Rabbi Elazar Hurvitz, a member of the faculty of Yeshiva University, is the editor of excellent editions of works by Rishonim. He is also a very diligent student of the fragments of rabbinical literature discovered in the Geniza of Cairo. Recently he presented the Torah world with a new book: Teshuvot HaGeonim (Responsa of the Geonim) based on manuscripts preserved in various libraries, including those of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Hurvitz’s numerous, scholarly publications include part of Sefer HaMenuhah (Rabbi Manoach of Narbonne’s commentary on Maimonides Mishneh Torah), remnants of the commentary of Rabbi Yom Tov ben Avraham of Seville (Ritva) on Tractate Beitza and a commentary by a student of Nahmanides on Alfasi on Tractate Shevuot.
Rabbi Hurvitz discovered and published fragments of unknown editions of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah which were printed in Spain before the expulsion of the Jews from that country.
He has devoted much time to the study of Geonic literature. In 1986 his Fragments of the Geonic commentaries and Halachot on Tractate Shabbat (from the Cairo Geniza) appeared.
In the introduction to his new volume, he describes the manuscripts he used. He has reproduced in the book, in their entirety two collections of very old rabbinic writings One includes a variety of Halakhic decisions, many of which have their origin in the responsa and in other writings of the Geonim. The other collection consists mainly of Geonic responsa. More than 200 decisions and responsa are featured in the new volume. A great number of these are by Rav Hai and Rav Sherira. There are also some decisions and responsa by early Rishonim, such as Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi. Rabbi Ephraim, (a student of R. Alfasi), Rabbi Avraham ben Isaac of Narbonne and Rabbi Avraham ben David (Ravad) of Posquieres.
Rabbi Hurvitz has annotated all the decisions and responsa and has indicated the sources of all quotations. In his excellent notes he mentions other works, included in his book, in which decisions and responsa are quoted in full or in part, or are discussed or referred to.
According to Hurvitz, the collections which are printed in his volume had once been in the possession of Rabbi Avraham ben Isaac of Narbonne. This is evident from the many places in his Sefer HaEshkol, where parts of the responsa are cited. Rabbi Menachem HaMeiri was also in the possession of such writings, as was Rabbi Zedekiah Anav, who quotes quite a number of the responsa in his Shibbolei HaLeket.
Space doesn’t permit us to discuss any of the responsa printed in the volume. We must content ourselves with mentioning one which might be of general interest.
On pp. 232-233 the following responsum is found:
Question: It is our custom to light eight lights in the synagogue on Hanukkah. On the first night one lights one light on the left side and seven lights on the right. Every night one moves one light from the right side to the left. Thus by the eighth night, all the lights are on the left. Let us know, O Gaon, our master, what is your custom, for there is one who says that one should light 16 lights, eight on the right and eight on the left.
The Gaon’s reply:
Our custom is to light at home as many lights as there are persons in the house, as our rabbis taught:
“One who is zealous in the performance of precepts lights one light for each person. In the synagogue one does in accordance with Beth Hillel. The first night one lights one light, the following nights additional lights…”
This responsum is interesting, not only because of the strange custom of those who asked the Gaon for guidance, but also on account of the Gaon’s reply which tells us that only in the synagogue did one light each night an additional light, but private people did not do so.
The Jewish Press, Friday February 9. 1996