Auction 89 - Rare and Important Items
Tractate Niddah – Copy of Rabbi Aharon of Kraków, Son of the Maor VaShemesh – With His Signature and Stamps of His Beit Midrash
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $10,000
Sold for: $50,000
Including buyer's premium
Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Niddah, and Mishnayot Order Taharot. Vienna: Anton Schmidt, 1811. First edition of the glosses of the Gaon of Vilna. Separate title page for Order Taharot.
Various signatures and ownership inscriptions on the title page, including an inscription handwritten by R. Aharon of Kraków: "Belongs to me Aharon HaLevi Epstein, Aharon HaLevi Epstein"; and an inscription attesting that the book belongs to the Beit Midrash of R. Aharon's father, R. Kalonymus Kalman HaLevi Epstein. Various stamps of the Beit Midrash of R. Aharon of Kraków throughout the book (the first Chassidic Beit Midrash in Kraków, named after him for over a hundred and twenty years, until its destruction in the Holocaust).
R. Aharon HaLevi Epstein of Kraków (ca. 1795 – Kislev 1881), son of the Maor VaShemesh. A holy man and wonderworker, he refused to become a rebbe, and continued frequenting the courts of his contemporary rebbes even in his later years. After his father's passing, he returned to Kraków, where he established the first Chassidic Beit Midrash (something forbidden until then, see: Yad Maor VaShemesh, p. 382), on 33 Jozefa St. He published his father's book, Maor VaShemesh. R. Aharon would frequent the court of the Chozeh of Lublin together with his father, and eventually married the Chozeh's granddaughter (daughter of his son R. Yisrael). After his father's passing, he frequented the court of Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir, together with his colleagues the Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk and R. Natan David of Shidlovtsa. After the passing of the rebbe of Kuzmir, they attached themselves to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. He would also travel to the courts of other Tzaddikim of his times, such as R. Meir of Premishlan, R. Naftali of Ropshitz, and his son-in-law R. Asher of Ropshitz, his colleague the Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk, R. Ber of Radoshitz, R. Mordechai of Chernobyl, and others, and was held by them in high esteem; but he remained most closely attached to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. After the passing of the rebbe of Sanz, he advised people to follow the latter's grandson, Rebbe Shlomo of Bobov, and he did so himself, although he was already over 80 years old. R. Aharon was known as a wonderworker who effected salvations. He would also petition his rebbes to obtain salvations and abundant livelihood for his brethren.
R. Kalonymus Kalman HaLevi Epstein of Kraków (1751-1823) – the Maor VaShemesh, was an outstanding Torah scholar both in revealed and hidden realms of the Torah, leading disciple of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, whom he regarded as of equal stature to the Baal Shem Tov himself. He also frequented the courts of R. Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov and R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. Following the passing of his teacher R. Elimelech, he began travelling to the Chozeh of Lublin, to R. Ber of Radoshitz, to the Maggid of Kozhnitz and to R. Mendele of Rimanov (who acclaimed him as "Shomer HaBrit"). He was renowned as a holy man already in his lifetime, and accounts of revelations of Divine Inspiration and wonders circulated about him. His teacher R. Elimelech of Lizhensk appointed him as rebbe and he became the first disseminator of Chassidut in Kraków, where those seeking to draw close to G-d gathered around him, later becoming prominent Chassidic leaders. He was repeatedly persecuted by opponents of Chassidut (Mitnagdim) in Kraków, who even announced a ban on Chassidut in 1786. When the persecutions reached the point of informing and imprisonment, R. Kalman moved to his hometown of Neustadt and established his court there. In ca. 1820, he returned to Kraków, and that is where he is buried. His book Maor VaShemesh on the Torah is an important classic Chassidic book, even printed together with the Chumash (in the Rav Peninim edition). His sons were R. Yosef Baruch of Neustadt (1792-1867; known as the "Good Jew of Neustadt"), and R. Aharon of Krakow, whose signature appears in the present book.
