Skip to content
This English version of the site was translated with AI assistance. We apologise for any errors and are working to improve it.
Сила Теилим

12 Tevet · Yahrzeit

Rabbi Moshe Margalit – Teacher of the Gaon of Vilna

Rabbi Moshe bar Shimon Margalit of Keidan – author of "Pnei Moshe" (1710-1781) Yahrzeit - 12 Tevet Resting place - Brody, Lviv Region, Ukraine He was born and studied Torah in the town of Keidan, located near the city of Kovno (Kaunas). He served as rabbi in Keidan and several other towns in Lithuania. It was there, in Keidan, that the Vilna Gaon studied under him as a child, before later becoming one of the spiritual leaders of the generation. Rabbi Moshe Margalit wrote a commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud. For his work, he made use of ancient manuscripts of writings by the sages of the Mishnaic era and the Babylonian Geonim — traveling widely throughout Europe in search of these manuscripts. In order to fully grasp the order of Zeraim (Seeds), he undertook an in-depth study of botany with scholars in the German city of Frankfurt. In his commentary "Pnei Moshe" (The Face of Moshe), the entire text of the Jerusalem Talmud is explained — much as Rashi explained the content of the Babylonian Talmud. In 1755, the commentary on the order of Nashim (Women) was printed at a press in Amsterdam, and fifteen years later, the commentary on the order of Nezikin (Damages) was printed in Vilna. Commentaries on two more orders — Zeraim and Moed (Festivals) — were published only after the author's passing. The book "Pnei Moshe" became the most widespread and most widely studied commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud. In his commentary "Pnei Moshe" (The Face of Moshe), the entire text of the Jerusalem Talmud is explained — much as Rashi explained the content of the Babylonian Talmud. In 1755, the commentary on the order of Nashim (Women) was printed at a press in Amsterdam, and fifteen years later, the commentary on the order of Nezikin (Damages) was printed in Vilna. Commentaries on two more orders — Zeraim and Moed (Festivals) — were published only after the author's passing. He passed away on 12 Tevet, 1781, in the Galician town of Brody, where he had been raising funds for the publication of the last two orders of his commentary. He is buried in Brody. (based on an article at sefaria.org, https://keidaner.com/181rabbis-of-keidan/)  
Pilgrimage site: Grave: The Gaon of Vilna