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Auction 62

יום רביעי, 1 בפברואר 2023 בשעה 17:00 UTC

"השכלה! האספי אל מקוריך כי רבים חלליך" Set of Rav Alfas (Rif) on the Shas with Original Bindings - Warsaw, 1876-1881 Interesting Notation about the Destruction of the Enlightenment in Morocco

Start price: $100

Buyer's premium:

Four volumes containing the basic halachic book of Rabboteinu the Rishonim Hilchot Rav Alfas by Rabbeinu Yitzchak Alfasi, known as the Rif. Printed in Warsaw during the years 1876-1881. Stereotype printing, in some of the volumes, an additional title page of the original edition from 1859. 

Four volumes containing the following sections: 

Volume I: Section I"Berachot, Shabbat. 1876. Section II: Eruvin, Pesachim, Beitzah, Moed Katan. 1876. Section III: Rosh Hashanah, Sukkah, Megilah. 1877. This section is not in the National Library

Volume II: Section V: Gittin (detailed title page section III), Yevamot, detailed title page Rav Alfas and Ramban on Nedarim 1877) Nedarim, Kiddushin, Ketubot. These tractates are not in the National Library.

Volume III: (title page: section VIII 1880) Bava Kama, Makot. (title page: section VI 1878) Section VI: Bava Metziah, Sanhedrin, Ahvuot, Bava Batra. 

Volume VI: (title page: section VII 1878 and detailed title page 1872) Hilchot Bechorot and Chalah by the Ramban, Halachot ketanot, Avodah Zarah. 

Apparently, the title pages were bout not in order. We have not thoroughly examined the volumes to see whether there are missing title pages/leaves since the bibliographic listing of this set is most partial. Impressed leather bindings, one of them mismatching. Varied blemishes. Good overall condition. 

On the flyleaf of volume I, a touching handwritten notation referring to the location of Fes, the hometown of the author Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi and mocking the ignorant who think it is in Persia or elsewhere, proving that it is in Morocco. Having mentioned Morocco, the writer turns to a painful subject, the negative impact of the Enlightenment Movement on Jewish faith and knowledge of Judaism: "בימים האלה לא נמצא בארץ מאראקקא אף אחד אשר ידע כל דיני התלמוד, אף לא קצתם, החברה "כל ישראל חברים" אשר בפאריז יסדה שמה בתי ספר להאיר עיניהם של יהודי הארץ בחכמה והשכלה, נוכל להחליט כי ההשכלה תכבה שמה כל זיק אמונה, ותכלה כל רגש קודש אשר נשאר בלב היהודים יושבי הארץ…". He then  adds his desperate cry: "השכלה השכלה ! האספי אל מקורך!… כי רבים חלליך ועצומים הרוגיך… הרגעי ודומי !" [the punctuation marks appear in the original text].