the only known Halakhic work by Recanati

The only known Halakhic work by Recanati, who is better known for his Kabbalistic work. The author, R. Menachem son of Binyamin Recanati (1250-1310), was an early Italian kabbalist. The present work, comprising his halakhic rulings, served as an important source for halakhic authorities of subsequent generations, and is quoted by poskim (Jewish religious law scholars) such as the Beit Yosef, the Shach and the Magen Avraham. This is not an original work but rather a compilation of halakhic rulings made by earlier authorities, primarily German and French poskim and most importantly by Eliezer ben Samuel of Metz (c. 1115~1198) author of Sefer Yereim. A legend tells us that Recanati was originally an ignorant person who by miracle became wise.

First edition; 4to (20.8 x 16 cm); modern contemporary-style blind tooled panelled morocco; ink stains to edges, slight warming to last two leaves, brief hand-written inscriptions in old ink to some pages in Hebrew and Latin; a lovely copy with particularly wide margins; 62 ll.

Heller (Sixteenth Century Hebrew Book) I, pp.232-233.