The Divrei Chaim of the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfreid the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. First Edition, Munkacs 1877.

The Divrei Chaim of the Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfreid the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. First Edition, Munkacs 1877.

Sefer Divrei Chaim on the Torah, Festivals and Tractate Bava Metzia. By the Holy Rebbe Chaim Halberstam of Sanz.

Part I, on the Torah; Part II, on the festivals and Tractate Bava Metzia.

Munkacs, 1877. First edition. Two parts in one volume.

Page 2 with handstamp of the famous Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried as Rosh Beth Din in Ungvar in Hebrew & German.

It is well known that there was a great Polemic between the Holy Author the Divrei Chaim  of Sanz & the Gaon the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Ungvar.

Part I: [2], 84, [5] leaves. Part II: [2], 72; 48 leaves. 22 Cm.

Overall Good condition, stains, title page has small marginal tear, two last pages of first portion have tears at bottom margin affecting text, pages 40-48 of second portion of book have major page repairs & missing text, original binding.

The famous Tzaddik & Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (1804-1886) the renowned Rav of Ungvár (Uzhhorod) was a disciple of the Gaon Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Heller, the author of Tiv Gittin. Author of many Seforim including Keset Sofer, Torat Zevach, Lechem VeSimlah, Ohalei Shem; however he is most renowned for his valuable Sefer the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, which is a basic and important work and had 14 editions that were printed in his lifetime. Many famed Geonim wrote of his greatness including the Chasam Sofer, the holy gaon Rabbi Shimon Sofer and the Maharam Schick. When he was 30, in 1834, he published for the first time his famed Sefer on Hilchot Stam, Keset Sofer, which received an enthusiastic approbation from Maran the Chasam Sofer.

The Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried taught students his entire life, writing down the new things he had learned during those lessons. In his lifetime, he published his innovations on the Shas in his Sefer Pnei Shlomo on tractate Bava Batra only. His innovations on the other tractates of the Shas remained unpublished. Only in the years 1989-1999, the Jerusalem Institute published the five volumes of Pnei Shlomo series on the entire Shas.

In the introduction to this composition on the Torah, the sons describe their holy father and the day of his death: "…Well-known and famous…is his great holiness and piety. He dedicated his entire life to Torah study and devoted service and great fear of Heaven from his youth until…Our own eyes saw on the day of his death…that he sanctified himself like the heavenly Seraphim with yichudim and great fervor which did not cease for one moment until his soul clung to the Heavenly Light…".

At the end of the introduction they write about their father's testament requesting the printing of these Sefarim: "…We, the sons of our holy father the author, have expended effort in printing this composition in compliance with his command before his death to print and publish it speedily. The merit of our father should protect us and the entire Jewish People and strengthen Torah and fear of Heaven, and we and all our Jewish brethren should be graced with plenty of blessings and success".

In the introduction to Part 2, the author's sons relate that their father, author of Divrei Chaim studied Tractate Bava Metzia "with great concentration with a group of eminent Torah scholars for over 20 years and that he composed amazing novellae…". They also write that their father's novellae were written with revealed and esoteric interpretations.

Stefansky Chassidut, No. 119.

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