Auction 57
Lot 13:
8 volumes comprising the work Kaf HaChaim, a work on the Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim accepted across the Jewish world and quoted frequently by poskim; it even merited the nickname “the Sfardi Mishnah Brurah”. By the sage Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer of Baghdad. Stefanski Sifrei Yesod 194.
All the volumes are first editions printed in Jerusalem (we note that the first section was printed earlier without the Shulchan Aruch’s sections while here is the first edition with the Shulchan Aruch inside).
1. 1910: [4], 165 leaves.
2. 1913: [2], 181 leaves.
3. 1915: [2], 190 leaves.
4. 1920: [2], 165 leaves.
5. 1924: [1], 179, [1] leaves. On the back of the title page is a printed “In thanks and blessing” souvenir (not printed in all copies)
6. 1928: [2], 165 leaves.
7. 1931: [2], 151 leaves.
8. 1933: [2], 176 leaves.
New, handsome bindings. Stains, a few worming holes, overall very good condition.
The Kaf HaChaim is the principal and most important work by the kabbalist and gaon Rabbi Yaakov Chaim ben Rabbi Yitzhak Baruch Sofer (1870-1939), a native of Babylon, student of Rabbi Abdallah Somech and Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (the Ben Ish Hai), sages of Babylon and Jerusalem and gedolim among the poskim. All his days he laboured in Torah and writing his work in the attic of the Shoshanim LeDavid synagogue in Jerusalem, founded by the Ben Ish Hai. In addition to this work, he published: “Chaim Ad HaOlam” on the siyumim of masechtot, “Chukei Chaim” with drashot for various times, and “Yagel Yaakov” with chiddushim on the Torah.
Volume 1 has a Mizrahi signature handwritten by the kabbalist Rabbi Ovadya Hadaya (1890-1969) was the son of the kabbalist Rabbi Shalom. He served as head of the Beit El kabbalist yeshiva, and a member of the Council of Torah Sages, and a member of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, Sefardi Rabbi of Petah Tikva, and won the Israel Prize for Judaic Literature for 1968. He wrote the Shut Yaskil Avadi.
The other volumes have stamps in Latin characters and one Mizrahi signature with the name “Baruch A/Sabag”. This probably refers to Rabbi Baruch Asbag, a sage and kabbalist of Morocco, rabbi of Sofi, author of Minchat Moshe on kabbalah and Minchah Belula on dinim in Arabic, with notes from the Mekor Baruch. Rabbi Shalom Masas praises the author in his approbation on Minchah Belula as a “wonderful dayan…huge tzaddik”. He died in 1946 and is buried in Sofi (see Arzei HaLevanon p. 325).
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