Bidspirit auction | (AMERICA). Willowsky, Ya’akov David. Nimukei

(AMERICA). Willowsky, Ya’akov David. Nimukei Ridva’z [commentary to Bereishith and Shemoth]. FIRST EDITION. Contemporary boards. 4to. Goldman, Hebrew Printing in America no. 721. Chicago, 1904. The Ridva’z (1845-1913) served as rabbi of a number of cities in Russia, most notably Slutzk where he established a yeshiva with R. Isser Zalman Meltzer at its helm. In 1903 the Ridva’z traveled to America in order to seek financial support for the publication of his commentary to the Jerusalem Talmud. While there, he was prevailed upon to stay and fill the position of Chief Rabbi of Chicago. The present work, issued a year into the rabbi’s stay in the United States, contains an important introduction pertaining to the history of Kashruth supervision in Chicago in which the author castigated against the overseeing rabbis. He sets out the overall state of Jewish ritual practice and religious education in America, which he saw as being quite woeful. Discouraged, the Ridvaz left America in 1905 and settled in Tzfat, where he later died.