Editor’s Apology: She’elot u-teshuvot Maharil

Thus said the editor [megihah], who bursts forth [megi’aḥ] in prostration from his place, and offers his greeting of peace with a bow and while kneeling. His labor is for all those who are wise of heart and can comprehend with their own knowledge, who study the Torah of God for the sake of heaven and who accept His rule. When the discerning see this book and judge, whether it is good in his eyes, fat or lean [see Numbers 13:20]—as perhaps it lacks some letters or a few words, or they might be bent out of shape, or overlap, or written out of order, or those that should be full are deficient, or vice-versa—they should not get upset and react in anger, and besmirch our printing press and issue complaints against it, or condemn me, as though it was all done on purpose, as they were in fact unintentional. I wear only a small crown—may my lords, who purchased more, listen to one as lowly as me, and may the integrity of the upright guide them (Proverbs 11:3) to accept the honest apology that I will express. For such errors are not done willfully, through wickedness and foolishness. Rather, they are mistakes that result from haste and indolence. The workers are not from the children of Israel [see 2 Samuel 21:2], and they do not know the [Hebrew] language or understand books of wisdom. However, they have trained their hands to perform their tasks resourcefully. Thus, whatever letter they first take hold of, they place in its spot. Then I take hold of the scribe’s quill, to purify and purge their errors, to amend and rebuild that which they have wrecked and destroyed. I purge away their dross as with lye [see Isaiah 1:25], by going over it two or three times. But even when I correct them, they turn away from what I say and trust in their own stubborn approach and bad plans, as they stick obstinately to their ways, claiming that their hands are trained to rectify any mistake. Yet as soon as the editor turns his watchful eye from them, suddenly they murmur in their tents [see Psalms 106:25] and find reasons to take a rest and slack off from their labor. Then the book easily becomes twisted out of shape and is filled with distortions, and the diligence and industriousness of a wise editor will be of no use.

There is another reason that crushes my foot against the wall [see Numbers 22:25] of gratitude: because of the Sabbath, with two [reasons] that involve many comings and goings:¹ for on this day the laborers receive twice as much bread [see Exodus 16:22]—two days for a day’s work. And they prepare a double portion of their work, while the supervisor appointed by the owner of the printing press is urging the workers to get busy, saying: fulfill your work and prepare for tomorrow, before the shadows lengthen. Now, this pressure, with its great speed, provides no guarantee from the stumbling blocks of full and plene words. Even one who is very proficient and expert in the work of editing will find no assurance in his skill, while his intellect will be dimmed, as he will produce errors and an incorrect text. For this is the unavoidable nature of the task, which God has established at its foundation, that there is no righteous editor who will do good and never sin [see Ecclesiastes 7:20] with regard to one of these, whether in theory or practice; his intention is subject to reversal and an offensive result.

And yet, in this regard the clever editor can take pride in the skills of his labor. For I have greatly improved upon the work of the editor who came before me. The responsa of the Mahari Segal [the Maharil, Jacob ben Moses Levi Moelin] was first published as the Cremona Edition some fifty years ago, and its editors and printers did not execute their task faithfully. Instead, they performed the labor of the Lord with a slack hand [see Jeremiah 48:10], deficiently. What honor would this give to the author, of blessed memory, when anyone of intelligence can see and realize that a plague has spread here, as innumerable mistakes cover the book from head to toe [see Leviticus 13:12]; none of its inner parts remains sound [see Isaiah 1:6] for its readers. Its face is covered with the nettles of deficiency and thistles of errors [see Proverbs 24:31], which affect comprehension, as the meaning is wrenched away from the words and letters. It is also missing several words, and even whole lines. The reader would be forgiven for thinking that they carried out their task in a state of deep slumber. I swear to God that I have never seen such a bad printing. I am also astonished as to why the editor chose not to get involved, to amend the errors, but rather left it as it was, ignoring its faults and covering them up. He just left them to enact iniquitous decrees and write unrighteous falsehoods [see Isaiah 10:1]. I consequently thought that in actual fact no Jew had been involved in this printing. I supposed it had been done by a gentile, or a deaf-mute, or an imbecile, or a minor, for a negligible sum.

The first printing itself attests to the truth of these claims. For we can bring the later one and compare: we will see my improvements and how I have worked to refine the work. I have removed the hedge of errors and broken down the fence of mistakes, and corrected its grammar [see Isaiah 5:5]. This edition is also better than the previous ones in terms of its paper and the quality of its letters. You can observe for yourselves—there is no need for proofs regarding that which is evident to all. The beauty and perfection of the craft can be seen eye to eye [see Isaiah 52:8], for there the Lord commanded the blessing (Psalms 133:3). Now, there was a significant occasion [see, e.g., b. Berakhot 23b], and the Lord arranged for it there to come before me [see Genesis 27:20] a copy of the responsa of the Mahari Segal, in a manuscript written by the master, my father, my teacher, the greatly honorable R. Jacob Ulma, of blessed memory. His keen mind and precious studies were illuminating lights for us, opening the eyes of the blind. I rejoiced when I saw these papers, and I took hold of his branches [see Song of Songs 7:9] and donned them as crowns upon my head. I delved into them, and I merited that through me his pure sayings were brought out into the clear light. For they strengthened, reattached and mended the broken tablets, namely, the shortcomings of the responsa. They cleared the way for me and enlightened my eyes so that I could remove the stones that cause stumbling [see Isaiah 8:14] and the trappings of errors from the writings.

