Shabbetai ben Joseph Bass

Shabbetai Bass was a Polish printer, publisher, bibliographer and author of Siftei Chakhamim, the most widely used supercommentary on Rashi's commentary to the Chumash and Megillot. His surname stems from his position as bass singer in the choir of the Altneuschul of Prague, where he went to learn Torah after his parents' martyrdom. He settled in Amsterdam in 1679 after extensive travels, where he learned the printer's craft. He subsequently settled in Breslau where he set up a successful publishing/printing establishment. He was a ground-breaking bibliographer whose classification system was unprecedented at his time. In his old age, he was falsely charged with printing works considered blasphemous by Christian authorities. As a result, he had to spend time in prison before eventually getting acquitted. His last years were devoted to revising his bibliographical work, but he died before he could complete the revision.