The 1860s Vienna Talmud and the events that led up to it

 The Talmud editions we have today are a culmination of numerous editions over the years, each with its own characteristics, features and commentaries. A fine edition of the complete Talmud I acquired was the edition published in Vienna between the years 1860 and 1872. Printed on excellent paper and with wide margins, this attractive edition was the result of much effort on the part of the Rabbi in Vienna at the time, R. Eliezer Halevi Horowitz. For the first time, the Hagahot of the Chatam Sofer were incorporated in to the Talmud, published here from manuscripts. The text of the Talmud was described by R. Horowitz in the introduction as being perfected with use of an 800 year old talmud manuscript.

In the Yevamot volume of this edition, appears an extraordinary Haskamah, the only Talmud edition with the approbation of the Divre Hayyim, R. Haim Halberstam of Sanz. An interested remark he makes in the Haskamah is a note stating that the printers were under the watchful eyes of the Rabbi of Vienna, and they are careful not to desecrate the Shabbat and Yom Tov during the printing process.

The Divre Hayyim is most likely alluding to the former Vienna Talmud edition printed by Anton Schmidt and edited by a Maskil Yehuda Ben Ze'ev. R. David Deutsch (1755-1831) is said to have suspected that the Sabbath was being desecrated during the printing of this Talmud edition. On one Shabbat, he and several of his talmidim sneaked in to the printing press and found the editor, bareheaded, editing and proofreading the text on the Sabbath. Legend has it, that Yehuda Ben Ze'ev, upon being found during his transgression, ran away in shame and locked himself in a bathroom. When he failed to exit, the door was opened and it was found that he had passed away at the young age of 47.