Noda bi-Yehudah (Known in Judah)

Author’s Introduction (to the First Edition)

When I parted from my father and journeyed forth from his home to Brody, I joined up with friends, God-fearing men of purity; we built a bet midrash for ourselves, separated and secluded from the community. During the six working days of the week, it lay there closeted away and secluded; despite all this, we did not attain any heavenly vision—rather, our total engagement, with all the force at our command, was with the sea of the Talmud and the halakhic decisors, which we carried out with distinguished students. My wife, who was by my side as a helpmate and not in opposition to me, enjoyed this merit: that she remained at home in solitude while I was in the bet midrash throughout the entire six-day period. In honor of my father and teacher, they magnified my reputation with a view to glorifying me, and the rabbis of numerous communities sent me halakhic enquiries; from the age of twenty-four, I opened the gates of responsa—these constitute the identical themes to those set forth in this work. With a view to presenting pleasing words, I have given the work a title incorporating the name of the “father of the testimony”—its name being Noda bi-Yehudah [Renowned in Judah].