holy Gaon Rabbi Elazar Löw (1758-1837) a famous Torah scholar, officiated most of his life as rabbi of six prominent communities in the Moravian region. Headed a yeshiva and taught more than 1000 disciples, including many future Torah leaders. His son was the famed Rabbi Binyamin Wolf Löw, author of Shaarei Torah.

He was born in Wodzislav (Poland) and when only 17 years of age was appointed dayyan in his native city. At the age of 20 he was appointed rabbi of Pilica (Poland) and in 1800, on the recommendation of Mordecai *Banet, became rabbi of *Trest (Triesch).

Subsequently he held positions as district rabbi of *Pilsen (1812–15), rosh yeshivah of Trest (1815–20), rabbi of Liptovsky Mikuláš, Slovakia (1821–30), and finally, from 1830 until his death rabbi of Santo (Abaujszanto), Hungary.

He played a vigorous part in the fight against religious reform, and was an active opponent of Aaron Chorin. 

Rabbi Elazar was a prolific writer and was famous for 13 large compositions which he authored (12 were printed in his lifetime). A large part of his writings deal with Talmudic rules and methods. He would continue pondering his Talmudic studies in his sleep and many of his novellae would appear in his dreams. Reputedly, his diligence and holiness were so pronounced that upon the ending of Yom Kippur he would not taste anything and would study throughout the night, and each year on that night, would merit the revelation of Eliyahu Hanavi (Zichron Elazar). His biographers write of the effectiveness of his prayers. Before his passing, he said that already 30 days after his death, prayers can be recited at his gravesite. In 1833, he was hit by lightning which damaged his eyesight and he became blind. From then until his death, he sat and studied from memory, portraying his exceptional memory of the entire Torah.

The Chatam Sofer mentioned this in his eulogy: "He was blind for several years, however, this did not impair his amazing proficiency and sharpness in the least". The Chatam Sofer cites his books in several places although he was his contemporary. Rabbi Mordechai Bennet was so amazed at his book Shaarei Chochmah-Shev Shemateta that he claimed that it "was not written by a human, rather by an angel and such a work has never appeared". 

Rabbi Ahron Fried (1833-1891), disciple of the Chasam Sofer – who requested him to study privately with his son the Ktav Sofer. Rabbi of Mezö-Csáth (1833), Sámson (1837) and Hajdúböszörmény (1862). Author of Zekan Ahron, Omer LeTzion and Shaalos Uteshuvos Moharaf.