Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Edels, the Maharsha (1555-1631), is one of the most studied commentators on the Talmud. He bears the name of his mother-in-law, Edel, who for many years financed the yeshiva he headed in Posen.

His Chiddushei Halachot analyze the discussions of the Talmud, Rashi and Tosafot with remarkable precision; his Chiddushei Aggadot illuminate the narrative passages of the Talmud and reveal their depth. Both are printed at the end of every volume of the Talmud.

He served as rabbi of several Polish communities, including Lublin, and ended his life in Ostroh, where he headed a great yeshiva.