["Toras Cohanim", carefully edited, with edited text of
the Ravad and Rash miShantz, along with source annotations,
indexes, and many other valuable features.]
Our generation has been blessed in a way which no previous
generation ever was, with new editions of many basic
sifrei kodesh. The Talmud, Rambam, Tur and Shulchan
Oruch and many other vital seforim have appeared in
beautiful new editions. It is possible to fill an entire
collection of seforim with recently edited and printed
books.
Despite this, one of the most important works of our Sages,
one which is mentioned innumerable times in halachic sources,
the halachic midrash Sifro - Toras Cohanim has not
until now appeared in a new precise and popular edition.
It is unnecessary to even mention the importance of this
midrash, the largest and most comprehensive of all
halachic midroshim, the basic source for the complex
halachos of Kodshim and Taharos. This
midrash has attracted the attention of great early and
recent commentators, such as the Ravad, the Rash miShantz,
Rabbenu Hillel, the Korban Aharon, Ezras Cohanim, the Malbim,
the Chofetz Chaim, and others. Nonetheless, until now, no new
clear edition of this holy sefer has been
published.
This credit for now doing so has gone to the well-known
publishing house Merkaz haSefer of Yerushalayim, under the
management of R. Yitzchok Aryeh Weisenstern and his son R.
Shmuel, who are already renowned for the many excellent
versions of important seforim which they have
published. They have published a new, carefully edited and
beautifully printed version of the Sifro - Toras
Cohanim, and one which is accessible to the entire
learning public, an endeavor made possible by the generosity
of the famous supporter of Torah, R. Chaim Zvi Friedman of
Montreal and his family, already known for their support of
many other Torah publishing projects.
During the past 20 years, a staff of expert talmidei
chachomim have gone over the sefer in detail until
it was possible to present to the public a finished, high
quality, precise creation, complete with clear source
annotations and indexes.
Besides the body of the sefer, which was thoroughly
edited, the following commentaries are included: the Ravad
(by the author of the Hasogos on the Rambam); the
commentary attributed to the Rash miShantz; an early
commentary from one of the Ba'alei Tosafos, published now for
the first time based on a manuscript; the commentary and
notes of the Rid (R. Yaakov David, head of the beis din
in Vishogrod); and the commentary "Vayikra Avraham" (by
R. Avraham Falagi).
The sefer includes detailed indexes based on: Tanach,
Talmud, other sources from Chazal and Rishonim, as well as an
in-depth introduction, describing the tremendous effort which
went into this edition.
There are many commentaries on the Braisa of R.
Yishmoel also, written by some of the great Rishonim and
Acharonim. In this edition, an anthology of comments from
Rishonim is included.
Gedolim of our generation have given their
enthusiastic haskomos to this tremendous project, and
from their letters one can perceive the joy which they
express for this great work of Torah.
