State Notes — auction comparables · Snaplot Comparables
Comparables
5,659
Median
£106
Suggested estimate
£35 – £320
25–75% range
£37 – £792
Overall range
£2 – £1,314,258
Distribution
Sell-through 100% of lots sold
15% at premier salerooms
Trend↘ falling -42% over 8y
Median by grade
VF
£358 n=9
EF
£231 n=9
Unc (MS60-62)
£281 n=11
Median from 2,092 sold in the last 36 months·hammer prices, excl. buyer's premium — fair-market auction value (retail/insurance replacement runs higher)
5,709 comparables for “State Notes” · page 229 of 238
<b>First Siddur in the World Based on the Shelah! </b>
<div>
<b>Siddur Avodas Boreh </b>
</div>
<div>
<b>Wilhermsdorf, 1688. First and Rare Edition. <br />*</b>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
Year-round siddur according to both simplistic and kabbalistic teachings, with commentaries and kavanos, composed and arranged by the holy kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Akiva Baer of Vienna, one of the great Ashkenazi kabbalists.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>A very important and fundamental siddur that was widely accepted and cherished by Ashkenazi communities. <br /><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>It is likely the very first siddur in the world whose foundations are rooted in the sefer Shnei Luchos HaBris of the holy Shelah! </b>
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
In his introduction, the author records his sources from the kabbalistic sefarim available to him, emphasizing: “And above all from the Shelah”. On leaf 19a, he further writes: “All this I composed and collected from the sefarim of Kabbalah, particularly based on the sefer Shnei Luchos HaBris.” Indeed, he brings from the Shelah both minhagim of prayer as well as matters of Kabbalah and mussar, and in one place even quotes an exceptionally long passage from it.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur is one of the first kabbalistic siddurim ever printed. The first kabbalistic siddur according to the Arizal was printed only seven years earlier (Amsterdam 1681, see Genazym 12 item 25).
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur preceded, by decades, the renowned siddur of the Shelah himself, composed in his later years (Amsterdam 1717), and even before the siddur Ohr HaYashar of the kabbalist Rabbi Meir Papirash (Amsterdam 1709).
<br />
<br />
<b>A very rare siddur, certainly so in complete form! <br /><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>The author Rabbi Shimon Akiva Baer</b> initially lived in Vienna but was expelled from there. He moved to the city of Schnaittach where he served as Av Beis Din, but was imprisoned and forced to leave there, almost without any possessions. Afterwards, he served as Rav of Gunzenhausen, and as dayan in the Beis HaDin HaGadol of the state of Ansbach.
<br />
<br />He was revered by the Gedolei Hador for his greatness in Torah and Kabbalah, and his siddur was received with love and special affection. He received many approbations from all the great Ashkenazi rabbanim.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
Rabbi Gershon Ashkenazi, author of Avodas HaGershuni, granted the sefer two approbations (!) – one printed at the beginning and the other at the end. In the second one, he remarked that one should recite both Birkas HaTorah and Birkas HaNehenin (the blessing recited when deriving enjoyment) on Rabbi Shimon's chiddushim!
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur is the mahadurah kama; an expanded edition was printed some twenty years later, in Sulzbach 1707, known as Avodas HaBorei, Mahadurah Basra.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>Wilhermsdorf, 1688. First edition. Page Count: </b>[52] leaves.
<b>Size: </b>19.4 cm.
<b>Condition: </b>Good, with light paper restoration on the title page, the following leaf, and the last six leaves, with photographic replacement of a few missing words. Signs of use, holes in the margins of several leaves. Fine new leather binding.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>Bibliography: </b>Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, p. 204 (in notes); Ginzei Yisrael – Mehlmann Collection no. 611 (in his copy the last leaf is lacking).
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
<div>
“The sefer Avodas HaBoreh, as its name implies, awakens the heart to the service of the Creator, and it is commendable to acquire it…” (the Avnei Nezer of Sochatchov, in his approbation to the Warsaw 1900 edition).
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>A prayer from the sefer Raziel HaMalach, before it was printed: </b>
</div>
<div>
On leaf 49a, the author brings a prayer to remember words of Torah and to counter forgetfulness, taken “from Sefer Roziel” – that is the renowned segulah sefer Raziel HaMalach, which was printed for the first time only thirteen years later (Amsterdam 1701).
