Original signature of the holy Bach
Rabbi Yoel Sirkis
Cracow 1629
A lengthy halachic fundamental teshuvah from the great gaon Rabbi Yoel Sirkis the Bac”h concluded with his holy signature.
Four pages written neatly by a scribe, the Bac”h then reviewed the teshuvah and added annotations, and on the bottom of the teshuvah he inscribed this rare and holy signature:
I the humble and young
Yoel ben la”a [to my father] Morenu….Rabbi Shmuel Z”l
[Today] Friday 23rd of Shevat 1629….
Here KK”K [Kehula kedosha Kracow]
On the side of the page, three short notations in the sacred handwriting of the Bach.
This teshuvah of the bach is one of the most famous of the bach’s teshuvos, its discussions revolve around the matter of agunos and has many practical halachic ramifications in the matter of agunos.
This teshuvah is quoted by and referred to, by all the great Achronim when discussing matters of agunot. (see below)
At the end of the teshuvah the Bac”h tells of a similar incident that occurred, in which there was an halachic argument between the Mahara”l of Prague and his Rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo of Lublin.
This teshuvah was printed in Teshuvos HaBac”h (Frankfurt 1697) Ch. 86-87. The teshuvah was sent to the Gaon Rabbi Yehoshu of Cracow, author of Shu”t Pnei Yehoshua and Maginei Shlomo, in response to his teshuvah which was printed in Shu”t Geonei Basroei (Turka 1764) Ch. 21. In response, the Mageini Shlomo wrote another teshuvah on the matter, printed in Shu”t Pnei Yehoshua Vol. 2 (Levov 1860) Ch. 47.
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