Auction 62
Lot 183:
Midrash Yalkut Shimoni – compilation of early Midrashim on the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim, including Midrashim that had disappeared over the years (and this is their only source). Attributed to Rabbi Shimon Ashkenazi, head of the Darshanim of Frankfurt (one of the Rishonim, the 13th century).
Section I. On the Torah. Printed in Polonne, 1805. [2], 272 leaves. Leaf 1, which opens Sefer Bereshit, was printed twice with typographic variations: initially, the word "Bereshit" appears in a border with illustrations; the second time, the border is similar to the one that appears on the top of the following books. In the National Library, the book appears in the Rare Book Collection.
Some of it on dark or bright blue paper. taping to the title page and more. Varied blemishes. Stains. New binding. Good overall condition.
Appearing on the title page, the famed dedication by the Gaon Rabbi Zundel of Salant, handwritten by him with an interesting addition: "מעזבונו של הרב המגיד ז"ל" (from the estate of HaRav HaMaggid) referring to Rabbi Moshe Maggid Rivlin of Shklov, the leader of the Ashkenazic community of Jerusalem who immigrated to Eretz Yisrael with the disciples of HaGra and was known as Harav Hamaggid.
"למדרש מנחם ציון" – that is how Rabbi Zundel called the Churvat Rabbi Yehuda HeChassid synagogue. On leaves 40 and 58, additional dedications using the letter that paginates the page. In addition, several stamps of the Churva Synagogue inside the book.
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 HeChassid, the place he prayed, he used to write “למדרש מנחם ציון”, as can be seen in this copy.
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