“To receive this reward with huge multiplicity with the fruits and fruits of the fruits” (one of the innumerable blessings)
Complete compilation rare in length and content, covering over 70 pages, entirely handwritten by the leading rabbi and Kabbalist of Bavel/Iraq, the “Ben Ish Chai.” [Baghdad], 1890. A kuntress like this has never been printed, but a similar sermon was printed, with major differences, in his book Shnei Eliyahu (Drush V).
The compilation includes a complete sermon delivered by the Ben Ish Chai in honor of the yahrtzeit of his father, the gaon Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim. Complete sermon from beginning to end, including a title, colophon and the famous blessing at the end of the compilation (see below) with which the Ben Ish Chai would customarily conclude his manuscripts, a Kabbalistic sermon dealing with the topic of reincarnation and based on sources from all over Parde”s , with the Ben Ish Chai’s astonishing expertise and genius.
As stated, this is the complete derashah from beginning to end. It starts with an abbreviation at the top of the manuscript: “בהנ”ו לקבה”ו” [-בשם ה’ נעשה ונצליח; לשם קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה] followed by a title and a colophon: “I delivered this sermon in memory of … my father in 1890, on his yarhtzeit, which occurred on Shabbat.” The complete sermon follows, rare in both length and content, covering 70 pages. At the conclusion, the Ben Ish Chai wrote the immortal blessing that transformed his manuscripts into sought-after amulets among natives of Bavel and other Edot HaMizrach : “May E-l Shad-ai help us, protect us and help us, amen, may it be His Will.”
Writings by the Ben Ish Chai serve as tried-and-true amulets for protection, finding favor, and success. This is true for all manuscripts by the Ben Ish Chai, not only those that contain special blessings. How much more so this rare manuscript here, that aside from ending with the famous blessing by the Ben Ish Chai, “May E-l Shad-ai help us, protect us and help us, amen, may it be His Will, ” this manuscript also deals with the infinite reward to be granted by Hashem to the Jewish people, and therefore, along the entire length of the manuscript there are innumerable verses with blessings and Heavenly promises for an abundance of wealth and all goodness in the world! Of the dozens of derashot we have seen, we have seen no other derashah with such quantity and intensity of blessings. If we were to transcribe all the words and verses of blessing, we would need a sheet the entire length of the kuntress , loaded, as mentioned, with blessings from beginning to end. But we will try to get away with just quoting a small representative sample:
Here is a small part of the segulah verses and wondrous blessings in the manuscript: “He can come and take his reward” (incidentally, the segulah words of “reward” in every form, and the word “money” appear many times in the manuscript), “I answered you at an auspicious time”; “Hashem will rejuvenate you”; “So that you go in proper ways”; “I gave him a son” “I gave him a home”; “I gave him money”; “He should come get his reward and not be embarrassed”; “Tzaddikim are joyous as they are blessed in Heaven and blessed on Earth”; “So that they receive good reward and blessing”; “To receive this reward with huge multiplicity with the fruits and fruits of the fruits”; “to bequeath to my beloved and I shall fill their treasure houses”; “Our eyes will see and our hearts will rejoice when mashiach comes speedily in our days, amen, may it be His Will.”
The compilation deals with the elusive Kabbalistic topic of the souls of tzaddikim in living people. The Ben Ish Chai, with his incomprehensible greatness in Kabbalah and also in revealed Torah, elucidates and explains simply for a person learning the complex Kabbalistic topic of reincarnation, beginning from abstract Kabbalistic concepts and moving on to the practical level of how it actually takes place.
Aside from the rare verses of segulah capable of an abundance of blessing for wealth and success, the kuntress deals extensively with the topic of spouses. There are innumerable segulah words on this topic that appear here dealing with a spouse and marriage.
Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad .
[72] pp. Approximately 13×10 cm. High-quality paper. Entirely handwritten by the Ben Ish Chai. Characteristic autograph script with revisions, erasures and supplements.
Fine condition. Bound in an elegant new semi-leather binding.
