Joshua ben Joseph Hoeschel

quoted from the Jewish Virtual Library at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_...

'JOSHUA HOESCHEL BEN JOSEPH OF CRACOW (1578–1648), Polish rabbi. Joshua Hoeschel was born in Vilna. In his youth he studied under Samuel b. Feibush in Przemysl and then in the yeshivot of *Meir b. Gedaliah of Lublin and Joshua *Falk of Lemberg. From 1634 to 1639 he served as rabbi in the towns of Grodno, Tiktin, Przemysl, and Lemberg. At the beginning of 1640 he was appointed head of the yeshivah of Cracow in succession to Nathan *Spira, and from 1640 to 1644 he served there as rabbi in an honorary capacity. He died in Cracow. His pupils included *Shabbetai b. Meir ha-Kohen, Gershon Ulif *Ashkenazi, and Menahem Mendel *Auerbach. Halakhic problems were addressed to him from many countries. He corresponded on kabbalistic topics with his relative, the kabbalist Samson b. Pesaḥ of Ostropol. Joshua Hoeschel did not follow the method of pilpul; he strove toward greater independence in the domain of halakhah and directive ruling, stating, "according to the custom of our country anything printed in the Shulḥan Arukh may not, God forfend, be changed, any more than the law of Moses… God spare us from such a view. The judge may decide only according to the facts before him… and anyone may disagree, even with the words of the rishonim, if he has definite proof."

He wrote (1) Meginnei Shelomo (Amsterdam, 1715), on eight tractates of the Talmud, in which he defends Rashi against the difficulties raised by the tosafists; (2) the responsa Penei Yehoshu'a (pt. 1, ibid. 1715; pt. 2, 1860), on the four divisions of the Shulḥan Arukh. Other responsa were published in various collections of responsa: Ge'onei Batra'i (Zolkiew, 1795); Beit Ḥadash ha-Yeshanot (Frankfurt, 1697); Beit Ḥadash ha-Ḥadashot (Koretz, 1785) of Joel Sirkes; in the Gevurat Anashim (Dessau, 1697) of Meir Katz and his son Shabbetai, author of the Shakh; and elsewhere. There remain still in manuscript novellae to the Tur Yoreh De'ah Hilkhot Sheḥitah, and a commentary to the Asarah Ma'amarot of Menahem Azariah de Fano.'

quoted from the Jewish Virtual Library http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0016_...

'PHILIPPSON, German-Jewish family of prominent rabbis, scholars, educators, journalists, doctors, bankers, and scientists. Their family tree goes back to 16th-century Poland, where *Joshua Hoeschel ben Joseph (c. 1578–1648) had been chief rabbi of Cracow.'

https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8914-joshua-hoschel-ben...

JOSHUA HÖSCHEL BEN JOSEPH:
By: Solomon Schechter, Bernhard Friedberg
Polish rabbi; born in Wilna about 1578; died at Cracow Aug. 16, 1648. In his boyhood he journeyed to Przemysl, Galicia, to study the Talmud under Rabbi Samuel ben Phoebus of Cracow. He returned to his native country, and continued his Talmudic studies in the city of Lodmir (Vladmir, Volhynia) under Rabbi Joshua Falk. After his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi Samuel of Brest-Litovsk he became rabbi of the city of Grodno, whence he was called to the rabbinate of Tiktin (Tykotzin), and later to that of Przemysl. In 1639 he became rabbi of Lemberg, and in the following year he was appointed head of the yeshibah of Cracow. At Cracow Joshua devoted all his time to matters pertaining to the yeshibah, "din" (law), and religious decisions. As he was a man of wealth, he accepted no salary for all the laborious services he rendered to the Jewish community of Cracow.

Joshua was one of the most eminent Talmudical analysts of his age. Like many of his learned contemporaries, Joshua had also a taste for the Cabala; but he did not allow mystical teachings to influence his halakic decisions. On account of his extensive erudition in Talmudic literature, the number of his pupils at the yeshibah constantly increased. Many of them became noted rabbis.

Joshua's published works are: (1) "Maginne Shelomoh" (Amsterdam, 1715), novellæ on various tractates of the Talmud, in which the author attempts to refute the strictures made by the schools of the Tosafists on the commentaries of Rashi; (2) "She'elot u-Teshubot Pene Yehoshua'," Amsterdam, 1715; Lemberg, 1860. Other works of his are still in manuscript.

Bibliography:
C. N. Dembitzer, Kelilat Yofi, i. 109, ii. 1, Cracow, 1888-93;
I. M. Zunz, 'Ir ha-Ẓedeḳ, p. 79, Lemberg, 1874;
B. Friedberg, Luḥot Zikkaron, p. 11, Drohobicz, 1897;
idem, Keter Kehunnah, p. 5, ib. 1898;
S. Buber, Anshe Shem, p. 82, Cracow, 1895;
Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 1557;
R. N. Rabinowitz, Hesrot u-Tiḳḳunim, p. 12, Lyck, 1875;
S. Hurwitz, Reḥobot 'Ir, p. 10, Wilna, 1890.