Dayan Fisher’s copy of Chemdas HaNefesh, the last part of Chemdas Moshe, Warsaw 1897.

This book is in my Anglo-Judaica library because of its Association.  It belonged to Dayan Michoel Fisher, Rav Rashi of the Federation of Synagogues in London.  For more about Dayan Fisher, see my previous post here.

Chemdas Moshe is a book of Shailos and Tshuvos (Questions and Answers) by Rabbi Moshe Perlmutter of Lodz, whose father was Rabbi Eliezer Perlmutter, Chief Rabbi of Warsaw.

This copy has two interesting stamps.  The first is of Rabbi Fisher, Rav of the North East London Beth Hamedrash, Ainsworth Road, Hackney.  Rabbi Fisher had come to London in 1937, from Warsaw, and was Rabbi of this Synagogue for many years.

The second is the stamp of the Scarborough Street Synagogue, which had closed down in 1920, long before Rabbi Fisher came to London.  Perhaps he bought the book for 30/- (thirty shillings – £1.50) which is the price marked on the first page.  The Scarborough Street Synagogue was one of the original congregations that attended the meeting on 16th October 1887 to found the Federation of Synagogues.  It had relocated to Scarborough Street from Mansell Street.  More importantly, prior to 1870, it had been the Gun Yard “Polish” synagogue, founded in 1792.

The book is folio, and has an introduction which discusses the problems of errors copying the book from manuscript to print, followed by hascamas – approbations – by some great rabbis of that time.

The book is printed with other books including Even Moshe by Rabbi Moshe Perlmutter’s father, Rabbi Eliezer Perlmutter, and Yad Moshe: