Manuscript, Sefer HaPeliah, early kabbalistic work, commentaries on Parashat Bereshit. [Europe], 1649. Early Ashkenazi script.
Sefer HaPeliah is known to be a segulah for its owners, "to bring blessing into the home" (see below).
Written in various hands; most of the manuscript is written in a large widely-spaced script. Scribe's colophon at the end of the manuscript: "…ended the holy Sefer HaPeliah composed by HaKanah, father of R. Nechunya… today Rosh Chodesh Adar 1649".
This text differs from the printed version. Kabbalistic squares.
Title page with illustrated border. Many drawings and inscriptions on both sides of the title page. Ownership inscription(?) on verso of title page: "…Yehoshua called Feivelman son of R. Aharon". Another inscription on a blank page at the end of the volume: "Mordechai son of… so says Shimon son of Yaakov". Several other signatures, inscriptions and quill trials at the beginning and end of the volume; the signatures were deleted with an inscription written over them (Hebrew alphabet in reverse order). Early marginal note in Yiddish on p. 92a.
Stamp of "Jews' College, London" on the title page. Stamps of Daniel Itzig (on the second leaf and on p. 40a), and an ownership inscription on p. 10a: "R. Daniel Berlin" – R. Daniel Yoffe (Itzig) of Berlin (1723-1799), a community head and the primary leader of the Jewish communities of Berlin and Prussia from 1764 until his passing in 1799. He was an avid collector of books and manuscripts and established a library and study hall in his home, for the use of rabbis and scholars, whom he also supported financially. R. Yosef Teomim, the Pri Megadim, composed most of his books in the house of R. Daniel Yoffe in Berlin, and he acknowledges and thanks him in the prefaces of his books.
[234] written leaves. Original foliation to some leaves. Lacking one leaf (leaf 1) following the title page, which apparently, contained the preface and the beginning of the book. Leaves 2-5 are bound at the end of the volume (some of them were possibly written at a later time). 18.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. A few tears. Trimmed margins, affecting text of several leaves. New binding.
Provenance:
1. The Beth Din & Beth HaMidrash Collection – London, MS 67.
2. Christie's, New York, June 1999, lot 92.

----------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------
Sefer HaPeliah – Segulah Book
In the approbations to the Przemyśl 1884 edition of Sefer HaPeliah, leading Chassidic masters attest to the segulah of
possessing a copy of this book. Rebbe Aharon of Sanz (son of the Divrei Chaim) writes that "it is a tradition of the Jewish People that it [Sefer HaPeliah] possesses the segulah to bring blessing into the home". The Rebbe of Husiatyn writes that "undoubtedly, anyone who purchases this holy book, his home will be protected". Rebbe Uri HaKohen of Sambir writes an especially interesting approbation which reflects his great humility: "…Although I do not understand anything of this holy book, it is worthwhile purchasing Sefer HaPeliah to see the holy letters of this book… to enlighten us with the holy Torah, to understand even a little of this book".