Torat HaOhel – Talmudic novellae. Collection of rare compilations by the gaon Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Yehudah Leib Diskin, also including some novellae by Rabbi Binyamin, the author’s father, and by Rabbi Yitzchak Yerucham, the author’s son. Only edition. Jerusalem, 1878. Copy that belonged to the renowned rabbi of Jerusalem, the gaon Rabbi Shmuel Salant.
The book is a collection of booklets of novellae by Mahari”l Diskin that were printed over the year 1878 and beyond, and grouped together into a book. The booklets were printed (Sasson Press, Jerusalem) without title pages, and they were bound as such. Researcher Sh. HaLevi, in her book MiSifrei Yerushalayim HaRishonim (book no. 315), writes that the book contains 24 leaves, and this is also how it is listed in the Bibliographic Project . The unique variant before us includes a much larger number of leaves.
The flyleaf bears an interesting owner’s inscription in the rosh yeshivah of Etz Chaim’s, Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky’s, handwriting, with his signature and stamp, in which he relates that the book was gifted to his “grandfather-in-law, the gaon R’ Shmuel Salant, shilt”a (ztz”l), ” renowned rabbi of Jerusalem (apparently by the author). It is possible that this is the reason that this copy before us bears many additional leaves that do not appear in other copies.
Following is a precise list of the booklets:
Booklet I: 15 Adar I 1878. 1-4 leaf.
Booklet II: 5 Adar II 1878. 5-6 leaf.
Booklet III: Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1878. 7-10 leaf.
Booklet IV: Rosh Chodesh Iyar 1878. 11-12 leaf.
Booklet V: Rosh Chodesh Sivan 1878. 13-16 leaf.
[Booklet VI?]: Novellae on Tractate Bava Batra. 1-16 leaf. Mispaginated.
[Booklet VII?]: Compilations. 21-24 leaf; this booklet was printed at Salomon Press.
Approximately 21 cm. Fine condition: Partially detached leaves and binding.
Luchot HaIbur , authored and composed … content … by Rephael HaLevi of Hanover. Astronomic charts. Two parts with separate title pages. Liden-Hanover, 1756-1757. Written and signed by the author, with a notification printed by the author.
The author signed his name on the back of the title page in his hand. There is also a printed page on the front flyleaf, something of a notification from the author, with a [two line] addition at the end in his hand. The author notifies his intention to print four parts to the book and he specifies their contents [the first and second part are as printed, and they are before us. His intent was to write and print another two parts]. As such, he informs purchasers of the first part so that they do not rush to bind the book, rather they should wait until all the parts are printed later (however, in the end, only these first two parts before us were printed). At the end of the notification there is a handwritten note from the author about the price of the books.
At the beginning of the second part, the author wrote about his plan to print another part, Part III, but he did not mention the fourth part, hence the affixed supplement.
Rephael Levi (HaLevi) Segal of Hanover [1685-1779] was a Jewish mathematician and astronomer, author of Tchunat HaShamayim . Rephael HaLevi was born in Weikersheim. He was orphaned of his father, Ya’akov Yosef Levi, at an early age. He studied at the yeshivah in Frankfurt am Main, and then science and languages on his own. He worked as an accountant for Wolf Oppenheimer’s courtiers in Hanover. He then came to the attention of Leibniz, who was a Hanover courtier, and he became the philosopher’s disciple and protégé. He later became a teacher of philosophy, mathematics and astronomy.
Part I: 36 pp. Part II: 38 pp, [1] leaf. 25 cm. Signatures.
Fine-very fine condition: Aging stains. Antique leather binding, partially detached.
Sdei Chemed – two parts with separate title pages. First edition of the famous halachic work by the renowned rabbi of Chevron, Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, one of the prominent Later Authorities. He is known by the name of this book series, as the “author of Sdei Chemed. ” Author’s dedication in his hand!
Large volume with two parts:
[Part II]: Aseifat Dinim . First part including the א, ב, ג letters. [4], 3-7, 4-568 pp.
[Part III]: Divrei Chachamim . With 135 simanim of responsa … from the rabbis and geonim of our generation … 240 pp.
On the back of the first title page is a printed sticker: “Memento, with Fondness, ” with the author’s dedication. The copy before us has [approximately 7 lines] added in the author’s hand: The recipient’s name, and two handwritten comments about the content of the books that have been printed and what else will be sent to the recipient. With the author’s stamp as rabbi of Karasubazar.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of HeChacha”m Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini .
