Sefer Nachalat Zvi, by Rabbi Zvi HaCohen, Venice 1661.

 

This book, from my antique Hebrew book collection, was printed by the printer Bragadin in Venice in 1661 on the 100th anniversary of the printing of the Shulchan Aruch.  It is a commentary on the Even HaEzer (literally stone of help) section of the Shulchan Aruch which is about Jewish family law, including marriage and divorce.

Rabbi Tzvi HaCohen had been in some  controversy, as he was accused of plagiarizing his father, Rabbi Yosef Katz’s writings, which he denied.  As we shall see, this book includes a rebuttal of that with a note from the then late Rabbi Yomtov Lipman Heller, known as the Tosefes Yomtov.

 

There is a fantastic selection of haskomos (approbations). The first is from Rabbi Shabasai Sheftel Horowitz, who was a son of Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, known as the ‘Holy Shelah’. He had died in 1660, just before the book was printed.

The second is from Rabbi Aaron Shmuel Kaidanover (1614-1676).

This is followed by Moshe Levi, the Darshan of Prague.

This is followed by some remarks by the author’s brother, Rabbi Samuel Katz, and then an introduction by the author himself.

 

Here is the start of the commentary Nachalat Zvi (right), which discusses the text of the Shulchan Aruch (left):

There are more haskomos at the end:

And now a word from the author and a brief note from the late Rabbi Yomtov Lipman Heller about that alleged plagiarism problem:
Here again is the Tosefes Yomtov stating that Rabbi Zvi Katz writes his own material:

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