Dictionary of Jewish Biography

EDELS, SAMUEL ELIEZER (MAHARSHA)

(1555-1631)
Polish talmudist. He was born in Krakow and settled in Posen, where he married the daughter of Moses Ashkenazi Heilpern. His mother-in-law Edel (by whose name he became known) supported him and his disciples for years. He was later a rabbi in Chelm, Lublin and Ostrog, where he founded a yeshivah. HisHiddushe Halakhotis a talmudic commentary which is included in most editions of the Talmud.