[2] volumes, approximately 33 cm. Signatures.
Moderate-fine condition: The first title page and approximately another 10 leaves have tears, almost entirely without lack in the text. The front binding and some of the leaves are detached.
Yeshuah B’Yisrael – comprehensive commentary on the Ramba”m’s Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh by Rabbi Yehonatan, son of Rabbi Yosef Raseiniai. Only edition. Corrections and glosses apparently in the author’s hand.
This book includes the Ramba”m’s words with the commentaries of the Ralba”ch and the Levush, and on them, the extensive commentary Yeshuah B’Yisrael . Along the length of the book, there are dozens of astronomic sketches, and in addition, tables of the paths of the stars according to the Ramba”m’s opinion. Pictures on the title page: Moshe, Aharon, David and Yehonatan, for the names of the sages whose words the author discussed, and for the name of the author himself, Yehonatan.
Special copy: Along all the book’s leaves, there are dozens of revisions and glosses, including some that are lengthy. The form of the revisions and their style are characteristic of author’s glosses on their books in preparation for another edition. This is apparently the author’s copy, that he himself revised and supplemented!
The author, Rabbi Yehonatan of Raseiniai [ Otzar HaRabbanim 7495], one of the leading rabbis of Lithuania, wrote a lengthy preface in which he wrote about his life as well as the progression of this work. In 1710, the plague broke out in his city, and for an entire year, he lived in a field outside the city, in a shack with his family. He took an oath that if he survived the plague, he would write a book in the field of astronomy. After he did indeed survive, he composed this book, hence its name, Yeshuah B’Yisrael .
[4], 58, [1] leaf, with a leaf of omissions and corrections bound at the end of the book. 30 cm.
Moderate-fine condition: Aging stains. Tears in the margins of the leaves without significant damage to text. Detached title page with blemish in the margins and the lower left corner. Simple binding.
Sefer Amudei Golah , better known as ‘ Sma”k ‘ – Sefer Mitzvot Kattan , by Rabbeinu Yitzchak of Korvil, one of the Ba’alei HaTosafot. Before us is the first edition with glosses and novellae by Rabbi Yehoshua Tzeitlish of Shklov. Approbations from the rabbis of Shklov and Kapust. The title page bears the signature of Rabbi Yochanan Hertz son of Rabbi Mordechai Shlank, disciple of the Chatam Sofer.
The author of the glosses and novellae, Rabbi Yehoshua Tzeitlish of Shklov, was a disciple of the author of Sha’agat Aryeh . He stood at the Gr”a’s side during his dispute with the Chassidim, but also conducted himself with deep respect for the Alter Rebbe of Lubavitch, who likewise cherished him (this could be the reason that this book is printed in Kapust). Of all his works, this is the only one that was printed; the rest were burned in the fire that broke out at his residence near Sklov.
Rabbi Yochanan Tzvi Hertz son of Rabbi Mordechai Shlank was born to his father, Rabbi Mordechai, who was the Chatam Sofer’s right-hand-man. He studied with the Chatam Sofer, and after his marriage to the daughter of Rabbi David Teveli Berlin, he ascended to Jerusalem with his father-in-law. Alongside his greatness in Torah, he was one of the founders of Torah and chessed institutions in Jerusalem. He passed away in 1884, and engraved in his tombstone [in Hebrew] is: ‘Disciple of the Chatam Sofer z”l.’ (Refer to M. A. Z. Kintstlicher, HeChatam Sofer V’Talmidav 188-189.)
[4] 2, 4-6, 93, 51, 40, 39-58 leaves. 18 cm. Greenish paper.
Moderate-fine condition. Aging stains. Worming perforations. Blemish (from the printing) on leaf 3.
Cropped margins in the final leaves.
* She’elot U’Teshuvot Divrei Ya’akov by Rabbi Ya’akov Schorr, known as ‘the gaon of Kitov.’ Kolomyya, 1881. First edition. Owner’s stamp at the top of the title page indicating ownership by the rabbi of the Land of Israel, Rabbi Shmuel Salant.
Important handwritten biographic notation on the title page, under the inscription “Rabbi of Dorna and Environs” noting “clearly a mistake – should be ‘Ludmir’.”
