Auction 83 - Part I - Rare and Important Items
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Exceptionally beautiful, elaborate manuscript, richly decorated with impressive illustrations and initial panels. Neat semi-cursive Ashkenazic script (Rashi script), with emphasized words and headings in square script.
The manuscript opens with forewords by R. Chaim Vital and kabbalistic principles by the Arizal and R. Chaim Vital. This is followed by Shaar Derushei HaIgulim VehaYosher, with the heading "Shaar HaRishon" (Part I). In fact, this is the second part of Etz Chaim (the scribe omitted the first part, Shaar HaKlalim; the remaining parts are numbered correctly).
The scribe integrated into the main text the glosses of R. Yaakov Tzemach, R. Moshe Zacuto and others (written in a smaller script, in "windows" within the text; a few of the glosses appear in the margins). He also added in the margins several textual variations from other sources.
Dozens of pages, at the beginning of most of the parts ("She'arim"), feature impressive illustrations framing the text, including: an Ouroboros (a snake biting its own tail); two crowned lions rampant; a stork and serpent entwined; a double-headed eagle; two stags rampant; crowned faces (at the beginning of the tenth part – Shaar HaMelachim), and more.
Various decorative elements at the end of each part, inspired by Rococo and contemporary style: flowers, branches, seashells; a lion and a stag in a thicket. Shaar Arich Anpin concludes with an image of a serpent biting its own tail, framing a number of faces. Shaar HaAkudim ends with two illustrations: a detailed illustration of Akedat Yitzchak and an illustration showing Yaakov Avinu, the rods that he peeled and three sheep – ringed, speckled and striped.
Ornate initials; some of the initial panels display various animals.
A similarly illustrated manuscript – most probably by the same scribe – is kept in the Ets Haim Library collection in Amsterdam. It is dated 1780 and features the name of the scribe: "Dov Ber son of R. Chaim, Podhajce [Galicia-Poland]". See: Treasures from the Library Ets Haim / Livraria Montezinos, exhibition catalog, published by the JNUL, Jerusalem 1980, item 182.
Owners' stamps: "Shlomo... son of R. Nissan". Several later glosses, including a note at the end of Part XLIV: "Lacking an entire leaf of Chapter 1, see printed editions" (referring to the scribe's omission of an entire section at the end of Chapter 1 of Part XLIV).
2-14; 1-227, 227-307 leaves (lacking title page at beginning of volume). 24 cm. Good condition. Stains. Most leaves complete. Tears from ink erosion to several leaves. Tears repaired with paper in a few places. Gilt engraved edges. Leather, gilt-decorated binding. Minor defects to binding. Placed in a card and leather case.
The volume opens with a decorative title page. The manuscript was scribed by several writers, in neat cursive Ashkenazic script typical of that period.
Glosses from "Mahadura Kama" and from kabbalists were added in several places (in "windows" or in the margins; one gloss is attributed to R. A. HaLevi, from a Mahadura Batra manuscript of R. Chaim Vital).
[269] leaves (+ blank leaves). 18.5 cm. Overall good condition. Several leaves in fair condition. Stains (particularly dark stains to several leaves, affecting text). Worming, primarily to first and final leaves, affecting text. Inscriptions on endpaper. Old binding, damaged and partially detached.
The city of Radzin was home to Tzaddikim and kabbalists. R. Yaakov Shimon Chaim Deutsch of Zelichov, a leading disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin, resided there in the 1820s. Later the city was the center of the renowned Radzin Chassidic dynasty.
Manuscript, novellae on the Torah portions, homilies, and commentary on Pirkei Avot, handwritten by the author R. Yehuda Ayash, head of the Algiers Beit Din and author of Lechem Yehuda, Beit Yehuda and more. [Algiers, ca. mid-18th century].
The present manuscript was not known to the biographers of R. Yehuda Ayash and to those who studied his teachings. It includes novellae and homiletics on the Torah portions, mostly on the books of Bereshit and Shemot, and to a lesser extent on the books of Bamidbar and Devarim. It also includes other homilies: "On the virtue of Torah", "On the virtue of honoring Torah scholars", "Homily for Shabbat Shekalim". None of these were ever published.
