<b>Extraordinary! </b>
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<b>Pe’as HaShulchan </b>
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<b>The Author Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov’s Personal Copy! </b>
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<b>With Moving Inscription and Handwritten Glosses </b>
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<br />Sefer Pe’as HaShulchan, a sefer yesod on the laws of Eretz Yisrael, by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon.
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<b>The personal copy of the holy author! <br /></b>
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Rabbi Yisrael received the sefer fresh off the press, and on the flyleaf he inscribed, in his own sacred handwriting, a heartfelt five-line dedication along with his signature:
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"Blessed is Hashem, Who has granted me the merit, and has sustained and enabled me to see this precious sefer of mine, Pe’as HaShulchan, which is imbued with the chiddushim drawn from the holy air of Eretz Yisrael…”
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He goes on to express his hope to merit completing the second part, on the Laws of Shemittah, and prays: "May He let me taste of His holy Torah, the Torah of truth that shall sprout forth from the Land" alluding to a Kabbalistic concept.
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He concludes with his distinctive signature:
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"May His glory fill the entire land, amen, dust of Eretz Yisrael, author of Sefer Taklin Chadatin, Pe’as HaShulchan and Beis Yisrael."
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In his great humility and love for the Holy Land, Harav Yisrael would at times sign with the words "Dust of Eretz Yisrael" which also alludes to his personal name — Yisrael.
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<b>Throughout the sefer are nine glosses in the handwriting of the author! Some are additions while others are corrections to the text. </b>
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A photograph of the inscription and the text of these glosses was printed from this very copy in the Yerushalayim 1959 edition of Pe’as HaShulchan.
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<b>An impressive copy with wide margins, as is found in copies belonging to the authors themselves – a most rare phenomenon in the scarce Tzfas printings!! </b>
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It is quite likely that this was the first copy to come off the printing press and was immediately sent to the author, as was customary.
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<b>Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, </b> author of Pe’as HaShulchan (1770-1839), was a preeminent disciple of the Vilna Gaon. He merited to serve the Vilna Gaon for the last six months of his life, and the Vilna Gaon cherished him and drew him close.
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In 1810, he led a group of the Vilna Gaon's disciples to establish a Jewish settlement in Tzfas, and devoted himself with unimaginable self-sacrifice to establishing the Ashkenazi settlement in Tzfas and Jerusalem.
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He became well known through his sefer Pe’as HaShulchan, which became a foundational sefer on the laws of the mitzvos pertaining to Eretz Yisrael and is based on the method of his rebbi, the Vilna Gaon. There is an interesting introduction with his biography and history.
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<b>Tzfas, 1836. First edition. </b>Printed by the chassid Rabbi Yisrael Beck.
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<b>Page Count: </b>[5], 2-109, [1] leaves.
<b>Page size: </b>Large sefer: 34.3 cm!
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Condition: Holes, some through many leaves. Minor restorations on the first and last leaves. Some stains. Besides that – good condition. An impressive copy. Fine new binding.
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The inscription in the handwriting of Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov on the flyleaf has been completely preserved. The lower part of the page is lacking and has been completed with paper.
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<b>Bibliography: </b>Stefansky Sifrei Yesod, no. 205.
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<b>Surviving Leaves from the Tzfas Riots and the Destruction of the Printing Press <br /><br /></b>
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Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov began printing his work Pe’as HaShulchan in the year 1833 in the Tzfas-based publishing house of Rabbi Yisrael Beck, yet the printing was halted due to the terrible rioting and looting perpetrated by the rebel fellahin against the Jews of Tzfas. During the riots, the printing press was destroyed and Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov was physically attacked.
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<b>The leaves already printed were miraculously saved, and the printing was completed in 1836. </b>
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It is possible to discern the differences between the pages printed before the pogrom (leaves 2-93), and those printed afterwards using new print tools ([5] opening leaves, and from leaf 94 till the end).
