JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

eulogized by Ezekiel *Landau (see Frankfurt Memorbuch, National
Library, Jerusalem).
Falk became renowned through his Penei Yehoshu’a, regarded
as one of the outstanding works of novellae on the
Talmud. Since Falk’s grandfather published responsa under
the same title (“The Face of Joshua”), the grandson called his
work Appei Zutrei (“The Small Face”) to distinguish it from
Ravrevei (“The Large Face”) of his grandfather. The work is
distinguished by its penetrating explanation of difficult talmudic
themes. Originally published in separate parts – Berakhot
and the order Mo’ed (Frankfurt, 1752); Ketubbot, Gittin, and
Kiddushin, with Kunteres Aḥaron (Amsterdam, 1739); Bava
Kamma and Bava Meẓia (Frankfurt, 1756), Ḥullin, Makkot,
and Shevu’ot and a second edition on Mo’ed and the Tur,
Ḥoshen Mishpat (Fuerth, 1780) – it was published together for
the first time in Lemberg in 1809. Among his other works still
in manuscript the following may be noted: Sefer Minḥat Ani,
novellae to Eruvin, Niddah, and Yevamot; Kelal Gadol, on the
problem of “rov and *ḥazakah” (i.e., where the principle of following
the majority, rov, conflicts with that of a previous presumption,
ḥazakah), and responsa. Only a few of his responsa
have been published (in various collections). His purpose was
“to explain most of the difficulties raised by the tosafists on
Rashi’s commentary … as well as such points as the tosafists
leave unsolved, or for which they admit that their solution is
unsatisfactory, or where their answer appears forced.” In his
introduction to the Penei Yehoshu’a he asserts that he always
took care that his conclusions should be in conformity with
the halakhah of the Talmud and the Codes and was careful
not to commit to writing any novellae which did not conform
with the truth, “but whenever something new occurred to me
on a talmudic topic or in explanation of Rashi and tosafot and
it appeared to me to approximate to the truth, according to
the method of our predecessors and teachers, I accepted it.”
He also stresses that his sole purpose was “to stimulate the
scholar and to bring about a more profound analysis on the
part of those who already know how to arrive at halakhic decisions.”
These features of the work explain its constant popularity
among students, and its frequent reprints. He emphasizes
that Kabbalah is sometimes of help in explaining the aggadot;
but despite his reliance on the Zohar and on the works of kabbalists
(Penei Yehoshu’a to Ber. 10a) he declares “we have no
dealings with esoteric lore.”
Falk had three sons, two of whom are mainly of note.
ISSACHAR DOV (1712–1744), who was born at Lesko, Galicia,
studied under his father and Ẓevi Hirsch Ashkenazi of Halberstadt.
He became the rabbi of Podhajce, Galicia, and in
1744 he was appointed head of the yeshivah at Metz, but died
on the way there, in Berlin, before being able to take up the
appointment. Four of his responsa were published in Kiryat
Ḥannah of R. Gershon b. Isaac Moses Coblenz (Metz, 1785;
nos. 41–44). His decision in the case of a get (bill of divorce),
in which he disagreed with R. Jacob Yokel *Horowitz, is preserved
in She’elat Ḥakham, and was published at the end of
the responsa of R. Ḥayyim Kohen Rapoport (1957, pp. 243–4).
Falk, Joshua
Issachar Dov’s novellae appear under the title of Ḥezkat Avahata
in the book Tesha Shitot (1800, pp. 53b–80b) of his son
Ẓevi Hirsch Rosanes.
His brother ARYEH LEIB (1715–1789) accompanied his father
to Germany. He was appointed rosh yeshivah in Frankfurt
during his father’s incumbency, and held the position from
1745 to 1750. When his father left Frankfurt, Aryeh Leib was
appointed rabbi of Sokal, then in Poland. In 1754 he signed
the excommunication against the *Frankists in Brody. From
1761 to 1789 he was rabbi of Hanover. In the affair of the Cleves
*get he supported Israel *Lipschuetz. He published the fourth
part of his father’s Penei Yehoshu’a, adding to it his own novellae
to Bava Kamma under the title Penei Aryeh (Fuerth, 1780).
He was succeeded as rabbi of Hanover by his son ISSACHAR
BERISH (1747–1807). Issachar’s son, SAMUEL, was appointed
rabbi of Groningen, Holland, in 1802. After about seven years
he succeeded his brother-in-law, Jehiel Aryeh Leib *Loewenstamm,
as rabbi of Leeuwarden, Holland. In 1815 he succeeded
his father-in-law as rabbi of the Ashkenazi community of Amsterdam,
and finally served as rabbi of Amersfoort. He supported
the *Haskalah movement among the Jews of Holland,
approved the translation of the Bible into Dutch, and was the
first rabbi in Holland to preach in the vernacular. Moses *Sofer
refers to him in respectful terms (Ḥatam Sofer, pt. 2, EH, no.
139). He also encouraged the foundation of a general fund
known as Kolel Hod, i.e., “H-olland and (Heb. ו) D-eutschland
(Germany),” for the support of the poor of the Holy Land.
Samuel’s son ISSACHAR BAER BERENSTEIN (1808–1893) was
born in Leeuwarden and died in The Hague. From the death
of his father until 1848 he served in Amsterdam as a dayyan.
He was then appointed chief rabbi of The Hague, succeeding
Joseph Asher Lehmann, and served there 45 years. He was
highly esteemed by the Dutch government for his activities in
organizing various communal institutions.
Bibliography: E.L. Landshuth, Toledot Anshei ha-Shem
u-Fe’ulatam ba-Adat Berlin (1884), 27–34, 111; Bruell, Jahrbuecher,
7 (1885), 163–6; H.N. Dembitzer, Kelilat Yofi, 1 (1888), 108b–115b; 2
(1893), 77b; M. Horovitz, Frankfurter Rabbinen, 3 (1884), 5–61; S. Buber,
Anshei Shem (1895), 43f. (on Aryeh Leib), 104–9, 125; J. Loewenstein,
in: Ha-Peles, 2 (1902), 3 (1903); J.H. Simchovitz, in: MGWJ, 54
(1910), 608–21; D. Kahana, Toledot ha-Mekubbalim…, 2 (19273), 23,
37–39, 44–52; Z.(H.) Horowitz (ed.), Kitvei ha-Ge’onim (1928), 28ff.
(on Jacob Joshua), 67, 97–100 (on Issachar Berish); D. Wachstein, in:
Studies in Jewish Bibliography … A.S. Freidus (1929), 15–31 (Heb. pt.);
J.A. Kamelhar, Dor De’ah, 2 (1935), 19–26; D.A.L. Zins, Ateret Yehoshu’a
(1936); N.M. Gelber, in: Arim ve-Immahot be-Yisrael, 6 (1955), 108 n.
8 (on Aryeh Leib); J. Meisel, Pinkas Kehillat Berlin (1962), 502 (index
S.V. Joshua Falk).
[Yehoshua Horowitz]
FALK, JOSHUA (1799–1864), U.S. Orthodox rabbi, scholar,
and author. Joshua ben Mordechai Hakohen Falk was born in
Poland and immigrated to America in 1854. He served as rabbi
of two communities in New York, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie,
before becoming an itinerant preacher and then retiring
from the active rabbinate. Known as “the father of American
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