Shu”t Zichron Yosef by Rabbi Yosef Steinhardt, Fuerth, 1773.

This is an interesting book from my collection – interesting as an example of how auction houses and sellers copy descriptions of books from one to the other.

Rabbi Yosef ben Menachem Steinhardt (1720 – 1776) was an important German Rabbi.  He studied at the yeshiva of Rabbi Yaakov Hakohen Poppers, in Frankfurt. In 1746 he lived in Schwabach, Bavaria. He later served as rabbi of Alsace, with his seat at Rixheim. In 1755 he was appointed chief rabbi of Niederenheim in Lower Alsace, and from 1763 until his death served as rabbi of Fuerth.

Among his pupils were Mordecai Banet of Mikulov, Moshe Tuvia Sondheimer of Hanau, and Benjamin Ze’ev Wolf Heidenheim.

His fame as a halakhic (Jewish legal) authority was such that problems were addressed to him from Hungary, Italy, Amsterdam and Switzerland. He maintained a regular correspondence with his brother-in-law, Yeshaye ben Yehuda Leib Berlin, with whom he communicated on various problems. In his work Rabbi Steinhardt quotes comments and novellae by his learned wife, Kreindel, Isaiah Berlin’s sister; Kreindel also urged her husband to publish his work.

This book, Zichron Yosef, consists of responsa and rulings on the four divisions of the Shulchan Aruch, with an appendix of his novellae and sermons.  Rabbi Steinhart declined to give a ruling on his own authority in difficult problems, emphasizing that he was one of “those apprehensive of giving rulings,” and suggested that the concurrence of authoritative rabbis be sought. He took a firm stand on fundamental issues that were likely to undermine morality and religion. He was especially opposed to mixed dancing, and stressed that “any rabbi and instructor is obligated to protest and to abolish any type of mixed dancing that is planned for his city during a festival.” In the course of his responsa, he describes how he canceled a dance arranged in Niederenheim, even after the Jewish community had obtained permission from the secular authorities.

Rabbi Steinhardt is quoted by other authorities – for example, his responsa No. 17 is quoted at length in the Beiur Halacha in the Mishneh Berurah of the Chofetz Chaim to Orach Chaim 339.

Rabbi Steinhardt mentions that he was “greatly punished by the death of children and grandchildren … and few of many remained to him.”

What is interesting is that every copy that I have seen, or has come up for sale, including mine, and one currently offered by a very prestigious auction house, all claim that “this copy” includes the “exceptionally rare” introductory leaves, which feature a scathing critique of the Chassidic movement.  They all claim that this is rare because the Chassidim tore the introduction out of most of the copies!  I have yet to see a single copy with these leaves missing offered for sale. What happens is that book dealers and auction houses tend to copy descriptions from one to the other.

In the introduction, Rabbi Steinhardt decries the Chassidim, who were beginning to spread out during that period. Written in the month of Nissan 1773, the introduction references Zamir Aritzim V’Charavot Tzurim (“To prune and cut down all thorns … that surround the rose.”), the first and very controversial anti-Chassidic work published in 1772. Rabbi Steinhardt condemns those “who make most of their days festivals, who chirp and make noises during their prayers, emit various strange sounds, and change many customs.” In his vehement denunciation of Chassidus, he goes so far as to label it a cult. He writes, “There is no respite from them… they make most of their days holidays… their prayers are unbearable to the ears… they produce various noises… like a monkey to man… G-d save us from them.” He also mentions those who came to reside in Germany, referring to the brothers Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg and Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz, the author of Sefer Haflaa, followers of the Maggid of Mezeritch, who were appointed rabbis in Germany.