Auction 75
Lot 8:
Sefer Ahavat Zion, "this book elucidates the roads of Zion and visits its halls" by Rabbi Simcha ben Rabbi Yehoshua Hass author of Binyan shel Simcha and Neti’ah shel Simcha. About him, the title page says: "והוא איש אמת וירא את ה’ מרבים וכל דבריו כנים ומעוררים את לב ידיד הקורא.. שאהבת ציון לא תשכח לנצח".
Rare variant!
First edition – apparently, Horodna, ca. 1790. Stefansky Chassidut 17. In the Rare Book Collection of the National Library. Many years later, in 1887, the book was published under the title Doresh Zion. This is a variant differing from other known copies: the title page is slightly different with typographical variations. The illustration on verso of the title page does not appear and there are additional variations in the layout and the last leaf, including the summary on the colophon: "חסל סיפורי ארץ הגליל" which differs from what is quoted by the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book. Needless to say, this special item has not been seen in auctions until now.
The first Aliyah of Chassidim!
The work is fascinating and expresses a deep love of Eretz Yisrael. On verso of the title page, beneath the title Sipurei Eretz Hakdoshah, there is a description of the work and its author, including his journey to the Holy Land ("…and he came to Acre… on the 12th of Tishrei 1764 and immigrated to Safed where he settled…) and his return to Europe ("…and was accepted as Maggid Meisharim in the community of Brailov where he passed away in 1768 when he was 58"). The true reason for his journey is not written here. To the best of our knowledge, the author immigrated to Eretz Yisrael with two disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, who are mentioned several times in the work: Rabbi Nachman of Horodenka and Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Premishlan, under what is known as the first Aliyah of the Baal Shem Tov’s disciples. The book also mentions Rabbi Shmuel of Hrubyeshov, which makes this work the most reliable and earliest historical documentation of this Aliyah.
Atra Kaddisha Meiron!
The author describes how the group arrived in Meiron and then describes in detail the gravesite and its vicinity even adding a map of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s gravesite in Meiron alongside maps of the tombs of Hillel Hazaken and Shamai and his disciples.
Apparently, the author Rabbi Simcha was the author only of Sipurei Eretz Hagalil. He described his journey to Eretz Yisrael, Jaffa, Acre, Safed and its surroundings and his journey back to Livorno. The additions which include a description of other regions of Eretz Yisrael were taken from varied travelogues, mainly from the book by the Karaite Shmuel ben David, who visited the country during the years 1641-1642. The editor, possibly Rabbi Shlomo Dubna, the author’s son-in-law, titled the book Ahavat Zion. See: A. Yaari, Masot Eretz Yisrael, Tel Aviv 1946, pp. 773-775; G. Shalom, Tarbitz, 25, 1956, p. 429; Yaari, Tarbitz, 26, 1957, pp. 110-112.
Yaari and Shalom, and preceding them Luntz, believe Dubna is also the one who added to the book texts not written by the author. D. Kamnitzky in Yeshurun, Jerusalem-New York, VIII, 2001, pp. 720-721, comment 9, however, rejects this claim and proves that Dubna had nothing to do with the printing of the book.
Small format: 15.5 cm. Some moth damage. Stains. Cuts to the edges of two leaves – in one of them affecting the text. Soft binding. Extremely rare item in good condition.
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