Tosefta

Considerations on Jewish Tosefta law by the Vilna Gaon (Zalman Eliyahu Ben Salomon, 1720–1797) were written and published by Gershon Jonah ben Judah, a judge of the Vilnius Jewish court. The Vilna Gaon himself did not write a single book. He devoted his time completely to studying religious texts and deepening his knowledge, did not perform any official duties for the city’s religious community, and for the same reason did not write books. All the works attributed to him were published after his death, based on his notes and those taken by his students and relatives.

In 1799, the old royal printing press was transferred from Grodno to Vilnius and became the printing press of the Diocese of Vilnius under the auspices of Bishop Kossakowski, overseen by the Reverend Juozapatas Mirskis. The first Jewish books in Lithuania were printed there. Tosefta by Gershon and the Vilna Gaon was one of the few books to come out in the 18th century. In the 19th century Vilnius became a world centre for Jewish publishing.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARS LIBRI (2022). Compiler Algimantas Muzikevičius, text authors Algimantas Muzikevičius, Rolandas Gustaitis

Considerations on Jewish Tosefta law by the Vilna Gaon (Zalman Eliyahu Ben Salomon, 1720–1797) were written and published by Gershon Jonah ben Judah, a judge of the Vilnius Jewish court. The Vilna Gaon himself did not write a single book. He devoted his time completely to studying religious texts and deepening his knowledge, did not perform any official duties for the city’s religious community, and for the same reason did not write books. All the works attributed to him were published after his death, based on his notes and those taken by his students and relatives.

In 1799, the old royal printing press was transferred from Grodno to Vilnius and became the printing press of the Diocese of Vilnius under the auspices of Bishop Kossakowski, overseen by the Reverend Juozapatas Mirskis. The first Jewish books in Lithuania were printed there. Tosefta by Gershon and the Vilna Gaon was one of the few books to come out in the 18th century. In the 19th century Vilnius became a world centre for Jewish publishing.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARS LIBRI (2022). Compiler Algimantas Muzikevičius, text authors Algimantas Muzikevičius, Rolandas Gustaitis