Solomon Joachim Chayim Halberstam (February 23, 1832–March 24, 1900) known from his acronym as ShaZHaH (שזחה), was an Austrian scholar and author born at Cracow. His father,

Isaac Halberstam Isaac Halberstam (1810–1880) was the father of Solomon Joachim Halberstam and author of ''Siaḥ Yiẓḥaḳ'' (or ''Siach Yitzchak'') Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List ...

, was a prominent merchant who devoted his leisure time to study, and left in manuscript a work which Solomon published in his honor under the title ''Siaḥ Yiẓḥaḳ,'' Lemberg, 1882. This work contains also notices on the genealogy of Halberstam, who numbered eminent rabbis among his ancestors both on his father's and on his mother's side. In 1860 he settled at Bielitz as a prosperous merchant. The larger part of his time, however, he devoted to Jewish learning, and a considerable part of his income to increasing his library, which was especially rich in rare and valuable manuscripts, the love of collecting having been developed in him early. For half a century he corresponded widely with the representatives of Jewish learning of all shades of opinion; he took part in learned discussions on the most diverse questions, contributing to nearly all the periodical papers written in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and in other languages. Halberstam was one of the directors and chief supporters of both the old and the new

Meḳiẓe Nirdamim Mekitze Nirdamim ( he, מְקִיצֵי נִרְדָּמִים, ''Meḳitse nirdamim'', "Rousers of Those Who Slumber") is a literary society dedicated to the retrieval, preservation, and publication of medieval Hebrew texts. It was first establ ...

, the publications of which include contributions from him. He contributed valuable introductions to the works of a great number of Hebrew writers, and was also a collaborator on collective works, such as the jubilee or memorial volumes in honor of Grätz,

Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (30 March 1816, Prostějov, Moravia, Austrian Empire – 24 January 1907, Berlin) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider ( 1782; ...

, Kohut, and

Kaufmann Kaufmann is a surname with many variants such as Kauffmann, Kaufman, and Kauffman. In German, the name means ''merchant''. It is the cognate of the English ''Chapman'' (which had a similar meaning in the Middle Ages, though it disappeared from ...

. Halberstam's editions are: * ''Ḥiddushe ha-Riṭba'al Niddah,'' novellæ and discussions on the tractate

Niddah Niddah (or nidah; he, נִדָּה), in traditional Judaism, describes a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirem ...

by R. Yom-Ṭob ben Abraham (abbreviated "Riṭba") of Seville, Vienna, 1868 * Abraham ibn Ezra's ''Sefer ha-'Ibbur,'' a manual of calendar science, 1874 *

Hillel ben Samuel of Verona Hillel ben Samuel (c. 1220 – Forlì, c. 1295) was an Italian physician, philosopher, and Talmudist. He was the grandson of the Talmudic scholar Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona. Life He spent his youth at Barcelona, where he studied the Talmud a ...

's ''Tagmule ha-Nefesh,'' 1874 *

Judah ben Barzilai Judah ben Barzillai (Albargeloni) was a Catalan Talmudist of the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. Almost nothing is known of his life. He came of a very distinguished family, on account of which he was not seldom called "ha-Nas ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

's commentary on ''Sefer Yeẓirah,'' 1884 * The same author's ''Sefer ha-Sheṭarot,'' 1898 In 1890 Halberstam issued a complete catalog of his manuscripts (411 items) under the title ''Ḳehillat Shelomoh.'' The greater part of them was acquired by Montefiore College,

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populatio ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, while his large collection of printed books, and a considerable number also of manuscripts, was bought by

Mayer Sulzberger Mayer Sulzberger (June 22, 1843 – April 20, 1923) was an American judge and Jewish communal leader. Biography Mayer Sulzberger was born at Heidelsheim, Bruchsal, Baden on June 22, 1843. He went to Philadelphia with his parents in 1848, and wa ...

and presented to the library of the

Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studi ...

. Halberstam died at Bielitz on 24 March 1900.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

* Moses Reines, ''Dor wa-Ḥakamaw'', 1890 * Chaim David Lippe, ''Bibliographisches Lexicon'' *

Moïse Schwab Moïse Schwab (Paris, 18 September 1839 – 8 February 1918) was a French librarian and author. Life He was educated at the Jewish school and the Talmud Torah at Strasburg. From 1857 to 1866 he was secretary to Salomon Munk; then for a year he ...

, ''Répertoire''.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Halberstam 19th-century Austrian people Austrian Jews Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Writers from Kraków 1832 births 1900 deaths