Sefer Yetzirah, with various commentaries and the commentary of the Gaon of Vilna. Horodna, 1806. With kabbalistic diagrams. First edition of the commentary of the Gaon of Vilna.
First kabbalistic book published from the teachings of the Gaon of Vilna. Brought to print by his disciple R. Menachem Mendel of Shklow.
Sefer Yetzirah, attributed to Adam HaRishon, is an early kabbalistic book, and serves as basis for kabbalistic teachings.
12, [2], 42, [30] leaves. 18.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Minor wear. Worming, affecting text. Leaves trimmed with damage to text in several places. Minor tears, repaired with paper. Minor open tear, slightly affecting text. Stamps. Old binding.
Vinograd, Thesaurus of the Books of the Vilna Gaon, no. 682.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.

Manuscript, fine copying of Siddur HaRashash, with kabbalistic kavanot on the Shabbat prayers. [Jerusalem, early 20th century. Presumably before 1916].
Particularly fine handwriting and layout, with ornamental elements. Some of the prayer text was written in large, square characters, while most of the kavanot and explanations were written in cursive Oriental script. Written in a ruled notebook.
A separate gathering (written on thicker paper) was bound between leaves 51 and 52, with Kavanot for Birkat Kohanim.
The present manuscript was presumably scribed by the Torah scholars of the Beit El yeshiva of kabbalists in Jerusalem, who produced various copyings of Siddur HaRashash, and entrusted them to reliable kabbalists only.
Siddur HaRashash was compiled by R. Shalom Sharabi, dean of the Beit El yeshiva, in the mid-18th century, based on the writings of the Arizal and R. Chaim Vital. It was intentionally not printed for many years, and was kept in manuscripts only. Prayer using the manuscripts of the siddur was the privilege of just a few kabbalists. Only in 1911-1916 were the various parts of the siddur finally brought to print.
The present manuscript was presumably scribed before 1916, when the part of the siddur containing Shabbat prayers was published.
1-51, [6] 52-67, [1], 68-69, 71-78, [2] leaves. 24.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Worming. Original binding, with leather spine. Paint stains on endpapers. Wear and damage to binding.

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Interesting halachic responsum handwritten and signed by R. Shmuel Shemaya Papo, grandson of the Remez. Ancona, [1747]. With a handwritten and signed endorsement by R. Yaakov Yisrael Ben Porat. Senigallia, 18th Kislev 1747.
Four pages handwritten by R. Shmuel Shemaya Papo, in Sephardi script (with many interlinear additions). At the foot of the last page, an endorsement handwritten by R. Yaakov Yisrael Ben Porat, in Italian script.
This responsum is part of a polemic which arose between Italian rabbis in 1747. Each year, before Sukkot, the Jewish community of Ragusa (today Dubrovnik) used to send the Four Species to the nearby Sarajevo community. In 1747, the Ragusa community had only one etrog. The Sarajevo community begged the Ragusa community to share the etrog, at least for several days, so that they too could fulfill the mitzvah. The Ragusa community was divided over how to respond. After Sukkot, a query was sent to R. David Pardo and he wrote a long responsum ruling that the Ragusa community had already fulfilled the mitzvah of the Four Species on the first day of Sukkot and therefore, they were obligated to send the etrog to the Sarajevo community to enable them to fulfill the mitzvah during the remaining days of the festival. R. Pardo's responsum started a halachic debate between several Italian rabbis. Some of the responsa on the subject were printed in R. David Pardo's Responsa Michtam L'David.
In this manuscript, R. Shmuel Shemaya Papo rejects the ruling of R. David Pardo, vehemently refuting his arguments.
To the best of our knowledge, both the responsum of R. Papo and the endorsement by R. Yaakov Yisrael Ben Porat were never printed.
R. Shmuel Shemaya Papo, rabbi of Ancona, was the son of R. Avraham David Papo – son-in-law and disciple of R. Moshe Zacuto (the Remez). He corresponded with the Chida after meeting him in 1754 (see enclosed material).
R. Yaakov Yisrael Ben Porat, an Italian Torah scholar, was a disciple of R. Yosef Fiametta in Ancona. From 1748, he served as rabbi of Senigallia.
[2] leaves (4 written pages). 24 cm. Good condition. Stains and wear. Marginal tears. Folding marks.

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Manuscript, Medical Aphorisms of Hippocrates, with Rambam's commentary. [Italy, 18th century]. Hebrew and Italian.
The first part of the manuscript contains a neat copying of the entire composition, translated to Hebrew by R. Moshe ibn Tibbon, in cursive Italian script. Hippocrates' Aphorisms occupy the center of the page, surrounded by Rambam's commentary (in two columns). The second part of the manuscript consists of the Italian translation (in Latin characters) of the entire composition.
The composition (whether in the original Arabic or the translation by R. Moshe ibn Tibbon) remained in manuscript until 1961, when it was first published by Dr. Süssmann Muntner.
46, [2] leaves (leaves 18-24 and 41-46 remain blank). 20 cm. Good condition. Stains (dark ink stains to two pages). Loose or detached leaves. Original card binding, with defects.

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Manuscript, homilies on Aggadah and halachic responsa, following the order of the weekly Torah portions. [Italy, ca. 19th century].
The sections were first arranged following the order of the Parashiot, yet the writer later deleted some of the names of the Parashiot and numbered the sections instead (sections 1-26). Each section opens with a poem. Leaf with table of contents (detached) at the end of the manuscript.
The identity of the writer of this manuscript is not clear to us, though it is obvious he was an Italian Torah scholar, and a nephew of R. Yitzchak Shimshon Malach (Torah scholar in Livorno, author of Seder Bnei Yisrael, Girsat HaNe'arim and Tikkun Yitzchak).
Section 5 contains a lengthy responsum on the topic of Metzitzah, where the writer demonstrates that Metzitzah is only a medical rather than halachic procedure in circumcision, and can therefore be omitted in light of scientific findings which prove it to be ineffective. He testifies that he performed many circumcisions without Metzitzah.
During the 19th century, the Metzitzah polemic spread in Germany and other parts of Europe. Not much is known about the development of the polemic in Italy, and the responsum found in the present manuscript sheds additional light on the matter, presenting the opinion of an Italian Torah scholar from those times.
Inscriptions in Italian script in several places.
[54] leaves (and additional blank leaves). 23 cm. Good condition. Stains and wear. Minor marginal tears to several leaves. Original card binding, slightly damaged.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.