Joseph Moses Spiro

Joseph Moses Spiro (Hebrew: משה יוסף הכהן שפירא; c. 1770–1830) was an Austrian rabbi and Talmudic author.

Though he facing health issues during his childhood, he became at an early age a Talmudic scholar of distinction.

Spiro was an early proponent of systematic instruction in religious literature and expressed strong criticism of the pilpul method.

He edited the Sefer ha-ḥinnukh (Brünn, 1799), a work attributed to Aaron ha-Levi of Barcelona.

He also wrote a book titled Mesillah le-Elokenu (Prague, 1810), consisting of three distinct parts: Derekh ha-yashar, on the evils of the unsystematic training for children; Berit Avraham, containing discussions on Halakha; and Revid ha-zahav, containing homilies.