Moreover, I had an astute reader who read the text to me orally, dictating it to me: the leading scholar, the honorable R. Meir of Fulda—may his Rock protect and sustain him. After he would read two or three clauses we would stand silently, in an effort to understand the meaning of the words. We opened our eyes discerningly, to examine what the author was saying, to refine, purify, and separate the waste from the grain. We examined and searched as best as we could, to remove all the fifth. We rubbed away sleep from our eyes and slumber from our eyelids; we toiled and we have also found—understand this and believe it. However, we sometimes sought and yet were unsuccessful in our hopes, as there were mistakes too intricate to amend and resolve. For we had a printer who had apparently performed his job according to the opinion that one who performs a destructive act is exempt,² and in addition the genius author, of blessed memory, would climb up a narrow pathway, as in his acuity and familiarity with the sources he could ascend by a short route in a place where it was appropriate to speak at length. Thus, he would block the path from us, preventing us from going to the spring from where he draws his waters. For the majority of his statements are derived from men of renown, well-known scholars, the earlier sages who have passed away—such as the Ra’avyah [Eli’ezer ben Joel ha-Levi of Bonn (d. ca. 1225)], who wrote Avi’asaf and Avi ha-‘ezri, and the author of the Or zaru‘a [Isaac ben Moses of Vienna (ca. 1200–ca. 1270)], whom he had seen and knew. He based his opinions upon them, and his responsa and rulings are built upon their foundations. In our lengthy exile, we lie down in shame, as these pearls have been lost from our hands and these follow him to these depths and seek out the content of each matter from its source. Now, how can one testify who has not seen the moon,³ and who does not have his studies in his possession [see, e.g., b. Pesaḥim 50a]? Who would dare send forth his hand to stipulate with some idea or reasoning, to elaborate and add his understanding of obscure topics that were dealt with in brief? For the author assumed a reader that was as bright and as much of an expert as himself. The enormous breadth of his knowledge is beyond my comprehension—indeed, these matters are too complex for scholars who are ten times greater and better than myself. As I, like them, am not one of the prophets.

For this reason, I have not come to exonerate myself from blame, or to clear myself from a few mistakes, or to declare—notwithstanding what you can see with your own eyes—to contend that I have merited to purify the book and that I have laid my hands to the distaff [see Proverbs 31:19] and removed every inaccuracy and error, and transformed rugged terrain into a level plain [see Isaiah 40:4]. For I was aware from the outset that my feeble hands could not perform such resourceful deeds. I do not have sufficient knowledge, and one who is poor cannot lay claim to riches. Thus, I have left room for corrections, so that the full seed is not lost, and the wise scholar will fill his lap with the bundles of gleanings, forgotten sheaves, and produce of the corners [see Leviticus 19:9–10] that I have left at the edge of his field. May he receive a blessing from his maker [see Psalms 24:5], and may it be considered to his credit [see Genesis 15:6], that no iniquity, stumbling block, or impediment will reside in his tent.

However, for now please be satisfied with the expression forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good (Hosea 14:3) from me. Be honored, honorable ones, wait and guard me [see b. Berakhot 60b], for very soon sixteen more volumes will be published, precise and refined, from the mouths of scribes and from books. More will be renewed like them [see b. Shabbat 42a]—crowns of glory in their quality and quantity. For this reason, first and foremost praise is due to the upright, the champions and men of imposing appearance and more. They contributed and they are the fundamental reason for the establishment of the new printing press, thanks to their great motivation and desire to bring merit to the many, to compose many books [see Ecclesiastes 12:12], to make the Torah great and glorious [see Isaiah 42:21], while their focus is always on spiritual uprightness and happiness. May the Lord wish to have their counsel succeed, to guide them on straight paths, by the still waters [see Psalms 23:2–3], to grant them and us all the desires of our hearts, to make salvation and praise sprout. In their great humility and generosity, they did not want me to record their names in the book. Let the saints exult in glory (Psalms 149:5), and may the merits of their achievements be for their families and their fathers’ households. For they conceal themselves in clefts of rocks [see Exodus 33:22] and hide in secret places. The light of their pleasant names shall break through as the morning [see Isaiah 58:8], so that their good deeds will be made known at the gates and they will be recognized by the men who turn the many to righteousness [see Daniel 12:3], as the merit of the public depends on them. May the graciousness of the Lord be upon them [see Psalms 90:17]; may they be satisfied with good in their lives [see Psalms 104:28] and leave their abundance to their babes [see Psalms 17:14]. And in their days and in ours may Judah and Israel be saved, and no longer be divided into two, and a redeemer come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20). This is the prayer of the youngest of the editors, the smallest of the printers, Seligman, son of my beloved father, the honorable R. Moses Simeon Ulma, of blessed memory.

This was typeset by the laborer in the holy task, thus says Mordechai, son of my honorable father, Jacob [Proztitz], may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing; the typesetter, from the holy congregation of Prostějov.