Born in Brzeszticzka (), Volhynia, Rav Manoach Hendel of Lvov was a disciple of the Maharshal and a colleague of Rav Yehoshua Falk, author of Sefer Meirat Einayim as well as the Maharam of Lublin. He was a great gaon and well-versed in all forms of wisdom.
Towards the end of his life he served as the Rav in Vienna, Austria when together with Rav Yehoshua Falk HaKohen (author the Sema) they were involved in the controversy of a Get that a man lying sick on what was presumed to be his death bed signed and issued, but after the husband recovered his health and tried to cancel the Get - this incident evolved into a heated halachic debate that involved many of the gedolei Yisroel of that time period. While most of the gedolim sided with Rav Manoach Hendel and Rav Yehoshua Falk there were dissenters such as Rav Maharam of Lublin, Rav Mordechai Yafeh author of the Levushim and Rav Binyamin Av Beis Din Pozna. By this time Rav Manoach had passed away and only the Sema was still alive but he declared adamantly that he himself had helped issue the Get and that it was valid and kosher. The debate raged on and became known as the Get of Vienna episode. It was such a heated matter that it required the va'ad arba aratzos - the famed council of the four lands to debate twice annually in support that the Get was kosher, against the opinion of the Maharam of Lublin who would not be swayed.
The Gedolim of his times conferred with him on various halachic matters and cited him such as Rav YomTov Lippman Heller the Tosfos YomTov in his Maadanei YomTov on the Rosh and Rav Avraham Abali Segal Gumbiner author of Magen Avrohom on Shulchan Aruch (Siman 202:14) as well as the Ma'asas Binyamin (see Shu"t Responsa 44).
He passed away on Sunday 22 Tammuz שע"א and was laid to rest in Vienna. He is the author of Manoach Levavos on Chovos Halevavos, Manoach Matza Chen and Chochmas Manoach on Shas.
