Mateh Moshe (Hebrew: מטה משה, "Staff of Moses") is a highly cited halakhic (legal) work by Rabbi Moshe Met, Moshe ben Avraham of Przemyśl; it contains, also, moralistic aggadic teachings. As Rabbi Moshe is best known for this work, he is often referred to as "the Mateh Moshe". It was published [1] in Kraków in 1591; in Frankfurt in 1726, with the addition of explanatory notes; a 1958 edition with sources and an introduction, edited in London and published in Jerusalem; and a modernized version in Jerusalem in 2010, incorporating several of the preceding features.
Mateh Moshe particularly emphasizes the religious customs of Polish Jewry. It draws on [1] the teachings of Maharshal, Met's primary teacher, as well as numerous other works, not always named,[1] combining these, so as to discuss one's duties in this world, from both a halakhic and aggadic perspective. It comprises three "pillars",[1] corresponding to those delineated in Pirkei Avot 1:2:
- Torah: Teachings and demands due to the Torah (דרושים למעלת התורה); this section, often reprinted in other works
- Avodah, the "service of God": expanding on laws in the Orach Chayim section of Shulchan Aruch
- Gemilut Hasidim, acts of kindness: expanding on Yoreh Deah
References
External links
- Works of the Maharshal Tradition Online
- Mateh Moshe excerpt Torah.org