Elijah Spira - Biography

Elijah Spira (1660–1712) (alternatively, "Shapira" or "Shapiro", Hebrew: אליהו שפירא) was son of Benjamin Wolf Spira. He was a brother-in-law of Yaakov Reischer [1], and a student of Avraham Gombiner [2].

He was rabbi at Tiktin, and afterward preacher and director of a large Talmudic academy in his hometown of Prague. He published Eliyahu Zuṭa, a commentary on that part of Mordecai Yoffe's Levush relating to the Shulhan Aruk, Oraḥ Ḥayyim (Prague, 1689, 1701). He died at Prague April 14, 1712.

His valuable work Eliyahu Rabbah (Sulzbach, 1757), containing discussions on the Oraḥ Ḥayyim, was printed posthumously by his son, whose name is not given. Shishah Shiṭṭot, novellæ on six Talmudic tractates, were published by his grandson Elijah ben Wolf Spira (Fürth, 1768). His manuscript works, including commentaries on the Bible and Talmud, as well as sermons, responsa, etc., were destroyed by fire in 1754.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

• Eliyahu Rabbah, Preface;
• Fürst, Bibl. Jud. i. 239 (contains many incorrect statements);
• Zunz, Monatstage, p. 19.

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