Auction 72
Lot 233:
Sefer Vezot LiYehuda, two sections, a work by Chacham Yehud ben Yitzchak Ayash, one of the sages of Algiers and later, Jerusalem. Section I deals with Aggadah and Mussar; section II deals with the Maharam elucidations on the Torah, the Tosefta and glosses on the Rambam’s Sefer Hamiztvot Vehashorashim.
First edition – Sulzbach, 1776. 88, 48 leaves. Separate title page for section II. In the Rare Book Collection of the National Library.
Interesting!
As to the question of how a work by a Sephardic sage came to be printed in Germany – the title page indicates that there is a story here, yet it does not recall it. The foreword by the author’s son, Rabbi Avraham, says more – see there. At least, because of this, the book was approbated by the Gaon Rabbi Yonason Eibschitz and Rabbi Yaakov Bashan, Av Beit Din of Hamburg. Additional approbations by the rabbis of Livorno, Venice and Jerusalem.
Finely engraved title page: Moshe and Aharon, the binding of Yitzchak and Yaakov’s ladder, King David playing his music and more. New stable binding. Fine wide margins. Stains. Some moth perforations in section II, toward the end. Fine copy in good condition.
On the upper part of the title page, an ancient notation of "מוגה" (proofread). Ancient stamps: "הק יהושע בהרב המנוח מוהרש"ל זצלל"ה זי"ע" – "מסאסנאוויטץ וכעת באסטראווי".
The Admor Rabbi Yehoshua of Ostrova (1819-1873) the son of Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Leib of Lentshna. One of the Admorim of Poland, author of Toldot Adam, which is also known as Noam Elimelech Katan. Followed leading Chassidic rabbis including the Saraf of Koack, Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin, the Sar Shalom of Belz, Rabbi Moshe of Kobryn and Rabbi Meir of Premishlan.
After his father’s passing, he refused to succeed him as Admor, conceding only after the pleas of Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorka. Many followed him and saw him as their revered Rav. His son-in-law was the Admor Rabbi Yitzchak Rabinovich, the Divrei Binah of Biala.
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