Obj. ID: 37121
Jewish printed books Masat Binyamin, Metz, 1777
This text was prepared by William Gross:
Responsa by Rabbi Binyamin Aharon Solnik. Rabbi Binyamin Aharon Solnik (d. 1620) was a student of the Rama and Maharashal. He was one of the greatest poskim of his generation and conducted extensive correspondence with other great rabbis of his generation, including the Sema, the Levush and the Maharam Lublin.
On the title-page are printed the words "By the Grace of our Lord the Magnificent King Louis XVI, King of France".
A Hebrew press was established in Metz c. 1760. The printer of this volume, Gottshalk b. Avraham Segal Speyer, was the son-in-law of the Metz printer Moshe May. After his father-in-law’s death, Gottshalk inherited some of his printing material and established his own publishing house in Metz (1776-1788).
His printer’s mark, seen on the title page of this volume (Ya’ari 143), shows a Levi pouring water over the hands of a Cohan, accompanied by the verse “This is what pertains to the Levites” (Numbers 8:24). This refers to the printer’s status as a Levite.