Sefer Bat Ayin on the Torah, sermons delivered every Sabbath by the Admor Rabbi Avraham Dov [Auerbach] of Ovrutch. The articles were written by two of his disciples, one was Rabbi Meshulam Zussman of Zhitomir – from whose manuscript this edition was printed.
He was the primary writer of the Admor’s Torah, as he testifies in the foreword to this edition, “And the holy Admor z”l told me to write his holy words … and I showed him what I wrote and what needed some proofreading, he proofread himself … and he would look into them throughout the entire day whenever he had time, from beginning to end, many times over. The second writer was Rabbi Yisrael of Paltishan who ascended to the Land of Israel with the Admor. Both disciples printed the Admor’s articles, each from the manuscript he had in his possession. The actual text clearly differs, because they were written after Shabbat from memory, each in his own style. The edition before us has several known virtues. The first, as mentioned, was that the writer Rabbi Meshulam Sussman was designated by the author of Bat Ayin, and for good reason, as he was gifted with the pen of a ready writer and possessed a clear and easy style so that the ideas which were introduced at length in the Jerusalem edition and are hard to understand were brought in this edition in a precise style. An additional virtue is that before this edition was printed, the author of Bat Ayin himself sent him the second manuscript, that of Rabbi Yisrael, and he compared the two manuscripts. As he writes in the introduction, “and after some time, he sent me back the holy writings with a supplement written by Rabbi Yisrael of Paltishan.” Rabbi Meshulam Sussman corresponded with the author of Bat Ayin about its printing, when he already resided in the Land of Israel, not knowing that his friend Rabbi Yisrael was also involved in printing the book, which is why he didn’t mention it in his foreword to this edition, despite the fact that Rabbi Yisrael completed printing the book in Jerusalem approximately three years before the printing of this edition. This edition is undoubtedly the complete one – the final one, as mentioned. The Admor Rabbi Aharon of Chernobyl writes in his approbation to the book [the Zhitomir 1869 edition], “Any man who buys this holy book for its full price will merit seeing the fruit of his labor and G-d will shine His light upon him …” and in the approbation by the holy Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkes, “and the merit of the holy rabbi, the author of this book, will stand by him and his children in all his endeavors, spiritual and material …”
This later version of the first edition was published by the nephew of Rabbi David Yosef of Chmielnik, and was printed by the brothers Rabbi Chanina Lipa, Rabbi Aryeh Leib and Rabbi Yehoshua Heschel Shapira, grandsons of the rabbi of Slavuta, Zhitomir, 1850.
Rabbi Avraham Dov of Ovrutch [1760-1840], was known as the ‘Bat Ayin’ after the name of his book. He was one of the greatest Chassidic lights, a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, Rabbi Zussia of Annipoli and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. He served as a rabbi in Zhitomir and Ovrutch, and in his later years, in Safed. It is well-known that on the 24th of Tevet 1837, there was an earthquake in Safed and its surroundings and there were many casualties. The ‘Bat Ayin’ was then praying Minchah in his study hall. When the tremors began, the rabbi ordered all the worshippers to gather around him and lie on the ground. A large part of the study hall collapsed, but the part where they were gathered remained intact and the roof, too, remained suspended in the air. The worshipers were miraculously saved. Written on a sign that can be seen to this day in the study hall: “How awe-inspiring is this place, the study hall of Rabbi Avraham Dov, the Admor of Ovrutch, who foresaw the earthquake in Safed in 1837. Due to his great merit, half the study hall was saved from destruction and the Admor and his disciples survived.” It can be seen to this day that the study hall is comprised of two sections: the old one which survived the earthquake, and the new one, which was destroyed and rebuilt. In 1841, a plague broke out in Safed which took many lives. The Rebbe of Ovrutch was among the victims of the plague, and according to legend, he promised that he would be its final victim. On the 12th of Kislev, he passed away, and the plague indeed ended. He is buried in the ancient cemetery of Safed, in the cave in which the author of Arvei Nachal and Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Woltshisk are buried. In recent years, the place has become a pilgrimage site, to a large extent because Rabbi Elimelech Biderman conducts a Hillulah on his grave on the day of his yahrzeit with thousands of participants from Israel and abroad.
[4], 254 pages . 20 cm. Stefansky, Chassidut, no. 104.
Fine condition. stains. new leather binding.