At the end of the manuscript, novellae on Tractate Avot. These novellae were published in a more expanded form in VeZot LiYehuda (Sulzbach 1776; presumably based on a different manuscript). Two homilies are dated, one from 1742 and one from 1743.
One of the most interesting discoveries in this manuscript is the beginning of a eulogy (one page) delivered by R. Yehuda Ayash when the news of the passing of R. Chaim ben Attar reached Algiers. This section (p. 32b) contains invaluable biographic information on the Or HaChaim. The information, not known from any other source, is particularly valuable coming from a leader of his generation, R. Yehuda Ayash, who knew him personally (see below).
In his eulogy, R. Yehuda Ayash describes the four foremost virtues of the Or HaChaim: his remarkable diligence in Torah study, his dissemination of Torah to many disciples, his exceptional charitability and the multitudes he inspired in many cities to better worship of G-d.
R. Yehuda Ayash (ca. 1700 – Tishrei 1760), a prominent Acharon and Torah scholar in Algiers and Jerusalem. He was a close disciple of R. Refael Yedidia Shlomo Serour of Algiers, and served as rabbi and preacher in the city, later succeeding his teacher as rabbi of Algiers and the surroundings. After a tenure of twenty-eight years, he immigrated to Eretz Israel, travelling via Livorno. Upon reaching Jerusalem in 1758, he was appointed head of the Jerusalem Beit Din and dean of the Knesset Yisrael yeshiva, in place of the Or HaChaim. He authored Lechem Yehuda and Bnei Yehuda on the Rambam, Mateh Yehuda and Shevet Yehuda on Shulchan Aruch, Responsa Beit Yehuda, Kol Yehuda on the Torah portions, VeZot LiYehuda – homilies and selections, and more.
He was renowned in his times as a prominent Torah leader, as seen in the approbations given by R. Yehonatan Eybeschutz and R. Yom Tov Algazi to his book VeZot LiYehuda (Sulzbach, 1776), where they praise him profusely. His compositions are considered classic halachic works and are quoted extensively in halachic literature, such as the books of the Chida and R. Akiva Eger. The Chida held him in high esteem and quotes him in dozens of places in his books, referring to his opinion on one occasion as the supreme opinion. R. Yehuda Ayash wrote an approbation for the first book of the Chida, Shaar Yosef (Livorno, 1757).
The Or HaChaim and R. Yehuda Ayash became acquainted and their paths crossed both in Algiers and Eretz Israel. They first met when the Or HaChaim visited Algiers on his way to Livorno, Italy, after he left Morocco in 1739. After a journey fraught with danger through the desert, he reached Algiers where he presented his works Or HaChaim and Pri Toar to R. Yehuda Ayash and R. Yitzchak Chouraqui, and they granted him an effusive approbation, which was printed at the beginning of his book Or HaChaim (Venice 1742). Shortly after reaching Livorno, the Or HaChaim returned to Algiers, presumably as part of his efforts to garner support for the yeshiva he wished to establish in Eretz Israel. On this second visit, he once again met R. Yehuda Ayash, and received his approbation (together with other Torah scholars of Algiers) for the book Pri Toar. This approbation too is filled with effusive praise of the Or HaChaim, his holiness, his Torah dissemination and his support of Torah scholars (interestingly, the eulogy in the present manuscript brings out similar points).
On Erev Rosh Chodesh Av 1741, the Or HaChaim left Italy for Eretz Israel, accompanied by his family and followers. In 1742, he reached Jerusalem and founded the Midrash Knesset Yisrael, where the leading Torah scholars of the city gathered around him. He did not merit to live long in Jerusalem, and passed away in Tammuz 1743. There are various traditions regarding the exact date of his passing, and the present manuscript provides an important contemporary documentation, dating his passing to Friday night, 14th Tammuz 1743 (not Motzaei Shabbat, as stated in various sources).