Rabbi Ya’akov Schorr [1853-1928] was one of the most prominent rabbis of Eastern European Jewry at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Rabbi Ya’akov was the primary disciple of the author of Sho’el U’Meishiv , and lived in his home for a few years. He was a rabbi in many cities including Ludmir, and became known as the rabbi of Kitov. He is known by this position, as “the gaon of Kitov.” (Refer to Encyclopedia L’Chachmai Galicia , Part II, 67-78 for a more extensive biography.)
54, 57-58, 58-80 leaves, 30 cm.
Bound with:
* Sefer HaHashlamah L’Seder Nezikin L’Rabbeinu Meshulam b”r Moshe b”r Yehudah MiBadrish , Part I. Paris, 1885. The owner’s stamp of Rabbi Shmuel Salant, rabbi of the Land of Israel, appears at the top of the title page.
XIX pp, 50 leaves. 30 cm. The copy before us includes only the part on Bava Kamma.
The gaon Rabbi Shmuel Salant [1816-1909] was the esteemed rabbi of Jerusalem for approximately 70 years, and leader of all the Ashkenazic communities in the Land of Israel. He was renowned as a child prodigy and genius. When he was just barely bar mitzvah age, he received a letter from his rabbi, the gaon Rabbi Abele Fasswaller, Ra”avad of Vilna, with a complex question related to arranging a divorce document. This letter demonstrates that his rabbi already relied on his rulings as the rulings of an expert Torah instructor. In his youth, he studied as chavrutah with the gaon Rabbi Yisrael of Salant [patriarch of the mussar movement]. He was summoned to the Land of Israel in 1841 to assume the highly respected position of rabbi of Jerusalem and leader of the Perushim. He founded educational and chessed institutions there, as well as a beit din, and established the Ashkenazic community. He is especially renowned for his astonishing memory as well as his rare brilliance.
Overall fine-very fine condition: Brittle paper. minimal aging stains. Simple binding.
Merkavat HaMishnah – novellae on the Ramba”m by Rabbi Aharon Elfandri. First edition. Uncommon book. Owner’s signature at the center of the title page: “Yeudah Navon.” With a dedication and several glosses in Oriental script – their content has not been examined.
It appears that the signature is that of the renowned gaon Rabbi Yehudah Navon, author of Kiryat Melech Rav and son of the author of Machaneh Ephraim . Rabbi Yehudah Navon would sign his name Yeudah [יאודה] with an א, and it is written this way on the title page of the above book.
At the beginning of the book, there is a woodcut with figures of Moshe and Aharon. It is one of the most beautiful title pages printed in Izmir. On the flyleaf, there is a dedication in Oriental script, and owner’s stamps, as well as several glosses along the leaves of the book, also in Oriental script.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for brief biographies of the author Rabbi Aharon Elfandri and Rabbi Yehudah Navon .
[1], 122, [1] leaf, 30 cm. High-quality paper.
Fine condition. Worming tunnels. Detached front binding.
Teshuvot Rabbi Akiva Eiger , Book I. First edition. Warsaw, 1835. Along the leaves of the book are many handwritten glosses. Copy in rare condition. Lacking two leaves. First book by the gaon Rabbi Akiva Eiger! Printed in his lifetime.
The book was printed in the author’s lifetime. It was edited by his sons Rabbi Shlomo and Rabbi Avraham after they appealed to him to agree to print his responsa. Rabbi Akiva Eiger himself carefully reviewed the book and arranged the table of errata at the end. In the book’s introduction, the sons printed letters written by Rabbi Akiva Eiger with detailed instructions with respect to the printing: Omission of titles, omission of “my disciple, ” and also to print the book on “beautiful paper, using black ink and with suitable letters, because in my opinion, the mind is impressed and relaxes; concentration is aroused when studying from a beautiful and elegant book.”
[1] 222 leaves, lacking leaves 153-154, approximately 31 cm. Two title pages. High-quality paper per the author’s request. Stefansky, Sifrei Yessod no. 310.
Very fine condition: Individual worming perforations in the final leaves.
Kehillat Ya’akov , by Rabbi Ya’akov Yisrael Algazi, includes three works that deal with rules of Sha”s and poskim, arranged alphabetically. It was brought to print by his son, Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi. First edition. Salonika, 1786. Interesting dedication, signature and multiple lengthy glosses.
