19 Nisan · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Yehoshua HaKohen Falk - "Beit Yisrael"
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Alexander HaKohen Falk (1555 - 1614) was a Polish halachist and Talmudist, best known as the author of a commentary on the "Arba'ah Turim," as well as Sefer "Me'irat Einayim" (סמ"ע) on the Shulchan Aruch.
Yahrzeit - 19 Nissan
Resting place - Lviv
His name is also found as a Hebrew acronym רפ"כ (RaFaK) ("Rabbi Falk Kohen") and מהרו"כ (MaHaRVaK) - "Moreinu HaRav Valk Kohen."
He was a student of his relative Rabbi Moshe Isserles, as well as of Shlomo Luria, and became head of the Yeshiva of Lemberg (Lviv). Many famous rabbis were his students, among them Yehoshua Heshel ben Yosef of Krakow, and the author of "Maginei Shlomo" - Rabbi Yehoshua ben Yosef of Krakow (1593-1648).
Falk was a great authority on rabbinic matters. At a session of the Council of Four Lands in 1607, during the Kremenets fair, many of his proposals were approved.
In 1611, Falk and Enoch Hendel ben Shmarya issued a get (bill of divorce) in Vienna, which sparked lengthy discussions among the famous rabbis of the time, including Meir of Lublin and Mordechai Yoffe. He served as Rosh Yeshiva in Lemberg and sat on the Council of Four Lands.
Falk opposed relying on codes of law to the exclusion of studying primary sources. To this end, he composed a series of commentaries on the most influential codes, the "Tur" of Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher and the "Shulchan Aruch" of Rabbi Yosef Karo. He also wrote extensive analytical commentaries on the Talmud, which were later lost in a fire.
Falk died in Lemberg, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, on March 29, 1614.
Note the name "Yehoshua Falk."
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the names of most Central European Jews consisted of a Hebrew name, a German secondary name, a patronymic "ben..." (son of...), and, if applicable, a class designation - HaKohen (or "Katz") or HaLevi. The German name was chosen to correspond with the Hebrew one: thus "Tzvi" or "Naftali" were paired with "Hirsch," and "Ze'ev" or "Binyamin" with "Wolf." Those whose Hebrew name was Yehoshua, Joshua, had the secondary name Falk, Valk, Volk, Vallik, or Vallich. (One theory holds that "Falk" here derives from the German word for "falcon": just as a falcon circles over its prey, so too did Joshua (Yehoshua bin Nun) circle and survey the Holy Land before entering it. Others derive "Valk" from the acronym of the verse in Vayikra 19:18: "ve'ahavta lere'akha kamokha" - ("Love your neighbor as yourself"). Thus the name Falk was not a surname until the 19th century, when it was adopted by those whose immediate ancestors had the secondary name "Falk." That is why encyclopedias will have several entries under "Falk," where "Falk" is not, strictly speaking, a surname. Therefore, references to Rabbi Falk are often made as "Yehoshua Falk ben Alexander HaKohen," "Joshua Falk ben Alexander Katz," or "Yehoshua Falk Katz."
Works
"Beit Yisrael" is a dual commentary on the Tur, consisting of the Perisha (a straightforward explanation) and the Derisha (a deeper discussion of specific issues). The Perisha clarifies the rulings of the Tur, tracing their sources in the Talmud and the Rishonim. The Derisha is devoted to an extensive analysis and comparison of the various interpretations and rulings offered by different Talmudic authorities.
Rav Falk also wrote:
Sefer Me'irat Einayim, a commentary on the Choshen Mishpat section of the Shulchan Aruch, containing all the rulings of the Rishonim, with an index of their sources.
Sefer ha-Hosafah, a supplement to the Darkhei Moshe of Moshe Isserles, printed together with Choshen Mishpat, Dyhernfurth, 1796;
Kontres al Diney Ribbit, a discourse on the laws concerning the prohibition of usury, followed by takkanot (rabbinic ordinances), Sulzbach, 1692.
May the merit of the tzadik protect Am Yisrael!
(https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/1012-Rabbi-Joshua-ben-Alexander-HaCohen-Falk)