הרב שמואל לעוו

Rav Shmuel ben Natan HaLevi Loew (c. 5480/1720–5566/1806), known in English sources as Samuel Loew of Kolin and to lomdim simply by the name of his sefer, Machatzit HaShekel, was among the leading poskim of Moravian Jewry. He was born in Kolín in Bohemia, a son of Rav Natan Nata HaLevi, and for close to sixty years stood at the head of the yeshiva in Boskovice in Moravia, holding at the same time the position of av beit din of the town.

The Machatzit HaShekel is a wide-ranging supercommentary on the Magen Avraham of Rav Avraham Avli Gombiner on Orach Chayim, printed in Vienna in 5567–5568/1807–1808 and reprinted many times since. It is found today in most editions of the Shulchan Aruch, so that a man learning the Magen Avraham has Rav Shmuel open before him on the page. Under the same title he wrote on the Shach on Yoreh De’ah — hilchot niddah, printed in Lemberg in 5618/1858, and hilchot melichah two years after that — besides chiddushim on many masechtot of the Talmud Bavli and derashot. He was niftar in Boskovice in 5566/1806, and the hesped was delivered by his son, Rav Binyamin Ze’ev HaLevi Boskowitz.

Many talmidim who learn Shulchan Aruch with the Nosay Keilim, rely on the Machatzit HaShekel to explain the often difficult passages of the Magen Avraham.