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.

Manuscript, novellae and commentary on Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat, by R. Yosef Berdugo Rabbi of Meknes, author of Ketonet Yosef. [Meknes, ca. first half of 19th century].
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.

Leaf handwritten by R. Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (founder of the Musar movement) – novellae on the topic of women's exemption from the mitzvah of Sukkah.
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.

Four leaves handwritten by R. Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz Rabbi of Frankfurt am Main, author of the Haflaa – novellae on Tractate Bava Metzia.
Four consecutive leaves. The first leaf (numbered 20) contains novellae on folio 13a; the next three leaves (the first of which is numbered 21) contain a lengthy treatise on the Talmudic topic found in folio 8b.
The contents of these leaves were not published in Chiddushei Haflaa on Talmudic tractate, printed in 1900 and 1994, and were presumably not published anywhere else.
These leaves were presumably part of a manuscript which was in the possession of R. Efraim Zalman Horowitz of Komarno, great-grandson of the Haflaa, sections of which were published in Chiddushei Haflaa (Munkacs 1895). The publisher, R. Sender Chaim of Kozova, relates in his foreword that R. Efraim Zalman gave him the manuscript to transcribe for publication, however he eventually transcribed and published only parts of it – mostly those pertaining to Orach Chaim and Yoreh De'ah. He also mentions the Talmudic novellae in the manuscript, stating his intent to publish them as well, yet the Talmudic novellae remain unpublished.
R. Pinchas HaLevi Ish Horowitz (1731-1805), rabbi of Frankfurt am Main, author of the Haflaa, served in his early years as rabbi of Witkowo and Lachovice. On 26th Tevet 1772, he was appointed rabbi and dean of Frankfurt am Main, which at that time was the largest Torah center in Germany. He held this position for over thirty-three years, until his passing. He edified many disciples in his yeshiva, the most prominent of them being his close disciple the Chatam Sofer. He led the battles against Haskalah and the Reform movement. R. Pinchas and his Torah novellae were held in high regard by all the leaders of his generation, whether Chassidic or opponents of Chassidut.
At the end of 1771, shortly before he arrived in Frankfurt, R. Pinchas spent several weeks together with his brother R. Shmelke Rabbi of Nikolsburg, by the Maggid of Mezeritch, where they absorbed the secrets of Torah and worship of G-d from the Maggid and his leading disciples (the Mitteler Rebbe of Lubavitch relates to this in his famous foreword to Shulchan Aruch HaRav, first printed in 1814). The Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch defines R. Pinchas as a disciple of the Maggid (Likutei Torah, Bamidbar, Zhitomir 1848, p. 29b, in a gloss on the words of his grandfather the Baal HaTanya). In his book Panim Yafot, the Haflaa brings several principles from the teachings of the Maggid of Mezeritch (see: Erchei HaHaflaa, Jerusalem 2006, I, pp. 40-41), although he only mentions him explicitly in one place, in Parashat Beshalach (p. 57b), in the commentary to "Vayavo'u Marata" (some claim that the omission of the name of the Maggid from the book Panim Yafot is the fault of the copyists of the manuscript. In his foreword, the publisher R. Efraim Zalman Margolies states that Panim Yafot was not printed based on the author's own manuscript, but from a transcript produced by one of the grandsons of the author, "based on a transcript of the book produced by various scribes", meaning that the book was printed based on a third hand copy. This claim still does not explain the fact that the name of the Maggid of Mezeritch is not mentioned in any of the books published by the Haflaa in his lifetime, even in places where the ideas quoted were derived from the teachings of the Maggid). During his short stay by the Maggid, the Haflaa drew close to several disciples of the Maggid, including the Baal HaTanya, R. Zusha of Anipoli and R. Avraham of Kalisk (whom the Haflaa referred to, in 1792, with great reverence: "my beloved friend, the great luminary, R. Avraham HaKohen of Tiberias"). In a letter he wrote in 1792, he expresses his esteem for the Chassidim of Tiberias who devote themselves to the worship of G-d in the Holy Land (Yeshurun, XXI, p. 855). The Haflaa was a prolific author, and he recorded many novellae on all parts of the Torah and on most Talmudic tractates. He gave the general title of "Haflaa" to all his books. The first book of this series, on Tractate Ketubot, was named Ketubah (Offenbach 1787), and the second, on Tractate Kiddushin, was named HaMikneh (Offenbach 1801). Both were published in his lifetime, while the third part in this series, Panim Yafot on the Torah in five volumes (Ostroh 1825-1826), was only published after his passing. His halachic responsa were published in Responsa Givat Pinchas.
[4] leaves (approx. six written pages). 19 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dark dampstains. Some words faded. Wax stains on first leaf, affecting text. Marginal tears.