The Fraudulent Yerushalmi Kadshim. S. Varhal - Seini, 1906-1907

The Fraudulent Yerushalmi Kadshim. S. Varhal - Seini, 1906-1907

The fraudulent Talmud Yerushalmi, tractate Chulin-Bechorot with the Chelek Shlomo commentary, by Shlomo Yehudah Friedlander.

With approbations by Rabbi Shlomo Mordechai HaCohen [Schwadron], Barzan; Rabbi Aryeh Leibush HaLevi Ish Horowitz, Stanislav; Rabbi Eliezer Deitch, Bonyhad; Rabbi Yuda Greenwald, Satmar; Rabbi Avraham Binyamin Kluger; Brody; Rabbi Yitzchak Leib Sofer, Drohobych, and with an introduction by the "author."

Talmud Yerushalmi on Seder Kadshim was lost during the time of the Early Authorities and was never printed. At the beginning to the 20th century, Shlomo Friedlander (who also adopted a false identity as a descendant of the Sephardic Algazi family) copied, with much talent, all the quotes from the Yerushalmi Kadshim brought in the books by the Early Authorities together with quotes from the Yerushalmi in other sedarim, and he publicized that he found an ancient manuscript of the lost Yerushalmi. This fraud was initially accepted by most rabbis and scholars, such as the Maharsha"m, who even wrote glosses on the book which were publicized in all its parts. On the other hand, there were others who were very sharp-eyed, such as Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ritter, rabbi of Rotterdam, the gaon of Rogachov, the author of Ohr Sameach and the author of Kli Chemdah, who revealed the fraud and publicized it. The Yerushalmi controversy lasted a number of years, and books were published supporting both sides (most of the works to justify the "Yerushalmi Kadshim" were compilations authored by Friedlander writing under various assumed names). After the fraud became clear, most copies were buried.

[10], 78; [1], 47 leaves, 33 cm. General title page, and two separate title pages for Tractate Chulin and Tractate Bechorot.