Bachrach, Judah ben Joshua Ezekiel

BACHRACH, JUDAH BEN JOSHUA EZEKIEL (1775–1846), Lithuanian rabbi and author. Judah succeeded Isaac Avigdor as av bet din of Sejny (near Suwalki in Poland) where he remained until his death. After his death, his novellae and glosses to the Talmud and to Alfasi were published in the Vilna (Romm) edition under the title Nimmukei ha-Grib (= Ha-Gaon Rabbi Judah Bachrach). His glosses to Maimonides' Mishneh Torah are also known. Bachrach is particularly important because of his ties with *Elijah b. Solomon Zalman Gaon of Vilna, who was a relative of his father-in-law, Israel Burlioner. Bachrach possessed a number of tractates of the Talmud which had been used by Elijah Gaon and which contained manuscript glosses by him, differing from those published in the Vienna edition of the Talmud of 1826–31. These volumes were purchased by the Romm publishers from Bachrach's children and the glosses were published in the Vilna edition of 1880–86.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.