Self-dedication on the title page: “This book was given to me as an absolute gift by the generous and lofty … Rabbi Chaim Galimidi, may G-d be with him …” Initialed signature in the border of the title page: “מג”ן.” Along the leaves of the book, there are 25 comments, most are both lengthy and scholarly, in Oriental script, written at the time of printing. Glosses by two writers, some are signed.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Ya’akov Yisrael Algazi .
212 leaves, 29 cm. High-quality paper.
Fine condition: Aging stains. Slight wear in the margins of the final leaves with damage to individual words. Tears in the margins of the title page, some restored, with damage in the margins of the border of the title page, but without any damage to the text. Some of the glosses are slightly cropped.
Pair of Sifrei HaMahari”t – Rabbi Yosef ben Moshe of Trani. First editions. Bound together with separate title pages. Owner’s signatures (twice): The gaon Rabbi “Eliyahu Enav, ” Av Beit Din of Constantinople, with many handwritten scholarly glosses, some of which are especially lengthy.
* Second book of She’elot U’Teshuvot by Rabbi Moshe of Trani, z”l. First edition. Venice, 1645.
Divided into three parts with separate title pages. First part: Sefer Sheni MiShe’elot U’Teshuvot . Second part: She’elot U’Teshuvot L’Tur Yoreh Deah . Third part: She’elot U’Teshuvot L’Tur Even HaEzer . Without the part on Choshen Mishpat.
Along the entire length of the book, there are many glosses, some of which are lengthy, in Oriental script (in two different styles). Likewise, there are two places in the books with owner’s signatures, also in an antique Oriental script: “Eliyahu Enav.”
Chacham Eliyahu Enav [d. 1832], was a chief rabbi of Constantinople, dayan and rosh yeshivah. He was a disciple of Rabbi Eliyahu Palombo. Chacham Eliyahu Enav authored the book Davar Eliyahu , which was printed together with Mishnat Rabi Eliezer by his disciple Rabbi Eliezer de Toledo.
[2], 7, [1]; [1], 56, [1]; [1], 61 [should be: 71], [1] leaf. Without the part on Choshen Mishpat. High-quality paper. Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod 297.
Fine condition: Aging and damp stains. Minimal worming perforations. Tears with professional text completion for the title page and the following leaf. Semi-leather binding with marbleized paper.
Bound with:
* Chiddushei Gemara L’HaRav R’ Yosef ben R’ Moshe MiTrani zlh”h . First edition. Venice, 1645. Incomplete copy; until leaf 59.
Aseifat Zekeinim [ Shitah Mekubetzet ] on Tractate Bava Batra and Tractate Nazir, by the gaon Rabbi Betzalel Askenazi, teacher of the Ar”i HaKadosh. Printed for the first time from manuscript. Livorno, 1774. Copy that belonged to the gaon Rabbi Chaim Berlin, son of the Netzi”v of Volozhin.
Before us is the first edition of the monumental book, Shitah Mekubetzet , one of the most important books of the Later Authorities [ה’אחרונים’], if not the most important among them. The attitude of Torah literature to it is like the attitude to the Early Authorities [ה’ראשונים’]. The prevailing opinion is that the the Ar”i HaKadosh, disciple of the author, was the one who edited Shitah Mekubetzet . In the past, it was customary that just as a bridegroom would receive a set of Talmud as his wedding present, a bar-mitzvah boy would receive the book Shitah Mekubetzet as a gift.
The first edition before us is adorned with the approbation of Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azoulay, the Chid”a, who wrote it while he was an emissary in Italy.
On the title page, on the following leaf and on the last leaf, there are [3] owner’s signatures by the gaon Rabbi Chaim Berlin, son of the gaon the Netziv, ztz”l, previous rabbi of Moscow and Ra’ava”d and rosh yeshivah in Volozhin, and presently in Jerusalem. There are several handwritten glosses along the book’s leaves.
The gaon Rabbi Chaim Berlin [1832-1913] , son of the Netziv, served as chief rabbi of Moscow, and as head of the most famous yeshivah in the world – Volozhin, also known as “Em HaYeshivot.” In 1906, he ascended to Jerusalem, and after Rabbi Shmuel Salant’s passing, his authority and his greatness in Torah were recognized as rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem, despite the fact that he refused to accept the position in an official capacity.
2, 37 leaves, 34 cm. Stefansky, Sifrei Yessod 62.
Fine condition: Additional owner’s signature. Aging stains. Taped reinforcement to the title page. Simple binding.