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US$6,500
Other
US$85,000
· Dec 2021
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<b>Incunable! </b>
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<b>Ramban’s Commentary on the Torah. Lisbon, 1489</b>
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<b>First Hebrew book printed in Lisbon, Portugal!</b>
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<b>532 Year-Old Sefer! </b>
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The commentary of the Ramban (Nachmanides) Rabbeinu Moshe ben Nachman on the Chamishah Chumshei Torah.
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The Ramban’s commentary is one of the most fundamental and widely-used commentaries on the Torah.
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Printed in Sephardic version of Rashi script with initials at the start of new sections. 2 columns per side; the headers on each page mark the name of the respective parshah.
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The end of the sefer features a poetic colophon commemorating the occasion of completing the printing of the sefer:
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“
<b>With his greatness, he helped us complete this precious book…by the Ramban…A beautiful print with proper editing… In the Jewish month of Av of the year 1489… in Eshbona…in the home of the Rabbi Eliezer…”</b>
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290 leaves out of 301. Missing 9 first leaves + last 2 leaves which are substituted with professional copies on paper color resembling the original. Stains mostly in margins and any missing sections in margins were professionally restored, vast majority of text areas is neat and complete. Ornate new leather binding with metal clasps.
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<b>Eshbona-Lisbon, 1489</b>. Eliezer Toledano Printing Press. Page size: 27.3 cm
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<b>Bibliography:</b> Yakirson, Catalog of Hebrew Incunabula from the collection of the Beis Hamedrash L’Rabbanim in America. Volume I p. 473-478
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<b><u> Ramban al Hatorah </u></b>
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The Ramban's commentary on the Torah is a fundamental, classic work replete with the Ramban's tenets of Jewish faith, philosophy and kabbalah.
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"One who learns Chumash and Rashi without Ramban is as one who learns Gemara and Rashi without Tosfos” (Harav Chaim of Volozhin). The Chasam Sofer wrote that the Ramban's commentary is
<b> “the foundation of belief and root of Judaism.”</b> The Ramban incorporated foundational beliefs of Jewish faith into his commentary and suffused within it many deep secrets. (Rabbi Chaim Vital, in the name of the Arizal in his introduction to Eitz Hadaas.)
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Leaf 149 features a lists of owners possibly original autographs of early 17th century sages of Jerusalem: Rabbi Yisrael Binyamin; Rabbi Yitzchak Sabah; Rabbi Shlomo Hadida; Rabbi Shem Tov. (The autographs of these Rabbanim also appear at the end of sefer Churvos Yerushalayim - Venice, 1636).
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<b>Rabbi Yisrael Binyamin</b> – One of the great sages of Jerusalem who discoursed with the Maharikash. The venerable kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Azzulai cites him in his comments on the Levush (Shem Hagedolim by the Chid”a; Toldos Chachmei Yerushalayim Vol. 2 pps. 27-59)
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Rabbi Yisrael Binyamin wrote his name without the customary second yud after the mem. The Maharam ben Chaviv cites this practice in his sefer Get Pashut (Ch. 120a Par. 127) and concludes that this is the halachic spelling of the name for the purpose of a get.
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<b>Rabbi Yitzchak Sabah -</b> Served as a dayan in Jerusalem for over 40 years.
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<b>Rabbi Shlomo Hadida </b>– A native of Salonika, he journeyed to Tzfas and then relocated to Chevron before finally setting in Jerusalem. He was a disciple of the Maharit who wrote extremely highly of him. (Shu”t Maharit Vol. 2 Even Ha’ezer Ch. 10-11).
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<b>Rabbi Shem Tov Loziev –</b> One of the great sages of Jerusalem. His signature precedes those of all his contemporary Jerusalam sages in sefer Churvos Yerushalayim (Venice, 1636). He is praised in Shu”t Maharshach Vol. 2 Ch. 196.
