Sefer HaLevush HaButz V’Ha’argman. Venice 1620-1621, with tens of glosses written by kabbalist, Rabbi Shmuel Vital; The glosses were never printed.
Specifications : [87] leaves, paper. 35×24 cm. [74] glosses handwritten by the Maharsh”u, in Sephardic handwriting. [40] glosses are lengthy and [30] are short. Some of the glosses begin with the letters א”ש [initials for “Amar Shmuel” – “Shmuel says”]. In addition, Rabbi Shmuel manually corrected errors and added [19] subjects to the index at the end of the work.
Unique features: Rabbi Shmuel had a special appreciation for the “Levush”, noting, “my soul yearns for it very much,” and he wrote his novellae and comments on it. Some of these comments were first published in the Petach HaDvir , but only on Orach Chaim. This work discloses his complete, original comments on Even HaEzer, and includes tens of glosses that were never printed.
Background: Kabbalist Rabbi Shmuel Vital, Maharsh”u (1598-1677) , was the son of Rabbi Chaim Vital, the primary and very precise recorder of the Torah of the Arizal. He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto [Haria”f], and his father testified that he stemmed from the root of the soul of the Arizal. He served as Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva in Damascus, where he taught the Torah of the Arizal. When he moved to Egypt in 1663, he shipped his belongings – including his books and manuscripts – before him, and some were lost or stolen during the journey. He wrote: “Due to my sins, when I was expelled from my homeland, my home, city and country, and was a sojourner in a foreign land…I was robbed a number of times of money and books…”
He edited his father’s works, including the Shemona Shearim , the first official work of the Arizal’s kabbala. His disciples, Rabbi Yaakov Tzemach and Rabbi Meir Poppers continued his work. His known works include: Totzaot Chaim on the Torah; Shu”t Be’er Mayim Chaim, Mekor Chaim – sermons; Chachmat Nashim – regarding the laws of Gittin, Yibum and Chalitza; Chaim Shnayim Yishalem – novellae on the Talmud and halacha; and more.
His biography is included in Beer Mayim Chaim , published by Rabbi Aharon Wieder Fishel Hershkowitz, 1966, p. 287-302.
Condition: Antiquated, detached and blemished binding with stains and worming holes. Moderate-fine condition.
This lot includes an expert analysis of the work, decisively confirming that the glosses were written in the hand of Rabbi Shmuel Vital.