Et L’Kol Chefetz – Approximately four hundred poems and hymns for all the annual festivals, for eulogies and celebrations, by the Kabbalist Rabbi Ya’akov Even Tzur – Ya’ave”tz, Av Beit Din of Fez and leader of the Moroccan adjudicators of his generation. Na Amon [Alexandria]. Special edition: On the back of the title page is a lengthy dedication in lyrical language by Rabbi Shlomo Even Tzur, with his stamp.
The book was published by his grandson, Rabbi Shlomo b”r Rephael Even Tzur and by Rabbi Rephael Aharon ibn Shimon, chief rabbi of Cairo. The book opens with an important historical foreword by the publisher’s father, Rabbi Rephael Even Tzur, who was rabbi of Fez, and a short introduction by Rabbi Shlomo, the publisher. There is also a lengthy introduction by Rabbi Rephael Aharon ibn Shimon, rabbi of Cairo.
Rabbi Ya’akov b’Rabbi Reuven Even Tzur – Ya’avetz [1673-1753], was a rabbi, adjudicator, Kabbalist, sermonizer, poet and hymnist. He was one of the leading sages of Morocco in the 18th century. He gave an approbation to the book Chafetz Hashem by the author of Ohr HaChaim . The Chid”a wrote that he dabbled in practical Kabbalah.
Rabbi Ya’akov was born in Meknes. In his youth, he studied Torah with his father, Rabbi Reuven. At the age of twenty, he was appointed scribe of the Beit Din of Rabbi Yehudah ben Attar of Fez. It was then that he wrote his important book consisting of various contract texts and the laws connected to them. He was later appointed dayan alongside Rabbi Yehudah Ben Attar and Rabbi Shmuel HaTzarfati. After Rabbi Yehudah ben Attar’s passing, Rabbi Ya’akov succeeded him as Av Beit Din. In this role, he was recognized as the leading posek among Moroccan rabbis at the time. He anthologized the responsa that were referred to him in a book called Mishpat V’Tzedakah B’Ya’akov . His grave is in the Jewish cemetery in Fez, and it is a pilgrimage site for Jews visiting Morocco. According to David Korkus, who wrote the entry on Fez in Encyclopedia HaIvrit , with Rabbi Ya’akov Even Tzur’s passing, the “firstborn” status of the city of Fez ended among the Jewish communities in Morocco. Rabbi Ya’akov granted rabbinic ordination to five disciples: His son, Rabbi Rephael Oved Even Tzur, Rabbi Shaul ibn Denan, Rabbi Eliyahu HaTzarfati, Rabbi Moshe ibn Zimra and Rabbi Matityah Seriro. There are those who count Rabbi Ephraim Monsinigo as the fifth disciple he ordained. Eventually, these five rabbis were known as “The Beit Din of Five.”
[1], 14, 118, [1] leaf, 21.5 cm.
Printed and bound with:
Tziltzelei Shema – hymns by Rabbi Moshe ibn Tzur and others from the family of Rabbi Ya’akov Even Tzur. Alexandria. 1892. Only edition.
74, [1] leaf, 21.5 cm.
Both books are in fine-very fine condition: Minimal aging stains. Single worming perforation.
She’iltot D’Rav Achi Gaon Part I, with the HaAmek She’elah elucidation by Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin – the Netziv of Volozhin. Vilna, 1861. First edition of the renowned scholarly book. Copy that belonged to the gaon Rabbi Menachem Nathan Auerbach, grandson of the ‘Imrei Binah.’ Signatures and glosses.
The flyleaf bears four owner’s signatures of the gaon Rabbi Menachem Nathan Auerbach. Along the leaves of the book, there are handwritten glosses from the period of the book’s printing. One gloss deals with the author’s novellum that the commandment of joy on Yom Tov is sufficient for a single moment of the holiday, and the gloss’ writer states: Heaven forbid to say such a thing … and cites the Gr”a who said that joy on Yom Tov is more difficult for him that all the mitzvahs, as it is prohibited to be diverted from this joy for even a moment.
