Auction 16
Lot 014:
On the Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah. Includes two “Perot”: ‘Pri Hadash’ by Rabbeinu Hizkiya di Slava and ‘Pri To’ar’ by Rabbi Haim ben Atar, the Or HaHayyim. Printed by Rabbi Haim ben Atar, and because his composition includes many objections to Pri Hadash, he printed them together in one volume. The edition before us is the first, and was printed during the lifetime of Rabbi Haim ben Atar. Some sages were afraid to study this book, since the Or HaHayyim wrote in his introduction: “The reader who observes what I say and comes to oppose me, I shall speak to kill him with a whisper and a snakebite.” And because of his holiness, they were afraid that they would disagree with him during the study, and would be harmed by his strictness. In the printing of this book, his friend Shlomo ben Yitzhak Aluf, of Livorno, helped the process along, and because of the authorization process required in Venice, the manuscript was sent to Amsterdam. On the cover age are signatures of ownership: “Yaakov Shamash” and at the end is a very long addition in an old handwriting. The identity of the writer is unknown. Rabbi Haim ben Atar lived 1696-1743, was a great biblical commentator during the Achronim period, a Kabbalist and posek halacha. The Ba’al Shem Tov said about him that he heard words of Torah every night directly from Hashem. Thus his books are considered among Chassidim to be holy texts of the first degree, and are attributed to have powers of purity and holiness for the person who studies them. The Divrei Haim of Sanz writes: “The Or HaHayyim definitely composed his book together with the holy spirit…and thus…whoever denies the holy spirit…is an apikorus who doesn’t believe…” | Stains, tear in the upper margins of the cover page with minimum missing text. New binding. | [4], 275 page. 34cm. Generally good condition.
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