Auction 26
Lot 050:
The book Shemen Mishchat Kodesh, a kabbalistic commentary on Shir Hashirim, and at the end Shoshanat Hamelech, kabbalistic piyyutim for shabbatot and festivals about the final redemption, by Rabbi Shlomo Molcho [son of Rabbi David and a descendant of Rabbi Solomon Molcho who was martyred in Portugal during the Inquisition, one of the leaders of the Saloniki community. He immigrated to Jerusalem and studied in the Beit El yeshiva, a student of Rabbi Chaim de lah Roza], with an approbation from the Maharit Elgazi and Rabbi Yaakov Hazan, first edition Saloniki 1779. [6], 285 leaves. Professionally restored tears and pastings – with damage to text in several places. Rebound in a binding with a leather spine and corners with gold embossing. Stains. On the last page is an ownership stamp of Rabbi “Shimon Zvi Horowitz, Jerusalem”. On the title page is an ownership signature “Eliezer son of Yosef Binyamin Bergman”. Throughout the book are kabbalistic glosses and many corrections in the handwriting of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon Zvi and another unidentified handwriting. An additional ownership stamp of the kabbalist the chassid Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Karfman. On page 40a there is a handwritten inscription “Lmidrash Menachem Zion” – in the handwriting of Rabbi Yosef Zundel of Salant. Rabbi Eliezer Bergman (1798-1852), one of the founders of the Holland and Deutschland Kollel (better known as Hod) and one of the builders of the old Yishuv of Jerusalem. Born in Heidenheim in Bavaria (Germany), son of the rabbi of the city Rabbi Yosef Binyamin son of Rabbi Eliezer Bergman. At the age of 17 he studied in the famous Werzburg yehshiva together with the author of the Aruch L’Ner and together with Rabbi Yitzchak Dov Bamberger and Rabbi Nathan Adler (the second), later av beit din of London. The yeshiva was led by Rabbi Avraham Bing, the rabbi of the province. He was always very active in the mitzva of settling in the Land of Israel and in 1828 he even went on a journey to the German cities to arouse people to the matter. In 1835 he immigrated to the Land of Israel and arrived in Sidon. He aspired to establish a community of immigrants from Germany there, but for some reason after four months he moved to Jerusalem. He was later appointed as an emissary for Kollel Hod (Holland Deutschland), in which capacity he travelled several times to western Europe. An eye witness described his visit to the house of Anshel Rothschild in Frankfurt “when the rumor arrived that Rabbi Eliezer Bergman has come from Jerusalem via Mainz to Frankfurt the leaders and respected members of the community made preparations to set out in carriages and horses to greet him half an hour outside the city, and they led him with great honor to the house of one of the rich members of the community.” As well as being a communal activist and cloth merchant, Rabbi Bergman was a tremendous scholar, and his descendants have hundreds of pages of his Torah novaelle. He corresponded on halachic topics with many of the leading rabbis of his generation, such as the Ktav Sofer, Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov – who he refers to with glorious titles in his book B’har Yereah, his colleague in management of Kollel Hod Rabbi Yehosef Schwartz and others. He was also a member of the moetzah gedolah established by Rabbi Moshe Maggid, the leader of the Ashkenazi community of Jerusalem. The kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Zvi Horowitz (1870-1947), a disciple of Rabbi Itzele of Volozhin. One of the founders of the Ashkenazi kabbalistic yeshiva Sha’ar Hashamayim. As the kabbalah states that the ten lost tribes will be discovered before the final redemption, in 1929 Rabbi Shimon Zvi was sent to Asia on behalf of the Jerusalemite kabbalists from all the different communities to investigate the matter. For two years, walking by foot or riding a donkey he discovered remains of Jewish settlements in far-flung places cut-off from the rest of the world. He even travelled as far as Tibet, but the Indian authorities suspected him of having criminal motives, and he was therefore forced to stop his journey. He recorded his experiences on his journey in his book Kol Mevaser that was published in 1923. Rabbi Zundel of Salant (1786-1865), the founder of the mussar movement and the teacher of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. The dayan of the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem. He studied in the renowned Volozhin yeshiva under Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. After his rabbi’s death he moved to Pozna to study from Rabbi Akiva Eiger, in order to learn his unique approach to learning and his method. He was also extremely knowledgeable in the field of engineering and in math. He also spoke many languages and was fluent in general and Jewish history. He took an interest in grammar and tradition, devised various rules of grammar that comply with the Vilna Gaon’s rules of grammar. Rabbi Zundel greatly admired this subject because he saw it to require precise understanding of the material studied. In all of the books of the Churva of Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid, the place he prayed, he used to write “Lmidrash Menachem Zion”, as can be seen in this copy.
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