Rabbi Menachem Nathan Auerbach [1858-1930] was a rabbi who was one of the founders of the chief rabbinate and author of Torah books. He was born to his father Rabbi Shlomo Auerbach, son of the ‘Imrei Binah, ‘ and was rabbinically ordained by Rabbi Yisrael Yehoshua of Kutna and in-law of the gaon Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wax. He served as rabbi of the Ruchamah neighborhood in Jerusalem, and was accepted by various communities, including the secular. He would often officiate at weddings of chalutzim – pioneers building the Land, and would bring them close to each other. Rabbi Menachem Nathan Nota was one of the closest associates of Rabbi Kook, and alongside this, he was an in-law of one of Rabbi Kook’s greatest opponents, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem. He authored approximately 50 books, including: Oreach Ne’eman (this book contains Rabbi Kook’s composition, ‘Mitzvat Reiyah’), Zechut Avot , Anaf Avot and more.
[1] 3-7, 123 leaves. There are copies with an additional title page. 37 cm.
Fine condition: Aging stains. Single worming tunnel. Several perforations in the flyleaf. Simple binding.
Kol Mevase”r “Consists of important information from discoveries of distant islands, and all the details of the locations of the ten tribes, and the sons of Moshe who resided by the Sambatyon river …” Unique work about the discovery of the ten lost tribes by Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz (Lider). Jerusalem, 1923. Handwritten author’s dedication.
The book is accompanied by a lengthy and interesting dedication [approximately 20 lines] in the author’s hand to Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky, rosh yeshivah of Etz Chaim.
Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz [1870-1947] was one of the founders and heads of the Kabbalists’ yeshivah, and an author of Kabbalistic books. He traveled to Asia as an emissary of the sages of Jerusalem to search for the ten lost tribes. The pious Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz was born in Lida, and in 1887, he ascended to the Holy Land where he studied at the Etz Chaim yeshivah and the Beit E-l Kabbalists’ yeshivah. He was, as stated, one of the founders of the Sha’ar HaShamayim yeshivah – the yeshivah for Ashkenazic Kabbalists in Jerusalem, and he stood at its head together with Rabbi Chaim Yehudah Leib Auerbach. He passed away on the second day of Rosh HaShanah, 1946, in Motza, where he would seclude himself, and he was buried in the Mount of Olives.
[16], 112, [1], 113-116, [5], 6 pp. 22 cm. Includes the English leaves. Printed jacket cover with the correct year of print.
Fine condition.
Yalkut Shimoni , midrash on the twenty-four Books, written by Rabbeinu Shimon Rosh HaDarshanim of Varnkvort. Two volumes. Venice, 1566. Copy that belonged to the Kabbalist, the gaon Rabbi Chaim David Amar, author of Tefillah L’David , one of the Ohr HaChaim’s most prominent disciples. Dozens of handwritten glosses.
The title page bears an owner’s signature of Kabbalist Rabbi Chaim David Amar, disciple of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh and the Rasha”sh, and other owners’ signatures, both Sephardic and Ashkenazic. Along both volumes are many dozens of glosses in ancient script, some lengthy. Their content has not been properly examined and there may be many Kabbalistic novellae. (The Gr”a is known to have stated that the Zohar is the “revealed” aspect of Kabbalistic [“secret”] doctrine, and books of midrashim are “the hidden” within Kabbalistic doctrine.)
Rabbi Chaim David b”r Shmuel Amar [d. 1778] was one of the leading disciples of the Ohr HaChaim. There are those who say that he ascended together with his teacher, the Ohr HaChaim, from Livorno to Jerusalem, and there are those who say that he ascended before his teacher, on a mission from him. After the Ohr HaChaim’s passing, he studied with the leading Kabbalist, the Rasha”sh, in the Beit E-l yeshivah. He authored the book Tefillah L’David on 100 blessings [מאה ברכות] (Salonika, 1777). From the book’s foreword: “And I will bless Hashem for he has guided me, and he has granted me a place among those who study in the Beit Midrash of the wondrous rabbi, R’ Chaim Ben-Attar, z”l. (Refer also to Otzar HaRabbanim 6296; Arzei HaLevanon ; Frumkin Tech”i , Roznes Turkiah- 5.)
Part I: 114-313 leaves (lacking the title page and leaves 2-113). Part II: 2-162 leaves (blemished title page, and lacking 6 leaves at the end).
Moderate-fine condition: Aging stains. Worming perforations. Blemishes in the margins of several individual leaves. Simple bindings.
Ma’adanei Aretz – the halachahs of Shemittah. Part I. Jerusalem, 1944. The leaf before the title page bears a warm dedication by the author, the gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, to the gaon Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky – rosh yeshivah of Etz Chaim, the yeshivah at which Rabbi Shlomo Zalman studied from his earliest youth until adulthood.
