Joseph ben Mordechai Gershon HaKohen Ka"tz (1510 in
Cracow – 1591) was a
kohen
Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally b ...
by birth, a rabbi and
Talmudist
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the center ...
, who began his studies in the Talmud at an early age, and became the dean (
rosh yeshivah
Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, plural, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, ...
) at a yeshiva founded for him by his father-in-law. His views on religious questions were widely sought, while
Solomon Luria
Solomon Luria (1510 – November 7, 1573) ( he, שלמה לוריא) was one of the great Ashkenazic ''poskim'' (decisors of Jewish law) and teachers of his time. He is known for his work of Halakha, ''Yam Shel Shlomo'', and his Talmudic commenta ...
was one of his correspondents.
Joseph was the author of "She'erit Yosef" (Cracow, 1590), containing
responsa
''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
and discussions on various rabbinical subjects, as well as a commentary on the "
Mordechai
Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed.
Biblical acco ...
"
tractates
A tractate is a written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject; the word derives from the Latin ''tractatus'', meaning treatise.
One example of its use is in citing a section of the Talmud, when the term '' masekhet'' () is used ...
Nezikin
''Nezikin'' ( he, נזיקין ''Neziqin'', "Damages") or ''Seder Nezikin'' (, "The Order of Damages") is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court sy ...
,
Berakot, and
Mo'ed
Moed ( he, מועד, "Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of M ...
. In the
preface
__NOTOC__
A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...
the author states that he published this work at the request of his sons, Tanhuma and Aaron Moses, who were members of the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community of Cracow. He also corrected the manuscript from which was printed the "Aggudah" of
Alexandri HaKohain of
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
She'rith Yosef* I. M. Zunz, 'Ir ha-zedek, p. 23, Lemberg, 1874;
* Rabinowitz, Ha'arot we-Tikunim, p. 6, Lyck, 1875;
*
Dembitzer, Kelilat Yoft, p. 4b, Cracow, 1888;
* B. Friedberg, Gesch. der Hebräischen Typographie in Krakau, p. 8, ib. 1900.S.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gershon, Joseph Ben Mordechai
1510 births
1591 deaths
Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature
Rabbis from Kraków
16th-century Polish rabbis