Joel ben Moses Gad

JOEL BEN MOSES GAD (17^th century), Polish talmudist. Joel was the author of Meginnei Zahav, in which he defended the Turei Zahav, the commentary on the Shulḥan Arukh by his grandfather, *David b. Samuel ha-Levi, against the strictures of *Shabbetai b. Meir ha-Kohen in his Nekuddot ha-Kesef. Joel was supported by leading talmudists, who praised his work and, at an "assembly at the Fair at Gremnitz" in 1683, resolved that the views of the author of the Turei Zahav were not to be rejected on account of Shabbetai's criticism. However, fortune frowned upon the Meginnei Zahav. Most of the manuscript was lost. In 1720 part of it was published by the author's grandson, but it was defective and badly printed (Prague, 1720). Primarily for this reason, Joel's views were not quoted and discussed by later commentators on the Shulḥan Arukh. However, it was largely the favorable opinion engendered by his work which caused the author of Turei Zahav to be accepted without demur as a halakhist of the first rank. Joel also wrote novellae to a number of talmudic tractates (Altona, 1736). JOEL B. MOSES GAD, his grandson, prepared for publication the manuscript of the Turei Zahav to Evenha-Ezer, but died before seeing it through the press. It was published by his son Gad (Zolkiew, 1754).

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