A long sermon for “Shabbat Kallah” in the handwriting of Rabbi Yosef Chaim ben Eliyahu, the “Ben Ish Chai” of Baghdad. 1902.
86 pages paper leaves. 13×10 cm. 15-21 lines on each page. Oriental writing.
At the beginning of the sermon is written, “In the name of G-d we will do and succeed… a sermon which I gave… at the Shabbat Kallah on June 1902.” In the sermon the “Ben Ish Chai” explains the advantages of our holy Torah, as preparation for the Jewish people who are compared to a bride before the festival of the giving of the Torah, Shavuot. In his usual fashion he wove together in the sermon matters of moral conduct together with stories and parables, and makes much mention of the sermons that he gave in the previous years and of his book
Ben Ish Chayil , which was published in 1901.The sermon is composed of a number of paragraphs, and at the end of each paragraph is written “Almighty G-d will help us and will protect us and strengthen us… amen may it be His will.”
Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1833-1909) was the author of the
Ben Ish Chai and the greatest Eastern sage of our times. He was born to Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim son of Rabbi Moshe Chaim, the rabbi of Baghdad. He was a student of Rabbeinu Abdallah Somech, who was already known in his youth for his wisdom and piety. He began to give sermons in the great synagogue when he was only 26, and gave sermons every Shabbat and festival for the following fifty years. Thousands of people would gather to hear his special sermons, in order to hear his sweet words for four and five hours. He became famous throughout the world as “unique in his generation” in the hidden and revealed Torah, and was known for his great holiness. In 1869 he travelled to Israel to pray at the graves of the righteous, and then it was revealed to him from Heaven that he is from the root of the soul of Benayahu ben Yehoyada, and he named many of his dozens of works after this fact: Ben Ish Chai, Ben Yehoyada, Rav Pa’alim, Od Yosef Chai, and more.
New impressive leather cover, with special container. A few stains. Very fine condition.