Works
Terumat HaDeshen is written as 354 responsa. Note that Rabbi Shabbatai ha-Kohen comments in his famous commentary on Shulchan Aruch, the Shach, on Yoreh De'ah 196:20, that there is a tradition that Rabbi Isserlein was not answering questions posed to him in the Terumat HaDeshen, rather he actually wrote the questions and answers himself. Therefore, Shach concludes, in contrast with other responsa, the parameters of the questions posed in the Terumat HaDeshen are themselves binding when alluded to in the answer.
The work is named for the practice in the Temple in Jerusalem of removing a part of the previous day's ashes from the furnace - 354 is the numerical value of Deshen (Hebrew: דשן). Terumat HaDeshen serves as an important source of the practices of the Ashkenazi Jews. The work was therefore used by Moses Isserles as one basis for HaMapah - the component of the Shulkhan Arukh which specifies divergences between Sephardi and Ashkenazi practice.
Rabbi Isserlein also wrote Pesakim u-kethahim (267 decisions) largely on points of the marriage law.
- See also History of Responsa: Fifteenth century.
Read more about this topic: Israel Isserlein
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