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<b> • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • </b>
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<b>Any inquiries about this lot? </b>
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<b>We are available also on<a href="https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=18458261645&text=LOT4" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> WhatsApp >>></a></b>
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US$85,000
Other
US$2,800
· Jun 2026
<b>Collection of Philosophical Works: Goren Nachon </b>
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<b>First Edition. Riva di Trento, 1562 </b>
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The sefer Goren Nachon comprises three important analytical works belonging to the corpus of Jewish and Judeo-Arabic philosophy. One of these works appears here in print for the first time, while the other two are presented in new versions based on manuscripts that differ from earlier printed editions.
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<b>1. The first is Tikkun Middos HaNefesh</b> by Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, translated by Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Tibbon.
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This is a philosophical-mussar work, divided into twenty chapters corresponding to the twenty traits in a human: two positive and two negative traits for each of the five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It includes charts that organize the relationships between these traits.
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<b>This sefer holds an important place in the literature of philosophical ethics and has been printed numerous times.</b>
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It was first printed in Constantinople in 1550, and it appears here in a newly established text based on a different manuscript, which at times diverges significantly from the earlier version.
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In addition, references and a brief summary (“Pratei HaKlalim”) are printed here for the first time in the margins.
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<b>2. The second work is Mussarei HaPhilosophim</b>, authored by the Arab-Christian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq of Baghdad, who lived in the 9th century, and Rabbi Yehuda Alcharizi translated it. This is its first edition.
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(An amusing detail is that the author’s Arabic name, “Hunayn, ” was rendered in the Hebrew translation as “Chananyah, ” and thus he is referred to in the printer’s introduction as “Reb Chananyah.”)
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<b>3. The third work is Sefer HaTapuach, </b> attributed to Aristotle and translated by Rabbi Avraham bar Chisdai HaLevi. This sefer was first printed in Venice in 1519, but here it is presented in a new and improved version based on a different manuscript, with many variations.
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<b>This is the first edition in which these works are compiled together under the title Goren Nachon</b>. Manuscripts containing these compositions together are known from as early as the late 14th century, often alongside additional works. The title Goren Nachon itself is already found in at least one early manuscript.
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Glosses in Italian script appear on leaves 3b, 4a, and 15a (second page count).
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<b>Riva di Trento, 1562 </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>17, [1] blank leaf; 30 leaves.
<b>Size</b>: 19.5 cm.
<b>Condition</b>: Restoration to the margins of approximately ten leaves (far from the text). Stains. Title border slightly trimmed. Old half-leather binding with marbled paper boards. Somewhat worn.
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<b>Bibliography</b>: Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, p. 236 (addenda).
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<b>Provenance</b>: Tzfunot Auction
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<b><u>Hebrew Translations of Writings of Non-Jewish Scholars</u></b>
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The dispersion of the Jewish people across the world throughout the generations led many Jews, who had acquired the languages of their surroundings, to become directly or indirectly exposed to the writings of non-Jewish scholars, such as Aristotle.
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In addition, many classic Jewish works were originally composed in Arabic, such as the Kuzari, the Moreh Nevuchim of the Rambam, and Chovos HaLevavos of Rabbeinu Bachya.
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To make these writings accessible to the Jews of Europe, translators — often referred to as “copyists” — rose to the task and produced accurate, methodical Hebrew translations. Among the most prominent translators were Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Tibbon and Rabbi Yehuda Alcharizi.
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<b>These translations were not limited to Jewish works written in Arabic; they also included works authored by Muslim and Christian scholars. This was, in part, because Jewish sages engaged extensively with their words, and they significantly influenced the development of philosophical and scientific thought among them.</b>
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These translations were especially widespread in regions where social and cultural conditions enabled flourishing intellectual activity, such as Spain during the Golden Age, Provence, and Egypt.
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The translation of philosophical works should be seen as part of a broader movement to bring the wisdom of the wider world into the Hebrew language, in diverse fields such as medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and the natural sciences.
