הרב יואל סירקיש

Rav Yoel Sirkis (5321/1561–20 Adar 5400/1640), known to all generations as the Bach after his Bayit Chadash on the Arba’ah Turim, was among the chief poskim of the acharonim. He was born in Lublin to Shmuel Yaffe, of the distinguished Yaffe family; the name Sirkis is taken from his mother, Sarah (Sirka). He learned Torah from his father and from Rav Shlomo of Lublin, Rav Tzvi Hirsch Shor of Brisk — a leading talmid of the Rema — and Rav Feivush, rosh mesivta and av beit din in Krakow.

He served as rav in Pruzhany and a number of other towns before being appointed av beit din and rosh mesivta of Brisk in 5375/1615. In 5379/1619 he took a similar post in Krakow, which he held until his passing on 20 Adar 5400/1640. He was among the leaders of the Vaad Arba Aratzot, and, being wealthy, supported many talmidim at his table; among them were Rav Menachem Mendel Krochmal, author of the responsa Tzemach Tzedek, and Rav Gershon Ashkenazi, author of Avodat HaGershuni. His son-in-law was Rav David HaLevi Segal, the Taz.

His Bayit Chadash is printed beside the words of the Tur, opposite the Beit Yosef; where the Beit Yosef traces the Tur’s sources and rules the halachah, the Bach dwells more on chiddushim and on settling the words of the Tur. His glosses on the Talmud, the Hagahot HaBach, concern mainly the correct text — noting variant readings and proposing emendations for difficult passages — and are printed in the margins of the standard Shas; he wrote glosses on the Rif and the Rosh as well. He also left the Shu”t HaBach, Meishiv Nefesh on Megillat Rut, and a commentary on the Pardes Rimonim of the Ramak. Though deeply versed in the Zohar and the works of Kabbalah, he held that one does not decide the halachah by Kabbalah where the Talmud or the settled custom runs otherwise.