Samuel Loew

This article is about the 18th century rabbi. For the British politician, see Samuel Lowe. For the offering known as the "half-Shekel", see Shekel.

Samuel ben Nathan Ha-Levi Loew (Kelin or Kolin) (also "Lōw" or "Löw", Hebrew: שמואל בן נתן נטע הלוי קעלין; c. 1720–1806) was a Talmudist and Halakhist, best known for his work Machatzit HaShekel (Ashkenazi pronunciation, Machatzis HaShekel).

The son of Nathan Naṭe ha-Levi, he was born at Kolín, Bohemia. For nearly 60 years he headed over a yeshiva at Boskovice (Boskowitz), Moravia, where he died on May 20, 1806. He had the title Av Beis Din of Boskowitz.^[1]

Samuel had 3 sons and 3 daughters: Benjamin Ze'ev Ha-Levi (Wolf) Boskowitz (1746-1818), Jacob (c 1750-1833), Jehuda (c 1751-1800), Sara (Hinda) married Markus (Mordechai Lob) Wassertrilling of Boskovice, Esther married Bernhard Biach. His son Wolf Boskowitz delivered the sermon at his funeral.^[2] His descendant in the 5th generation, Dr. Max Anton Löw, a convert to Roman Catholicism, was the attorney of the anti-Semite Francis Deckert.^[3]

Works

His works were published under the name Machatzit HaShekel as follows; these commentaries appear nowadays in most editions of the Shulchan Aruch:

• An extensive super-commentary on Abraham Abele Gombiner's Magen Abraham on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim (Vienna, 1807-1808; 2d ed. 1817; several times reprinted)
• A super-commentary on the "Shakh" on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah Hilchot Niddah (Lemberg, 1858) and Hilchot Melichah (ib. 1860)
• Novellas on several tractates from the Babylonian Talmud: Eruvin, Shabbat, Reh, Sukkah, Gitin, Kiddushin, Baba Metzia, Chulin, Baba Batra, Ketubot, Pesachim, Ketubot, Makhot, Avoda Zara, and more
• Sermons