Complete set of the Sefer HaZohar, a foundational work of kabbalah written by the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochay. Printed by the partners, Meir ben Ephraim of Padua and Yaakov ben Naftali HaKohen of Gozolo. Mantua 1558-1560. This edition was used by the Ari and his students and is considered more accurate than the Cremona edition printed around the same time. Catalogued by the NLI in the Rare Books section.
After many years in which the Torat HaSod was passed orally and in secret from rabbi to student, and only a few mentions and hints were offered in various books such as the Ramban’s Commentary on the Torah, testifying to secret revelations simmering beneath the surface, as well as short compositions such as Sefer Yetzira and Midrash Otiyot of Rabbi Akiva founded upon Torat HaSod, finally in the year 1558 something happened when permission was given by the kabbalistic genius Rabbi Yitzchak Di Latish to print the main work "Torah Shebechtav" of the Kabbalah, otherwise known as the Sefer Zohar before us.
Rabbi Yitzchak’s long approbation appears at the beginning of the book under the title "The ruling of the gaon and the sage who includes… Yitzchak of Latish" and in it he explains at length the order of the transmission of the Torah from generation to generation and in his words draws a parallel between the secret Torah and the revealed Torah and explains in good taste the need to print the work which had been shelved until now. He also delves into deep issues and the solution of essential questions that exist about Torat HaSod. Afterward he wrote a beautiful poem in honor of the printing, as well as two additional poems by his son-in-law, the translator Rabbi Avraham of Modena, from which the excitement and immense joy that surrounded the printing is evident: “The sun has risen and the light is shining [zoher], brightening the face of the earth and every spirit…"
3 volumes containing:
Bereishit: [8], 251 leaves. The title page is filled in with a facsimile faithful to the original.
Exodus: 269 leaves.
Vayikra: 115 leaves. The title page and the leaf after it are filled in with facsimiles faithful to the original. Bamidbar-Dvarim (separate title page with the erasure of the word Sinai, see pictures): [2], 118-300 leaves. Last leaf filled in with a facsimile faithful to the original.
Stefanski Sifrei Yesod 324—see the long introduction to works of kabbalah there.
Handsome, new bindings, some leaves are professionally repaired or were taken from other copies. Various defects and wear, a few places have text filled in by hand, stains, lone bits of tape hiding text, overall good condition.
All the volumes have hundreds of antique corrections and notes handwritten in the margins, some long and significant. There are a few types of writing, mostly Mizrahi, and in a few places there are wordings that the printer failed to print. A few notes of ownership on the title pages and the bodies of the work. All haven’t been checked thoroughly.
