SEGAL, GEDALIAH BEN ELIEZER

SEGAL, GEDALIAH BEN ELIEZER (18th century), preacher. He lived in Boskowitz (Boskowice), where his father, Eliezer, was the rabbi, and studied under Phineas of Boskowitz. Gedaliah wrote the ethical work Ammudei Gavra (Bruenn, 1756), based upon the statement in the Mishnah (Avot 1:2) that the world is based upon three things: Torah, divine service, and the practice of charity. Segal discusses the various types of charity – visiting the sick, hospitality to wayfarers, support of scholars, etc. The chapter Ma'aser Ani ("Poor Man's Tithe") deals with the laws of terumot and ma'aserot , making abundant use of talmudic, midrashic, and halakhic sources. The author, influenced by kabbalistic literature, borrows its terminology and quotes from the zohar . Ammudei Gavra contains three other works on halakhic themes: a work by David Skutsh, a relative of Gedaliah; the novellae of Gedaliah's son, Eliezer, who died aged 18; and the novellae of Abraham Katz Gibitsh, who also died young.