Background
Mordechai ben Hillel was born about 1250, the place birth is unknown.
Mordechai ben Hillel was born about 1250, the place birth is unknown.
His principal teacher was Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg; he was also taught by Perez ben Elijah of Corbeil, Ephraim ben Nathan, Abraham ben Baruch (Meir of Rothenburg's brother), and Dan Ashkenazi.
One of the Mordechai ben Hillel's work was Mordechai, is a prominent legal (Halachic) work, which acquired wide authority, and was one of the sources of the Shulchan Aruch of Joseph Caro; it has also been printed as an appendix to the Talmud, since the Soncino edition of 1482. The work is written as a compilation of existing halakhic material, and also provides conclusions and results of long discussions in other works. It thus serves both a source of analysis, as well a source of decided law. Mordechai's knowledge of halakhic literature was extensive. He quotes the works, and written or verbal responsa, of about 350 authorities; in fact, Mordechai is now the only source for many Ashkenazi authors.
The Ashkenazi authorities, as well as those in Italy, were great admirers of Mordechai, and assiduously studied the Mordechai and recognized its authority as a source of Halakha.
Mordechai ben Hillel was also the author of Responsa and several selichot.
Mordechai ben Hillel HaKohen was murdered in 1298, in the Rintfleisch Massacres.
Mordechai ben Hillel was married to Zelda, with whom he had five children.