Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
Five Books of the Torah – First Edition of the Panim Yafot by the Haflaa – Ostroh, 1825-1826 – Complete Five-Volume Set – Rabbi Akiva Eger's Blessing for those who Purchase the Book
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $20,000
Sold for: $81,250
Including buyer's premium
Five books of the Torah, with Rashi, Baal HaTurim and the Panim Yafot commentary by R. Pinchas HaLevi Horowitz Rabbi of Frankfurt am Main. Ostroh: Abraham Klorfein and David son of Isaac Mordechai, 1825-1826. First edition. With approbations by the Ohev Yisrael of Apta, R. Akiva Eger, the Chatam Sofer, R. Yaakov of Lissa and the Baruch Taam.
Five parts in five volumes. The title page states: "Panim Yafot… part III of the Haflaa composition". The first parts of the Haflaa: Ketubah on Tractate Ketubot (Offenbach 1787) and HaMikneh on Tractate Kiddushin (Offenbach 1801).
This book was published two decades after the passing of the author. The book consists of commentaries on the Torah, following various approaches – the basic meaning, pilpul, derush, remez, ethics, kabbalah and chassidut. The book was compiled and brought to press by the mechutan of the author, R. Efraim Zalman of Brody, who also composed a lengthy, detailed and interesting foreword, printed at the beginning of the book. R. Efraim also added at the end of the volumes his own commentary to Rashi, named Shem Efraim.
In his approbation, R. Akiva Eger describes the importance and great merit that lies in the purchase of this book.
R. Pinchas HaLevi Ish Horowitz, rabbi of Frankfurt am Main, author of the Haflaa (1731-1805), served in his youth 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 Torah leaders of his generation, both Chassidim and Mitnagdim.
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: Erkei 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 the book was not printed based on the author's own manuscript, but from a copying produced by one of the grandsons of the author, "based on a copying of the book produced by various scribes", meaning that the book was printed based on a third hand copy. This claims 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 when the source of the ideas quoted is from the teachings of the Maggid).
Complete set in five volumes. Two title pages for each volume – one concise title page (printed in red and black ink), and a second, more detailed title page.
Bereshit vol.: [4], 156, 2-7 leaves. Shemot vol.: [3], 100, 100-105, 105-112, 121-168, 149-160, 166-171, [1]; 10, [3]; 21-32, [2] leaves. Vayikra vol.: [2], 26, 26-59, 58-139, [2]; 6, [7] leaves. Bamidbar vol.: [2], 146; 4, [1] leaves. Devarim vol.: [2], 153; 18, [8] leaves. 24 cm (Shemot vol. – 21 cm). Shemot vol. printed on bluish paper. Good to good-fair condition. Stains, including minor dampstains. Dark inkstains to first leaves of Vayikra vol. (affecting book title on title pages). Minor wear to some leaves. Tears, including open tears, affecting text in several places, repaired in part with paper. Tears to title page of Shemot vol., including open tear to lower part of leaf, close to text. Minor worming to Shemot vol. Inscriptions, signatures and stamps. New leather bindings (Shemot vol. non-matching).
Five parts in five volumes. The title page states: "Panim Yafot… part III of the Haflaa composition". The first parts of the Haflaa: Ketubah on Tractate Ketubot (Offenbach 1787) and HaMikneh on Tractate Kiddushin (Offenbach 1801).
This book was published two decades after the passing of the author. The book consists of commentaries on the Torah, following various approaches – the basic meaning, pilpul, derush, remez, ethics, kabbalah and chassidut. The book was compiled and brought to press by the mechutan of the author, R. Efraim Zalman of Brody, who also composed a lengthy, detailed and interesting foreword, printed at the beginning of the book. R. Efraim also added at the end of the volumes his own commentary to Rashi, named Shem Efraim.
In his approbation, R. Akiva Eger describes the importance and great merit that lies in the purchase of this book.
R. Pinchas HaLevi Ish Horowitz, rabbi of Frankfurt am Main, author of the Haflaa (1731-1805), served in his youth 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 Torah leaders of his generation, both Chassidim and Mitnagdim.
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: Erkei 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 the book was not printed based on the author's own manuscript, but from a copying produced by one of the grandsons of the author, "based on a copying of the book produced by various scribes", meaning that the book was printed based on a third hand copy. This claims 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 when the source of the ideas quoted is from the teachings of the Maggid).
Complete set in five volumes. Two title pages for each volume – one concise title page (printed in red and black ink), and a second, more detailed title page.
Bereshit vol.: [4], 156, 2-7 leaves. Shemot vol.: [3], 100, 100-105, 105-112, 121-168, 149-160, 166-171, [1]; 10, [3]; 21-32, [2] leaves. Vayikra vol.: [2], 26, 26-59, 58-139, [2]; 6, [7] leaves. Bamidbar vol.: [2], 146; 4, [1] leaves. Devarim vol.: [2], 153; 18, [8] leaves. 24 cm (Shemot vol. – 21 cm). Shemot vol. printed on bluish paper. Good to good-fair condition. Stains, including minor dampstains. Dark inkstains to first leaves of Vayikra vol. (affecting book title on title pages). Minor wear to some leaves. Tears, including open tears, affecting text in several places, repaired in part with paper. Tears to title page of Shemot vol., including open tear to lower part of leaf, close to text. Minor worming to Shemot vol. Inscriptions, signatures and stamps. New leather bindings (Shemot vol. non-matching).
Chassidic Books
Chassidic Books