Before us is one of the earliest books [the second] by the Posek HaDor, the gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. This book of his, written when he was a young married scholar just 34 years old, earned him his claim to fame and he became the authority on Land-of-Israel-dependant commandments. From then to this day, there is no one who deals in this field who does not consult this important book. The book is accompanied by important approbations from the giants of Jerusalem, who even then already understood the true character of this avreich, the author, predicting his glowing future.
Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach [1910-1995] was a rosh yeshivah of Kol Torah and one of the greatest halachic adjudicators of the previous generation. He was called Posek HaDor for his rulings whose authority went unchallenged by the entire Jewish people in all sectors. While he was yet young, he published this book before us, Ma’adanei Aretz , that deals with Land-of-Israel-dependant commandments, and since then, he is considered the authority on this field (along with other Torah fields). The gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was renowned for his modesty, his gentleness and his shining countenance. He never agreed to serve in an official rabbinic position. His funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners.
[12], 296 pp, 32.
Fine-very fine condition. Brittle paper. Partially detached flyleaf. Original binding with slight wear to the spine.
Korban Chagigah – sermons and novellae by Rabbi Moshe Chagiz. First edition. Venice, 1704. Apparently the copy that belonged to the gaon Rabbi Moshe Chaim Weinstein, one of the Chatam Sofer’s disciples and one of those who wrote down his Torah.
Interesting owner’s signature on the flyleaf: “… it is scarce and not to be found even for gold or silver … Moshe Chaim Weinstein, Hodász.”
The author, Rabbi Moshe Galante – HaRav HaMage”n [1620-1689] was Rishon LeTziyon and head of the rabbis of Jerusalem in the 17th century. Chacham Moshe Galante was accepted as rabbi of the entire Land of Israel, and was in fact the first sage to bear the title “Rishon LeTziyon.” Jerusalem sages even enacted a regulation that no one in the Land of Israel be called by the title “Rav” except for him.
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Weinstein of Hodász [ HeChatam Sofer V’Talmidav 375] was a disciple of the Chatam Sofer’s. Writings remain from his teacher, the Chatam Sofer’s Torah, that he penned, and compilers from later generations relied on these writings. In the book Drashot HeChatam Sofer , in a note by the compiler Rabbi Y. N. Stern (leaf 257), he states, “found, with G-d’s help, from among many compilations from the estate of a disciple of … Rabbi Moshe Chaim Weinstein, z”l …”
56 leaves. Blemishes in the last leaves. Ancient owner’s signature on the title page.
Moderate-fine condition: Aging stains. Taped reinforcements. Restored tears in the last leaves with damage to text in the leaves’ margins. Slight wear in the corner of the title page far from the text. Simple binding.
Seder Zmanim – composition on time-bound halachahs by the gaon and Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver, also known as “Peh Shlishi L’HaGr”a.” Handwritten correction on leaf 4, possibly in the author’s hand. Owner’s stamp of Rabbi Eliyahu Moshe Lunatz of Patterson.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Chaver .
36 leaves, 20 cm. Blue paper.
Very fine condition: Aging stains.
Ateret Yosef – Kabbalistic work by Rabbi Yosef of Liskova, reprinted by the elderly Rabbi Kayam Kaddish HaLevi and the Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz (Leider) with supplements by him. Jerusalem, Frumkin Press. The detail on the title page is a chronogram that works out to 1899 [ ‘ובא לציון גואל משיח בן דוד’ – תרנ”ט] and it is recorded as such by the National Library. However, the book was actually printed in 1903, and this is indeed the date that appears on the new approbations for the book by Rabbi Chaim Shaul Dwek HaKohen and Rabbi Avraham Entebbe, as well as in the article published by Rabbi Kayam Kaddish in the HaChavatzelet newspaper from Elul, 1903, where he writes of his intent to publish the book Ateret Yosef .
The title page bears the Kabbalist/publisher’s stamp, as well as an owner’s signature. At the end of the foreword by the proofreader Rabbi Shimon Horowitz, several words were added by hand, apparently by Rabbi Shimon Horowitz himself.
Before us is the first edition with the supplements by Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz, called “Shem MiShimon.”
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for brief biographies of Rabbi Chaim Kayam Kaddish HaLevi and Rabbi Shimon Tzvi Horowitz .
[1], 7, 77 [should be: 79], [4] leaves. 22.5 cm.
Fine-very fine condition.