The connection between R. Yehuda Ayash and the Or HaChaim continued even after the latter's death, when R. Yehuda Ayash was appointed to succeed the Or HaChaim as dean of the Midrash Knesset Yisrael yeshiva upon his immigration to Eretz Israel in 1758, and together with the Or HaChaim, he is considered a central figure in the history of this yeshiva, as the Torah scholars of the Beit Midrash wrote in 1807: "...Midrash Knesset Yisrael in the holy city of Jerusalem, founded by... the Tzaddik, G-dly kabbalist... R. Chaim ben Attar, and after him a wondrous light shone, the rabbi of tremendous stature... R. Yehuda Ayash, they are the foundations and pillars, whose many merits benefit the People of Israel and its rabbinical students..." (Benayahu, LeToldot Beit MaMidrash Knesset Yisrael BiYerushalayim, Sefer Yerushalayim II, Jerusalem 1949, p. 129).
[66] leaves. 21.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Wear, open tears and worming (including significant worming), affecting text. Old leather binding, damaged.
Rabbi Yehuda Ayash Beheld the Or HaChaim After His Passing
A wondrous story illustrating the special relationship between the Or HaChaim and R. Yehuda Ayash is recorded by R. Avraham Khalfon, author of Leket HaKatzir, in his book Maaseh Tzaddikim. He relates that R. Yehuda Ayash, who originated from Médéa (a town near Algiers), went to study Torah in Algiers and settled there. In his old age, he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he sat studying in the Beit Midrash of R. Chaim ben Attar. One day, R. Yehuda entered the Beit Midrash and found R. Chaim (who had passed away some time earlier) sitting in his place! When he questioned the other Torah scholars, no one had noticed anything unusual. From that day onwards, the place of the Or HaChaim was kept empty, and he would come every day to study, perceived only by R. Yehuda.
Halachic responsum on the topic of stolen matzah, handwritten by R. Soriano. Concludes with his calligraphic signature: " Refael Yitzchak Soriano". Marginal glosses in two places.
An abridged form of the responsum was published with variations in his book Ta'ir Neri, Orach Chaim, section 1.
R. Nissim Refael Yitzchak Soriano (lived in the first half of the 19th century), a Turkish Torah scholar, rabbi of Aydın (formerly: Güzelhisar), close to Izmir. Author of Responsa Ta'ir Neri (Izmir, 1875) and Roni VeSimchi – homiletics (Izmir, 1874). His date of birth and death are unknown. His book of homilies includes a eulogy he delivered for his father, who passed away in Jerusalem in late 1829. The dated sermons in his book are from the 1830s.
[4] leaf booklet (6 written pages; one blank leaf). 24 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Minor tears. Folding marks. Inscriptions on verso of blank leaf.
Unpublished work by R. Yosef Berdugo Rabbi of Meknes, handwritten by the author, with deletions, emendations and many interlinear and marginal additions.
Title in his handwriting at the top of the first leaf: "Clear and concise commentary to Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat", followed by another inscription: "Also addendum to the Choshen Mishpat part titled Ketonet Passim".
While most of the manuscript was handwritten by R. Yosef Berdugo, there are also passages scribed by other writers, including his son (see below). According to the abovementioned inscription, this work complements the work Ketonet Passim (this possibly refers to R. Yosef Berdugo's published work on Choshen Mishpat, Ketonet Yosef). His disciple R. Shalom Messas relates (in his foreword to Responsa Divrei Yosef) that he personally saw in R. Yosef Berdugo's house an addendum volume to the novellae on Choshen Mishpat, possibly in reference to the present work.
In preparation for recording his commentary, R. Yosef Berdugo wrote throughout the book the numbers of the Shulchan Aruch sections (Sections 1-427 and then again Sections 1-299), leaving blank spaces after each number. He then filled many pages with his novellae and commentary, yet some pages remain blank.
