'Shibbolei ha-Leket ,Part Two'

Abstract

Rabbi Zedekiah ben Abraham Ha-Rofeh of Rome authored two comprehensive halakhic works. The first, Shibbolei ha-Leket, was composed circa 1250 and primarily addresses the laws of prayer, blessings, Sabbath, and festivals. The second treatise, whose original title remains unknown, encompasses a diverse array of additional halakhic subjects and is conventionally referred to as "Shibbolei ha-Leket Part Two." This latter work survives in twelve manuscripts, of which only one is complete. A comparative study of the manuscripts reveals that the most reliable among them— despite its incomplete state—is Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Mich. 535 (Neubauer 657). Furthermore, the comparison reveals that this manuscript represents the first edition of the work, and consequently lacks five extensive sections that Rabbi Zedekiah incorporated into his book only at a later stage.