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US$2,800
Other
US$42,000
· Mar 2025
<b>A Segulah for Children! Chiddushei Torah in the Holy Handwriting of the Chasam Sofer <br /><br /></b>
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<b>Dresnitz, 1797 </b>
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Chiddushei Torah in the holy handwriting of the venerable Rabbi Moshe Sofer, Av Beis Din of Pressburg and author of 'Chasam Sofer'.
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It includes a complete chiddush on Parshas Vayechi, dated from an early period, as well as sections of chiddushim on Vayigash and Shemos.
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His insights on Parashas Vayigash focus on Chushim, the son of Dan. He discusses the words of our sages regarding whether Chushim was one individual or two, and among his words, he discusses the possibility that Dan also had a daughter, Chushim’s sister. He writes: "And it appears that this righteous man [=Dan] would fulfill the mitzvah of ‘be fruitful and multiply’ with both a son and a daughter…"
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Among the descendants of the Chasam Sofer, it is widely believed that holding an original handwritten manuscript of the Chasam Sofer is a powerful segulah for being blessed with children.
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A well-known story is told, which was heard directly from the person involved (his name is known to us): A couple who had been waiting to be blessed with children heard a remarkable piece of advice from Rabbi Bunim Schreiber shlita of Kiryat Sefer, a descendant of the Chasam Sofer. He told them that holding a handwritten manuscript of the Chasam Sofer is a well-known and effective segulah for having children.
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The couple turned to the person who told over this story, who was in possession of such a manuscript and requested to borrow it for a certain period of time. Through Hashem's mercy, after some time they were indeed blessed with a child!
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The handwritten manuscripts of the Chasam Sofer are also known to be a segulah for a woman having a difficult labor, as attested by Rabbi Yosef Naftali Stern. This belief has been held by leading Torah sages, including the author of Shevet HaLevi (see Shu”t Shevet HaLevi, vol. 6, siman 162) and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, as recorded in Otzros HaSofer (vol. 25), in the name of the philanthropist Rabbi Shimon Hershler.
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At the conclusion of several sections, the Chasam Sofer marked a line and a dot as was his custom, according to Kabbalah (see below).
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<b>There are slight variations in wording between the present manuscript and the printed version.</b>
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<b>Rabbi Moshe Sofer, the Chasam Sofer</b> (1762-1839)
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“When Hakadosh Baruch Hu beheld the danger hovering upon the Jewish people, He dispatched a heavenly angel, the Chasam Sofer zt"l, who taught Torah and spread purity among Klal Yisrael and cultivated thousands of disciples. Today, the vast majority of European Torah derives from his students, and his students’ students. (Hagaon Harav Zalman Spitzer, Tikkun Shlomo p. 108a).
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<b>Dresnitz, 1797. </b>Two pages in the holy handwriting of the Chasam Sofer.
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<b>Size:</b> 19.8 x 24 cm.
<b>Condition:</b> Several words missing at the top of the page, restored with artistic paper filling. Minor stains.
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<b>The Chasam Sofer - the Soul of the Ramban <br /><br /></b>
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The grandson of the Chasam Sofer wrote in the sefer 'Chut HaMeshulash':
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<b>"It is well known how my grandfather the Chasam Sofer zt"l would always extol our holy teacher the Ramban z"l and his commentary on the Torah, and he also instructed in his will to study Torah with Ramban's commentary as it is the foundation of steadfast faith. And it is known that the reason he cherished the Ramban z"l so much is because he held that his soul was the soul of the holy Ramban." <br /><br /></b>
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Similarly, Rabbi Shaul Brach wrote in the name of his teacher the Maharam Shik, that the soul of his teacher the Chasam Sofer's was the soul of the Ramban, and he favored students who studied the Ramban's commentaries ('Shaul B'chir Hashem' section 10).
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It is also brought in the introduction to the sefer 'Yismach Moshe' on Nach in the name of the Yitav Lev, that his grandfather the author of 'Yismach Moshe' maintained that the Chasam Sofer was the soul of the Ramban.
