Knesset HaGedolah – Izmir, 1731 – Copy of the Noda BiYehudah, with his Signature

Knesset HaGedolah – Izmir, 1731 – Copy of the Noda BiYehudah, with his Signature

Knesset HaGedolah on Tur Even HaEzer, by R. Chaim Benveniste. Izmir: Yonah Ashkenazi and David Chazan, [1731]. First edition.
Copy of R. Yechezkel Landau, Rabbi of Prague, author of Noda BiYehudah, with his signature, and inscriptions by his son and sons-in-law.
On the front endpaper is an ownership inscription handwritten by the son of the Noda BiYehudah: "Belongs to my beloved father, teacher and master, the famed Gaon, rabbi of all the diaspora, R. Yechezkel Segal Landau, Rabbi of Prague". Another ownership inscription is dated 1782.
Additional inscriptions on this leaf, handwritten by the son-in-law of the Noda BiYehudah – R. Yom Tov Wehly of Prague. One in Hebrew: "Belongs to my father-in-law, my master and teacher, the famed Gaon… R. Yechezkel Segal Landau, Rabbi of Prague – Yom Tov son of R. Efraim Wehly, Thursday, 13th Elul 1782". Another in German, from the same year, signed: "Jentoff Ephr. Wehly".
On the back endpaper are several inscriptions in German attesting that the book belongs to the Chief Rabbi of Prague R. Yechezkel Landau. Two of them are signed by Joseph Landau – apparently, this is the Noda BiYehudah's second son-in-law, R. Yosef Landau, Rabbi of Posen, known as "Yosef HaTzaddik".
In the center of the title page is a signature: the name "Yechezkel" encoded in the Atbash cipher. Apparently, this signature is in the handwriting of the Noda BiYehudah.
Additional inscriptions, at the top of the title page: "From R. Hirsch Shidlov" (possibly R. Tzvi Hirsch Shidlov, publisher of Ateret Eliyahu, by his father R. Eliyahu Shidlov, Fürth, 1776); "A book of R. Yaakov Pisling, given to me by his dear, excellent son R. Yehudah – Yechiel Michel Sachs, [1862], when I was in Prague" (the rabbi and scholar Dr. Michael Sachs, Rabbi in Prague and Berlin, d. 1864; R. Yaakov Pisling, a Torah scholar in Prague, mentioned in Responsa Shivat Tzion by R. Shmuel Landau, section 16: "and my mechutan the excellent… R. Yaakov Pisling alerted me to this…").

R. Yechezkel HaLevi Landau (1713-1793) was a leading Halachic authority of all times. From a young age, he was renowned as a leading Torah scholar of his generation. He studied for 17 years in the celebrated Kloiz of leading Brody Torah scholars, renowned in the revealed and hidden portions of the Torah, including R. Chaim Sanzer and R. Gershon of Kitov (brother-in-law of the Baal Shem Tov). During those years, he studied the Arizal's writings together with R. Chaim Sanzer, a leading scholar in the Kloiz.
In Brody he served for 10 years as Head of one Beit Din of the four that were there. In ca. 1745, he went to serve as Rabbi of Jampol, and in 1754, he began serving as Rabbi of Prague and the region.

In Prague, he established a large yeshiva, where he educated thousands of disciples, including many of the leaders of that generation (his disciple R. Elazar Fleckeles, author of Teshuvah MeAhavah, eulogized him: "He edified several thousands of disciples, including hundreds of rabbis and dayanim"; Olat HaChodesh HaShlishi, 17, p. 85a).

Thousands of queries were addressed to him from far-flung places, many of them published in his Noda BiYehudah.
The Chida in Shem HaGedolim greatly praises the book Noda BiYehudah as well as its author, describing him as an exceptionally outstanding Torah scholar who disseminated much Torah through his books and disciples, and mentions the acuity and extensive Torah wisdom apparent in his responsa and books. The Noda BiYehudah himself wrote in a responsum regarding one of his novellae, that in his opinion it is "a true matter in the Torah of Moshe" (Even HaEzer, Mahadura Tinyana, section 23, 2). The Chatam Sofer writes of this responsum in one of his responsa (Part II, Even HaEzer, section 95): "The word of G-d in his mouth is true".

[2], 220 leaves. 30 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Much worming, affecting text, partially repaired with tape. Stamps. New binding, with two fabric bookmarks.

Provenance: Estate of Prof. Ephraim Elimelech Urbach.