On leaves [194]-[195], a son of R. Yosef wrote a table of contents "to an addendum manuscript by my father". Several other passages in the manuscript were added by a son, including one on the first page: "The rabbi, my late father, wrote at the beginning of his composition to Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat...". Additional passages in different hands, of scribes or disciples of R. Yosef (for another manuscript similarly prepared by R. Yosef for recording novellae and passed down to his son R. Yehuda, see: R. Avraham Hillel, Sekirat Chiburim BeKitvei Yad, Min HaGenazim, XII, Ahavat Shalom, Modiin Illit 2018, pp. 374-376).
Inscription on back endpaper: "Yusuf Berdugo" (presumably not handwritten by the author).
R. Yosef Berdugo (1802-1854), Rabbi of Meknes, from the prominent Berdugo dynasty who fled to Meknes with the Spanish exiles. He studied Torah diligently from a young age, cloistering himself entirely for several years. He first served as dayan in the Beit Din of Meknes, and later as rabbi of the city. R. Yosef was regarded with such reverence by the members of his community, that it was decided that any taxes received from new stores in the mellah (Jewish quarter) would be given to him, so that he wouldn't have to worry about earning a livelihood, and be free to study without disturbance. R. Yosef was renowned as a prominent halachic authority, and halachic questions were addressed to him from far and wide. He was a prolific author, and at the beginning of his book on the Rambam (which remained in manuscript), he lists seventeen works he authored, including a work on Choshen Mishpat titled Ketonet Passim. Only Ketonet Yosef – treatises on topics of Choshen Mishpat in alphabetical order (Part I: Safed 1922, Part II: Casablanca 1935, Part III: Meknes 1943) and Responsa Divrei Yosef (Jerusalem 1968) were published.
Stamp on first leaf: "Rachamim Benamara, rabbi of the Kiryat Menachem and Ir Ganim neighborhoods in Jerusalem". R. Rachamim (1914-2002) served as dayan of Casablanca prior to his immigration to Eretz Israel. His writings were published in Ahavat Rachamim (Jerusalem, ca. 2010). His wife, Rivka, was from the Berdugo family, and thus the manuscript was preserved in the family.
Complete volume. [203] leaves (many leaves remained blank, apart from section numbers). 19 cm. Stains. Tears and wear. Worming. Binding damaged.
The collection includes:
• Large collection of legal documents (over 25), mostly issued by the Beit Din of Fez, from the 1880s-1910s, with the calligraphic signatures of the local rabbis and Torah scholars, including: R. Vidal HaTzarfati, R. Yehoshua Monsonego, R. Eliyahu Attia, R. Abba Attia, R. Yehuda Binyamin Serero, R. Shaul Serero, R. Matityah Serero, R. Eliyahu HaKohen Skali, R. Maimon Benaim, R. Shlomo Bendanan, R. Chaim David HaKohen Alkhallas, R. Reuven Assouline, R. Eliyahu Elkhrief, R. Mordechai Assayag, R. David Eliyahu Harroush, R. Yehoshua Aharon Afriat, R. David Edery, R. Yaakov Khalfon, R. Refael Maimon, R. Masoud Senior, R. Eliyahu Bitton, R. Shlomo Sasson, R. Yitzchak Benaim, R. Aharon Monsonego, and others.
• Collection of letters and documents from the archive of R. Refael HaTzarfati ("the Angel Refael"), rabbi of Oujda (north-eastern Morocco), including over thirty letters (including lengthy halachic letters) addressed to R. Refael HaTzarfati, from the rabbis: R. Moshe Zrihen – head of the Marrakesh Beit Din, R. Refael Baruch Toledano – head of the Meknes Beit Din, R. Aharon Ben Hassin – head of the Mogador Beit Din (two letters), R. Yehoshua Berdugo – head of the Meknes and Rabat Beit Din and chief rabbi of Morocco, R. David HaKohen Skali – head of the Oran Beit Din, R. Shaul Bendanan – head of the Marrakesh Beit Din, R. Chaim David Bensoussan – head of the Casablanca Beit Din, R. Yehoshua Maman, R. David Sabbah, R. Shlomo HaKohen – a rabbi of Oujda (three letters; including a lengthy, six-page long halachic letter, with a draft of the response by R. Refael HaTzarfati at the end), R. Yehuda Benshimol, R. Masoud HaKohen, and others; some 20 letters and documents handwritten by R. Refael HaTzarfati, most with his signature and stamp – letters to various figures and sermons he delivered on various occasions; and other documents from his archive.