[9], 2-89 leaves; [1], 2-199 leaves. Approx. 39.5 cm. Condition varies, good to fair. Many stains and wear, primarily to leaves of Tractate Niddah. Tears to first title page and several other leaves, repaired in part. Stamps. New leather binding.
Various signatures and ownership inscriptions on the title page, including an inscription handwritten by R. Aharon of Kraków: "Belongs to me Aharon HaLevi Epstein, Aharon HaLevi Epstein"; and an inscription attesting that the book belongs to the Beit Midrash of R. Aharon's father, R. Kalonymus Kalman HaLevi Epstein. Various stamps of the Beit Midrash of R. Aharon of Kraków throughout the book (the first Chassidic Beit Midrash in Kraków, named after him for over a hundred and twenty years, until its destruction in the Holocaust).
R. Aharon HaLevi Epstein of Kraków (ca. 1795 – Kislev 1881), son of the Maor VaShemesh. A holy man and wonderworker, he refused to become a rebbe, and continued frequenting the courts of his contemporary rebbes even in his later years. After his father's passing, he returned to Kraków, where he established the first Chassidic Beit Midrash (something forbidden until then, see: Yad Maor VaShemesh, p. 382), on 33 Jozefa St. He published his father's book, Maor VaShemesh. R. Aharon would frequent the court of the Chozeh of Lublin together with his father, and eventually married the Chozeh's granddaughter (daughter of his son R. Yisrael). After his father's passing, he frequented the court of Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir, together with his colleagues the Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk and R. Natan David of Shidlovtsa. After the passing of the rebbe of Kuzmir, they attached themselves to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. He would also travel to the courts of other Tzaddikim of his times, such as R. Meir of Premishlan, R. Naftali of Ropshitz, and his son-in-law R. Asher of Ropshitz, his colleague the Tiferet Shlomo of Radomsk, R. Ber of Radoshitz, R. Mordechai of Chernobyl, and others, and was held by them in high esteem; but he remained most closely attached to the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. After the passing of the rebbe of Sanz, he advised people to follow the latter's grandson, Rebbe Shlomo of Bobov, and he did so himself, although he was already over 80 years old. R. Aharon was known as a wonderworker who effected salvations. He would also petition his rebbes to obtain salvations and abundant livelihood for his brethren.
R. Kalonymus Kalman HaLevi Epstein of Kraków (1751-1823) – the Maor VaShemesh, was an outstanding Torah scholar both in revealed and hidden realms of the Torah, leading disciple of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, whom he regarded as of equal stature to the Baal Shem Tov himself. He also frequented the courts of R. Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov and R. Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. Following the passing of his teacher R. Elimelech, he began travelling to the Chozeh of Lublin, to R. Ber of Radoshitz, to the Maggid of Kozhnitz and to R. Mendele of Rimanov (who acclaimed him as "Shomer HaBrit"). He was renowned as a holy man already in his lifetime, and accounts of revelations of Divine Inspiration and wonders circulated about him. His teacher R. Elimelech of Lizhensk appointed him as rebbe and he became the first disseminator of Chassidut in Kraków, where those seeking to draw close to G-d gathered around him, later becoming prominent Chassidic leaders. He was repeatedly persecuted by opponents of Chassidut (Mitnagdim) in Kraków, who even announced a ban on Chassidut in 1786. When the persecutions reached the point of informing and imprisonment, R. Kalman moved to his hometown of Neustadt and established his court there. In ca. 1820, he returned to Kraków, and that is where he is buried. His book Maor VaShemesh on the Torah is an important classic Chassidic book, even printed together with the Chumash (in the Rav Peninim edition). His sons were R. Yosef Baruch of Neustadt (1792-1867; known as the "Good Jew of Neustadt"), and R. Aharon of Krakow, whose signature appears in the present book.
[9], 2-89 leaves; [1], 2-199 leaves. Approx. 39.5 cm. Condition varies, good to fair. Many stains and wear, primarily to leaves of Tractate Niddah. Tears to first title page and several other leaves, repaired in part. Stamps. New leather binding.
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses
Chassidut – Signatures and Glosses