Obj. ID: 37374  Sheelot u-Teshuvot by Avraham ben Mordekhai Halevi, Venice, 1694

This text was prepared by William Gross:

A work of 296 responsa and novella from R. Yom Tov b. Moses Zahalon. Title page with depiction of the Tabrenacle. Verso of title page shows the Temple, the Menorah and the Shewbread Table. A side-view illustration of the Temple and Temple Mount follows the introduction.
R. Yom Tov Zahalon (1558-c.1638) was born in Safed, and studied under R. Moses Bassudia and R. Joseph Caro. He was an emissary of the Jews in Safed to Italy, Holland, Egypt and Constantinople, and was highly regarded by his contemporaries, being consulted frequently for his opinion on complex halachic issues. Within these responsa, which are on all four parts of the Shulchan Aruch, R. Zahalon also addresses contemporary conditions in Safed and the relations between Ashkenazim and Sephardim in Eretz Israel. This is the only edition of this collection.
The Vendramin Hebrew press was established in 1630 by Giovanni Vendramin, who thereby broke the monopoly enjoyed by the Bragadin family in Venice. The press eventually joined with that of Bragadin, however, and the combined presses continue to operate well into the 18th C.