• Eight letters (mostly on halachic matters) from R. Refael Ankaoua (he too was called "the Angel Refael"), addressed to R. Refael HaTzarfati; and a letter sent to R. Refael Ankaoua by R. Shlomo Bendanan.
• Manuscript by R. Refael Chaim Moshe Benaim, emissary of Tiberias and rabbi of Gibraltar (comprising novellae and homilies in his handwriting); and letters to R. Refael Chaim Moshe Benaim from R. Yisrael Zeitoun – head of the Tunis Beit Din, R. Avraham Sabbah – head of the Mogador Beit Din, R. Chaim Yosef Maman – head of the Oran Beit Din.
• Letter from R. Chaim Yosef Maman to R. Shmuel Yisrael of Tétouan; letter from R. Shmuel Yisrael to R. Chaim Yosef Maman; leaf signed by R. Moshe Meir Hai Elyakim head of the Casablanca Beit Din; legal documents from the Rabat Beit Din, signed by the local rabbis; postcards and other paper items.
127 paper items. Size and condition vary (overall good-fair condition).
Lot 33 Leaf Handwritten by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, Founder of the Musar Movement – Talmudic Novellae
The handwriting in the present manuscript is identical to the known handwriting of R. Yisrael Salanter. These novellae were published in Chut HaMeshulash (Jerusalem 1904, leaf 4 onwards), with a note stating that they were printed based on R. Yisrael Salanter's autograph (the present manuscript).
Chut HaMeshulash was published by R. Chaim Yehoshua Kosovsky based on manuscripts he obtained from the collection of R. Yitzchak Lipkin son of R. Yisrael Salanter. In his foreword, R. Kosovsky writes that he received a number of manuscripts handwritten by R. Yisrael Salanter, by his father R. Ze'ev Wolf author of Hagahot Ben Aryeh, and by his son R. Yitzchak. The writings were not ready for printing, especially the writings of R. Yisrael Salanter, which were written in a very concise form. He therefore decided to publish the novellae in two versions: the original text as recorded by R. Yisrael, under the heading "copying of the original manuscript", alongside an expanded version, with the addition of transition sentences and commentary. The present manuscript was printed in Chut HaMeshulash under the heading "copying of the original manuscript". In a footnote (p. 4a), the publisher states: "By the late rabbi from his autograph".
R. Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (1810-1883) – founder of the Musar movement, son of R. Ze'ev Wolf Ben Aryeh (Lipkin). A leading Torah scholar of his times and disciple of the disciples of R. Chaim of Volozhin. In his youth, he studied together with his colleague R. Shmuel Salant in the town of Salant, where he drew close to his teacher R. Yosef Zundel of Salant, who instructed him in on the methods of acquiring ethics and fear of G-d. He initially disseminated Torah in Vilna and its yeshivot, and was renowned for his tremendous genius. He later moved to Kovno, where he established a Beit HaMusar, transmitting his teachings and distinctive approach to worship of God to an elite group of disciples. The Musar movement he initiated spread and molded the entire yeshiva world until this day. His prominent disciples include R. Simcha Zissel of Kelm (who established his yeshiva under the guidance of his teacher), R. Yitzchak Blazer and R. Naftali Amsterdam. The Alter of Slabodka and the Alter of Novardok were also his close disciples. R. Yisrael established the Perushim Kollel in Kovno, which was led by his disciples R. Avraham Shenker and R. Tzvi Hirsch Levitan. He stood at the helm of many enterprises for strengthening study of Torah and Musar in various countries. In the 1860s, he decided to concentrate his efforts on countries influenced by Haskalah, to boost Torah observance and study of Torah and Musar. He lived for several years in Königsberg (present day: Kaliningrad) and Memel (present day: Klaipėda), Eastern Prussia, and travelled around delivering lectures in German, drawing people closer to Torah observance. In order to raise the prestige of Torah, he established a forum for publishing Torah novellae and Musar teachings, in form of the Tevunah anthology, published in 1861. R. Yisrael later moved to France and lived in Paris for a few years, maintaining contact with his family members and prominent disciples in Lithuania and Russia through letters (this leaf may have been part of his correspondence with his son R. Yitzchak Lipkin; see publisher's foreword to Chut HaMeshulash). Near the end of his life, he returned to Prussia, and he is buried in Königsberg.