Panim Meirot – halachic novellae from Tractate Bava Kamma by the gaon Rabbi Meir, Av Beit Din of Eisenstadt – the Mahara”m A”sh (occasionally referred to as ‘the author of Panim Meirot ‘). Sulzbach, 1729. First edition.
Before us is the first edition, which the author printed in his lifetime. There is an important preface by the author at the beginning of the book.
Owner’s signature on the title page: Bought with my own funds in honor of my Creator, the youth Yehudah Leib Halberstadt; additional rabbinic signatures.
Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt – Mahara”m Ash [1670-1744] was one of the rabbinic leaders of his generation, known for this book before us, as the author of Panim Meirot . He was a relative of the Shach’s and studied in his youth under the author of Magen Avraham . He was a rabbi of several prominent communities, and in 1717 he was appointed rabbi of Eisenstadt and ‘The Seven Communities.’ He established a senior yeshivah there, to where students arrived from near and far. His primary disciple was Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeschütz, who was an orphan. The Mahara”m A”sh raised him as a son and disciple.
Rabbi Yehudah Leib Halberstadt [d. 1831] was a disciple of the author of Pnei Yehoshua . Rabbi Yehudah Leib was one of the dayanim of Furth and one of its rashei yeshivah together with the gaon Rabbi Wolf Hamburg. He was also the teacher of Rabbi Bamberger of Würzburg.
[3] 51 leaves, 31.5 cm. High-quality paper.
Fine condition: Aging stains. Slight tears in the margins of several of the leaves, far from the text. Simple binding.
Sefer Orchot Yosher , Bnei Brak 1997, with a dedication to the youth Aharon (Cohen) in honor of his bar mitzvah:
“May it be His will that you grow in Torah and pure fear of Heaven, and that your dear parents be privileged to have much spiritual satisfaction from you. And may it be His will that this precious book be a guiding light for you, with a blessing for success, B. Kanievsky.”
Very fine condition.
Responsa, novellae and elucidations by Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi – the ‘Chacham Tzvi.’ Sudylkov, 1825. There are two (different) owner’s stamps from the gaon Rabbi Shmuel Salant on the book’s title page.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of the gaon Rabbi Shmuel Salant .
[3], 56 leaves 35 cm.
Fine condition: Aging stains. Minimal worming perforations.
Responsa by Rabbi Menachem Nachum Jaffe of Horodno. First edition. The title page bears Rabbi Nachum Azriel of Jerusalem’s signature. There are also two lengthy dedications to Rabbi Shmuel Salant’s grandchildren.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Avraham Azriel .
[2], 69, [1] leaf, 31.5 cm.
Fine-very fine condition: Aging stains. Single worming tunnel. Original binding, well-preserved.
Chasdei David , fundamental and first extensive commentary on the Tosefta. Renowned work by the gaon Rabbi David Pardo. Part II. First edition. Vowelized poem by the author on the last page.
Owners’ signatures on the title page: “The youth Avraham son of the departed Rabbi Sid.” He served as rabbi in Pilvi and Dubnica and was the brother of Rabbi Yehudah Sid, author of Ot Emet . Additional signature: “The youth Yosef son of Reuven” and another, “Avraham b’ Eliyahu HaLevi.”
Rabbi David Pardo [1708-1790] was born in Venice. He served as rabbi of Ispaltro and then of Sarajevo. He also served as a substitute chief rabbi of Belgrade Jewry. In 1775, he traveled to Livorno in order to print one of his books. There he met the Chid”a, who was in Livorno at the time as an emissary of Kollel Chevron. They connected and occupied themselves with Talmud and halachah. Later on, in 1784, his younger son, Rabbi Avraham, married Simchah, the Chid”a’s daughter. While he was staying in Livorno, he also met the Mahari”t Algazi and Rabbi Ya’akov Chazan, who gave an approbation to his book. After his ascent to the Holy Land, he was summoned to serve as a member of the Mahari”t Algazi’s beit din. He led the Chessed L’Avraham V’Binyan Shlomo yeshivah in Jerusalem. He also authored the books: Maskil L’David , Shoshanim L’David , Michtam L’David, LaMenatzech L’David , Mizmor L’David and Chukat HaPesach .
[2], 103 [should be 107] leaves. Approximately 33 cm. Stefansky , Sifrei Yessod 106.
Fine-very fine condition: Minimal aging stains. Simple binding.
