Rav Mordechai Gumpel Shnaber-Levison was born in 1741 in Berlin. Rav Mordechai Gumpel was descended from an illustrious family: his father, Rav Yehuda Leib Shnaber, was a Dayan in Berlin, and his grandfather and namesake, Rav Gumpel Shnaber, had been the Av Bais Din of Kehillos AH”U (Altona, Hamburg, Weisbeck). Rav Mordechai Gumpel learned under Rav Dovid Fränkel (author of Korban Ha’eida) in Berlin and then Rav Yonasan Eibshitz (author of Kreisi U’pleisi) in Hamburg, and after completing his limudim, he studied medicine in Breslau and England. This unique blend of Torah scholarship and medical knowledge led Rav Mordechai Gumpel to author numerous works which were well received by the general public. In 1784 he returned to Germany and established a medical practice in Hamburg. That same year he published a commentary on Megillas Koheles named Tochochas Megillah. An additional sefer titled Soles Mincha B’lula was published shortly after his death in 1797. Aside from his impressive authorship, Rav Mordechai Gumpel was also a great philanthropist. Upon his passing, he bequeathed all of his wealth to the charity of the city of Hamburg, and specifically allocated 8,000 thalers to a fund for Torah scholars.