[1] leaf (2 written pages). 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Tears, slightly affecting text, repaired. Folding marks.
Summary of the opinions of the Rishonim and Acharonim on the topics at the beginning of Bava Batra, based on lectures delivered by R. Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, recorded and arranged by his disciple R. Solomon David Sassoon.
20 leaves handwritten by R. Solomon David Sassoon (semi-cursive Sephardic script – Rashi script), with corrections and additions handwritten by R. Dessler (in Ashkenazic script). Two additional, smaller leaves enclosed, entirely handwritten by R. Dessler, with additions to the summaries.
Recorded during R. Dessler's stay in England. At the time, R. Dessler served as private teacher of the young Solomon David Sassoon, at the family estate. With R. Dessler's guidance, R. Solomon recorded summaries of the topics studied, arranged in perfect order with titles, sub-titles and sections. He added a table of contents at the beginning of the manuscript. R. Dessler later reviewed his work and added corrections, notes and additions.
R. Solomon David concludes his manuscript (on penultimate leaf): "Completed with the help of G-d on the 25th of Iyar, 40th day of the Omer 1936". Closing poem in rhymes on the final leaf.
Some of R. Dessler's Talmudic novellae were published in 1992 in Chiddushei HaGaon R. E.E. Dessler al HaShas (Ahavat Shalom institute), from the writings of his disciple R. Solomon David Sassoon. In 2005, a second edition of the book was published, with the addition of part II. However, the lectures recorded in the present manuscript were not published there.
R. Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892-1953), a leading author of musar literature in our generation, and a descendant of R. Yisrael of Salant, founder of the musar movement. A product of the Kelm yeshiva, he was the son-in-law of R. Nachum Ze’ev Ziv of Kelm. He arrived in England in 1927 and served as rabbi of Dalston, London, later founding the Gateshead Kollel and other Torah institutes throughout England. In his final years, he served as mashgiach of the Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei Brak. His profound lectures constructed upon the fundamentals of ethics, Kabbalah and Chassidut were published by his disciples in the book Sichot UMaamarim, in the five volumes of Michtav MeEliyahu and in Sefer HaZikaron Michtav MeEliyahu, which have become the basis for profound study of musar in this generation.
R. Solomon David Sassoon (1915-1985), son of the renowned philanthropist Sir David Solomon Sassoon. From a young age, he excelled in his Torah studies, and his father therefore hired prominent educators for him, including R. Dessler. R. Solomon expended much efforts in his studies, and with his teacher's guidance, he recorded comprehensive summaries of complex Talmudic topics, establishing the various opinions of the Rishonim in a profound, scholarly fashion. He was rabbinically ordained at the age of twenty-one by R. Dessler and other rabbis. On that occasion, he was offered the position of rabbi of the Sephardi community in London, yet he turned it down. He was later even offered the position of chief rabbi of Eretz Israel, after the passing of R. Uziel, yet he rejected this proposition as well. He was one of the leading supporters of Torah institutions, a donor and philanthropist active in many different fields. In 1971, he left England and settled in Jerusalem. He authored Nathan Chochmah LiShlomo (Ahavat Shalom, Jerusalem, 1989). His novellae were also published in Nachalat Avot (Ahavat Shalom, Jerusalem 2007).
[22] leaves (including one blank leaf; leaves written on one side only). 25 cm. Thin paper. Stains, creases and wear. First leaf torn and detached. Leaves attached with paper clips (rusty).