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
![<b>First Siddur in the World Based on the Shelah! </b>
<div>
<b>Siddur Avodas Boreh </b>
</div>
<div>
<b>Wilhermsdorf, 1688. First and Rare Edition. <br />*</b>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
Year-round siddur according to both simplistic and kabbalistic teachings, with commentaries and kavanos, composed and arranged by the holy kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Akiva Baer of Vienna, one of the great Ashkenazi kabbalists.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>A very important and fundamental siddur that was widely accepted and cherished by Ashkenazi communities. <br /><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>It is likely the very first siddur in the world whose foundations are rooted in the sefer Shnei Luchos HaBris of the holy Shelah! </b>
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
In his introduction, the author records his sources from the kabbalistic sefarim available to him, emphasizing: “And above all from the Shelah”. On leaf 19a, he further writes: “All this I composed and collected from the sefarim of Kabbalah, particularly based on the sefer Shnei Luchos HaBris.” Indeed, he brings from the Shelah both minhagim of prayer as well as matters of Kabbalah and mussar, and in one place even quotes an exceptionally long passage from it.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur is one of the first kabbalistic siddurim ever printed. The first kabbalistic siddur according to the Arizal was printed only seven years earlier (Amsterdam 1681, see Genazym 12 item 25).
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur preceded, by decades, the renowned siddur of the Shelah himself, composed in his later years (Amsterdam 1717), and even before the siddur Ohr HaYashar of the kabbalist Rabbi Meir Papirash (Amsterdam 1709).
<br />
<br />
<b>A very rare siddur, certainly so in complete form! <br /><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<b>The author Rabbi Shimon Akiva Baer</b> initially lived in Vienna but was expelled from there. He moved to the city of Schnaittach where he served as Av Beis Din, but was imprisoned and forced to leave there, almost without any possessions. Afterwards, he served as Rav of Gunzenhausen, and as dayan in the Beis HaDin HaGadol of the state of Ansbach.
<br />
<br />He was revered by the Gedolei Hador for his greatness in Torah and Kabbalah, and his siddur was received with love and special affection. He received many approbations from all the great Ashkenazi rabbanim.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
Rabbi Gershon Ashkenazi, author of Avodas HaGershuni, granted the sefer two approbations (!) – one printed at the beginning and the other at the end. In the second one, he remarked that one should recite both Birkas HaTorah and Birkas HaNehenin (the blessing recited when deriving enjoyment) on Rabbi Shimon's chiddushim!
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
This siddur is the mahadurah kama; an expanded edition was printed some twenty years later, in Sulzbach 1707, known as Avodas HaBorei, Mahadurah Basra.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>Wilhermsdorf, 1688. First edition. Page Count: </b>[52] leaves.
<b>Size: </b>19.4 cm.
<b>Condition: </b>Good, with light paper restoration on the title page, the following leaf, and the last six leaves, with photographic replacement of a few missing words. Signs of use, holes in the margins of several leaves. Fine new leather binding.
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>Bibliography: </b>Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, p. 204 (in notes); Ginzei Yisrael – Mehlmann Collection no. 611 (in his copy the last leaf is lacking).
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
<div>
“The sefer Avodas HaBoreh, as its name implies, awakens the heart to the service of the Creator, and it is commendable to acquire it…” (the Avnei Nezer of Sochatchov, in his approbation to the Warsaw 1900 edition).
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>
<div>
<b>A prayer from the sefer Raziel HaMalach, before it was printed: </b>
</div>
<div>
On leaf 49a, the author brings a prayer to remember words of Torah and to counter forgetfulness, taken “from Sefer Roziel” – that is the renowned segulah sefer Raziel HaMalach, which was printed for the first time only thirteen years later (Amsterdam 1701).
</div>
<div>
<br />
</div>](/img/aHR0cHM6Ly9iaWRzcGlyaXQtaW1hZ2VzLmdsb2JhbC5zc2wuZmFzdGx5Lm5ldC96YWlkeS9jbG9uZWQtaW1hZ2VzLzE4MDU5LzAxNS8wMTUuanBn.5KAhYlzzn_lOaZLVn6KTIw)