Manuscript, Pri Etz Chaim, kavanot of the Arizal by R. Chaim Vital. [Eastern Europe, 17th/18th century].
Neat Ashkenazic script. The manuscript comprises part of the kavanot for festivals by the Arizal. This work is for the main part similar to Pri Etz Chaim, teachings of the Arizal edited by R. Meir Poppers (part I – kavanot), though it contains many differences (textual variations, omissions and additional sections) in comparison with the original manuscript of the work (National Library – Jerusalem, Ms. 6720; written by the scribe of R. Meir Poppers), on which the Korets 1785 printed edition of Pri Etz Chaim is based (see: Avivi, Kabbalat HaAri, Part II, pp. 149-647). This is presumably an unknown redaction of the same work, and it requires further study.
Glosses of R. Meir Poppers were added in several places at the foot of the leaves, in a tiny, neat hand from the time of the writing (perhaps by the scribe himself; generally introduced by: "A.M." = Amar Meir, so says Meir).
Other marginal glosses by several writers; some containing copyings of teachings by earlier kabbalists, and others with original content – objections and novellae. We were unable to identify the writers.
Headings at the top of some pages: "Kavanot HaAri" and "Kavanot HaAri Part II".
The present manuscript is slightly lacking at the beginning and end (see Hebrew description for contents).

[7]-176 leaves. 19.5 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including dampstains (resulting in marginal ink fading in several places) and dark stains. Ink stains, slightly affecting text on two pages. Marginal wear and tears. Open tears to a few leaves, slightly affecting text. Several leaves at beginning of volume with large open tears affecting text, repaired with paper. New binding.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EE.011.004.

Manuscript, Etz Chaim, teachings of the Arizal by R. Chaim Vital. [Eretz Israel, ca. 18th century].
Oriental script, by various copyists. The first part of the manuscript is in cursive Oriental script, and from leaf 109 onwards, the script changes to neat, round "Hebron" script, reminiscent of the Chida's handwriting. The final leaf contains several kabbalistic glosses handwritten by the first writer.
Marginal kabbalistic glosses, from several unidentified writers. Some glosses are in the hand of the first writer, and contain copyings of the glosses of R. Natan Shapira and R. Moshe Zacuto. Glosses of the Rashash were added in the margins by another writer, without indicating the source (one can presume that the writer was a kabbalist from the Beit El yeshiva in Jerusalem).

8; 176, [1] leaves. 29 cm. Condition varies, many leaves in good-fair condition. First and final leaves in fair-poor condition. Many stains. Significant dampstains to some leaves, affecting text. Minor worming. Several detached leaves. Without binding.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, OT.011.032.

Manuscript, texts and illustrations for amulets, hashbaot and segulot. [Eastern Europe, ca. 19th century]. Hebrew and Yiddish.
Large format. Neat Ashkenazic script, with many masterfully drawn kabbalistic illustrations.
Texts and illustrations of amulets for various purposes, including amulets for protection from demons and destructive forces, for healing, for pregnancy and childbirth, various segulot, and more. With instructions and practices for preparing amulets.
Many kabbalistic illustrations and diagrams, including Angelic script and angels' seals, Stars of David, menorahs and figures. Some of the illustrations are colored.

[5] leaves. 33 cm. Good condition. Stains. Tears, primarily to inner margins, restored. New paper binding.

Reference: Magie: anges et démons dans la tradition juive. Paris, Flammarion, 2015.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EE.011.031.

Manuscript, Sefer HaShemot, lexicon of practical kabbalah – hashbaot, Holy Names, letter combinations, amulets and segulot, scribed by R. Yosef son of R. Yaakov Elmaliach. [Mogador, Morocco], 1856.
Neat Maghrebi square and semi-cursive script. Title inscribed on the first page. Leaves 3-6 contain illustrations of Ilanot Sefirot and various other kabbalistic diagrams and illustrations. The copying resumes on leaf 8. Additional kabbalistic diagrams and illustrations throughout.
Sefer HaShemot is the book Shorshei HaShemot by R. Moshe Zacuto, the Remez, in its full, expanded version, as it was copied in Maghrebi countries, with additions by Moroccan rabbis (see below).
On p. 32b, the writer quotes from a book of the Yaavetz, who quotes from the writings of R. Shmuel Ibn Danan.
Colophon on the final page, stating that the manuscript was completed on 28 Sivan 1856 by Yosef son of R. Yaakov Elmaliach. The name of the scribe was deleted, yet remains legible. The script and signature are identical to those in other manuscripts copied by R. Yosef Elmaliach of Mogador, including JTS library New York, Ms. 1162, which he copied in 1914.

Sefer HaShemot, better known as Shorshei HaShemot, is a comprehensive work on the Holy Names, with a detailed description of their functions and use in hashbaot and amulets. The work is formatted as an alphabetical encyclopedic lexicon, and includes thousands of Holy Names and kabbalistic name combinations, as well as much practical kabbalah. The core of the work was composed by the kabbalist R. Moshe Zacuto – the Remez, and it includes kabbalistic secrets he received from his teachers. The work of the Remez was of limited scope, but it was later expanded upon significantly by R. Eliyahu Shapira. The Chida in Shem HaGedolim (Maarechet HaGedolim in the entry about R. Moshe Zacuto), lists Shorshei HaShemot amongst his works, relating that he saw a manuscript of the work. In Maarechet Sefarim, he mentions two additional manuscripts of Shorshei HaShemot: one with many additions by R. Eliyahu Shapira, and the second: "A remarkable manuscript in quantity and quality, from Maghrebi Torah scholars".
At the beginning and end of the manuscript, stamps of the kabbalist R. Yeshaya Asher Zelig Margolies of Jerusalem.

