Kabbalistic sermon about the sanctity and segulah of tefilin, handwritten by the “living lion, ” Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, author of Ben Ish Chai . The sermon is loaded with rare blessings for marital harmony and with verses of abundance. Very exceptionally, the Ben Ish Chai repeats his traditional blessing at the end of this sermon, “May E-l Sha-dai assist you and protect you and help you, amen, may it be His will”!
As is known, all of the Ben Ish Chai’s writings are used by Oriental Jews in general and Iraqi Jews in particular, as expert amulets, tried-and-true, for healing, livelihood, and protection.
How much more so this manuscript, full of Kabbalistic Names and Name combinations, the spiritual element that empowers amulets, and with verses of peace and protection: “Hashem will give strength to his people, Hashem will bless his people with peace”; “Then he will grasp my stronghold, make peace for me, peace will be made for me” and more. Yet the highlight here is the Ben Ish Chai’s rare blessing for marital harmony: “And in this merit, he will be privileged to double peace, as it says … Peace unto you, peace unto your family, and peace unto all that is yours.”
The Ben Ish Chai’s traditional closing blessing concludes this sermon: “May E-l Sha-dai assist you and protect you and help you, amen, may it be His Will.” Extraordinarily, the Ben Ish Chai repeated his blessing on the second side of the leaf, which greatly enhances the power of this recurring blessing. Fortunate is he who will have the privilege of possessing such a powerful amulet!
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad .
[2] pp. 10.5×13.5 cm. Graph paper. Characteristic autograph script.
Very fine condition. Magnificent new binding, as befits such a sacred manuscript.