Shaar Tefilah, “authored by Rabbi Haim Av Beit Din of Mahlov…and Chernowitz and a few holy communities”. The printers also write, on the title pag, e that the book was written by the Beer Mayim Chayim in Israel and “he sent the work from there to be printed and spread outward”. The author also wrote the Sidduro shel Shabbat and Beer Mayim Chayim. On the back of the title page his student Rabbi Zvi Gershon writes that he copied this from his teacher’s manuscript and writes wonderful things about the book, including: “I am convinced that when this work spreads across the world it will bring about the coming of the Redemption.” At the beginning of the work is his well-known responsa on LeShem Yichud in which he answers the Noda BeYehuda regarding its saying.
The title page has large letters of “in Mahlov”, but as noted the book was actually printed in Sadilkov by the Mahlov printer. Pretty, handsome copy, printed on light-blue paper. Stefanski Chassidut 583. 10, 102, 113-115 leaves. Last leaf is taped to the blank first page, moth holes in the internal margins of a few pages, small bit of tape on the title page, otherwise a very pretty copy, old half-calf binding.
Rabbi Haim Tirer of Chernowitz, the Beer Mayim Chayim (1760-1818) was the son of Rabbi Shlomo Tirer of Botischan. He was a great gaon and known as a miracle worker who enlightened the Jewish people with his works. It is said that his spirit reached its pinnacle during Shabbat and that he was seemingly upraised by the levels of holiness he reached. He was a student of the Maggid Rabbi Dov Beer of Mastrich and Rabbi Meshulam Feivush HaLevi Heller of Zaborzi (the Yosher Divrei Emet), and a talmid muvhak of Rabbi Yehiel Michael of Zlatchow. He was in a hevruta with Rabbi Avraham David the Daat Kedoshim of Botchatch. He wrote famous works on chassidus such as the Eretz HaChayim, the Bere Mayim Chayim, the Shaar HaTefila, and Sidduro shel Shabbat. He served as rabbi in a few communities in Wallachia such as Mahlov, Kishinev, Brotschav, the Bukovina valley, and in 1782 in Chernowitz. In 1807 he moved to Israel and settled in Tzfat.