[1], 45 leaves. 23 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Ink stains in several places. Tears and open tears, slightly affecting text, repaired in part with paper. Several pen inscriptions. Fine leather binding, with minor defects.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, MO.011.112.

Manuscript, Passover Haggadah "Agadta De-Pascha", with halachic rulings and interpretations, by R. Yichya Tzalach – the Maharitz, chief rabbi of Yemen. [Yemen, ca. 1760s.]
Autograph of the author, who signs his name at the end of the introduction: "The young Yichya son of my father and master R. Yosef son of R. Tzalach". Neat handwriting (partially vocalized), with titles and calligraphic initial letters, decorated with red ink. Additions in "windows" within the text and in marginal notes. In the colophon at the end of the first page: "Written for the desire of the good brother, may God give him good, descendant of Aaron the priest, Saadya son of Yosef Katz… May he merit to study it, he and his children and children's children for all generations".
On the front endpaper is the Seder Bedikat Chametz in a different, later hand, and the signature of "the young Yosef son of Salim Tzalach [?]".
In the introduction, the author writes about the benefit of his book: "…And I, the young, have also seen that both in the printed and handwritten services for this night, it is not sufficiently explained how to perform this night's commandments. Therefore, I have explained everything here, and I have neglected no matter, neither small nor great, from what is relevant to this night's service, from the words of our earlier and later rabbis. Furthermore, since it is cumbersome for a person who is in doubt as to one of this night's laws to search after it, I have therefore made this and prepared everything ready and set before us briefly, and at length the explanation of the matter from our earlier and later rabbis…".
Two versions of this work of the Maharitz are known to us, different in content. In the first version (Mahadura Kama), which he composed in his youth ca. the 1750s (which is named "Zevach Pesach" in some of the manuscripts), the Maharitz followed in the footsteps of the Shulchan Aruch and other halachic authorities. Later on, however – ca. the 1770s – the Maharitz revised the work and returned to the ancient Yemenite customs.
The content of the present manuscript matches the Mahadura Kama of the work. However, in the headings of the pages (and on the leather wrappers) the title appears as Agadta De-Pascha, the same name as he gave to the later version (Mahadura Batra). Some conjecture that the author changed the name in order to distinguish it from other works also called "Zevach Pesach": R. Yitzchak Abarbanel's commentary to the Haggadah, and the "Zevach Pesach" authored by the Maharitz's brother, Rabbi Shlomo Tzalach. [Since the title "Zevach Pesach" is not mentioned in this item, we may conjecture that the present manuscript is one of the later versions of the Mahadura Kama, ca. the 1760s.]
Some of the differences between the Mahadura Batra and the Mahadura Kama which is in this manuscript: reciting a blessing over washing the hands for Karpas; a Kezayit of Karpas; dipping Karpas in Charoset; breaking the Matzah before blessing HaMotzi; concluding the blessing Goel Yisrael instead of Gaal Yisrael; not drinking coffee after the four cups; and more.
In his introduction to the Mahadura Batra, the author asks anyone who has a Mahadura Kama version to emend and correct it according to the Mahadura Batra (based on: Agadta De-Pascha with Etz Chaim commentary by Maharitz, R. Y. Ratzabi edition. Bnei Brak 1996, editor's introduction, pp. 8-14 [Hebrew]). Moshe Gavra researched and described the differences between the versions, according to his findings, the printed Siddurim which followed to the Sephardi rite grew in popularity in Yemen, and influenced the Siddur text of the Yemenite Jews, who viewed every custom coming from the Land of Israel as holy. However, in the 18th century, some of the Yemenite sages, including R. Yehudah Tzaadi and R. Pinchas HaKohen Iraki, began to oppose this process, after they saw in Kabbalistic writings that ancestral traditions should not be changed, and from that point on they began to cleave conservatively to the Yemenite rite. Maharitz was not directly involved in this process, but it seems that he also went through a similar change of attitude, as expressed in his returning Yemenite customs to the Pesach Haggadah (see: Studies in the Yemenite Rites, 1: Weekday Prayer, by M. Gavra. Bnei Brak, 2010, Preface, pp. 79-86 [Hebrew]).
R. Yichya son of R. Yosef Tzalach – the Maharitz (1715-1805), head of the Beit Din in Sanaa, foremost Yemenite rabbi in the 18th century, and a leading halachic authority. He was the disciple of his grandfather Mori Tzalach, and of R. Aharon HaKohen Iraki, R. Yichya Iraki and R. David Mishreqi, author of "Shetilei Zeitim". Around the age of 43, he was appointed chief rabbi and head of the Beit Din of all Yemenite communities, a position he held for more than 45 years. His authority was unequivocally accepted throughout Yemen, and to this day many Yemenite Jews adhere to his customs and rulings. He compiled the Tiklal siddur with the Etz Chaim commentary, and many halachic works: Zevach Toda and Shaarei Kedusha on the laws of shechita, Shaarei Tahara on the laws of niddah, Responsa Peulat Tzaddik, and other books of halachah, ethics and kabbalah.

[24] leaves (including: [46] pages written in the author's handwriting). 16 cm. Fair-good condition. Many stains. Wear and tears. Ancient leather wrapper, torn.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, YM.011.100.