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The Rayatz Dushinsky said in the name of his teacher Rabbi Zekil Pollak, a student of the Chasam Sofer, that this is why the Chasam Sofer signed: "Moshe HaKatan" (Moshe the small one), and not "HaKatan Moshe" – to indicate that he is the lesser one, but there is a greater Moshe who is the Ramban (Introduction to 'Tuv Yerushalayim' on the Ramban).
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In response to someone who wanted to print the Ramban with the Chasam Sofer's chiddushim, the Chasam Sofer wrote: "I will tell the truth that, thank God, you will find among all my chiddushei Torah that I am accustomed to making a special compilation each and every year, recording what Hashem has granted me during my weekly review of the Torah portion and during the Torah reading, and from among them you will collect here and there what pertains to the Ramban z"l, and it requires clarification and effort to search for them and arrange them..." (Shu"t Chasam Sofer Part 6 Section 61).
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<b>The Remarkable Segulos of the Chasam Sofer’s Handwriting <br /><br /></b>
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<b>A Segulah for Yiras Shamayim <br /><br /></b>
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Maharam Banet expressed that a mere glance at the sacred writing of the Chasam Sofer fosters fear of heaven.
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It is told that Maharam Banet once received a handwritten teshuvah from the Chasam Sofer and spent a great deal of time perusing it. When his students asked if the letter perplexed him, he replied, “No, but I am delving into this teshuvah, since the mere sight of his sacred writing increases fear of heaven.” (Drashos Chasam Sofer, Preface, p. 6).
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The Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar similarly expressed that seeing the handwriting of the Chasam Sofer can lead one to attain fear of heaven.
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<b>A Segulah for Protection <br /></b>
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It is known that the Chasam Sofer’s family members and descendants would safeguard his letters and writings as a segulah for protection and security, affirming that it is auspicious for protection from trial or tribulation. Whenever his son Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow, faced the Austrian Parliament, he would remove a letter written by his father from his pocket and carefully peruse it before rendering his decision.
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<b> A Segulah for Health and Recovery </b>
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The Daas Sofer would instruct patients to place a handwritten letter of the Chasam Sofer beneath their pillow as a segulah for health and recovery (Beis Sofrim p. 173).
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<b>A Segulah for Easy Childbirth <br /></b>
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The Chasam Sofer’s family would also place a handwritten letter by the Chasam Sofer beneath the head of a woman in the throes of difficult labor as a segulah for swift and safe childbirth (Shu”t Shevet Halevi Vol. 6 Ch. 162 #2).
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Line and Period in the Chasam Sofer’s Writings
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The Chasam Sofer would mark the end of every paragraph in his writings with a line and period. See Rabbi Nosson Stern in his preface to Drashos Chasam Sofer p. 19a, comments, citing Rabbi Asher Anshel Weiss, Av Beis Din of Nagy-Falu, who notes that the Chasam Sofer inserted these markings with kabbalistic motives.
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<b>Toras Moshe</b>
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Regarding writing his chiddushim, the Chasam Sofer writes:
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"As long as Hashem grants me life and gives me strength I am prepared to learn with all who come to hear, I will not rest and not be quiet... and I write in ink on paper, all that Hashem graces me with both in halacha and aggadah." (Printed in ‘Pituchei Chosam’ at the beginning of Shu"t Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah).
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![<b>Extraordinary! </b>
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<b>Pe’as HaShulchan </b>
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<b>The Author Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov’s Personal Copy! </b>
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<b>With Moving Inscription and Handwritten Glosses </b>
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<br />Sefer Pe’as HaShulchan, a sefer yesod on the laws of Eretz Yisrael, by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, a disciple of the Vilna Gaon.
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<b>The personal copy of the holy author! <br /></b>
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Rabbi Yisrael received the sefer fresh off the press, and on the flyleaf he inscribed, in his own sacred handwriting, a heartfelt five-line dedication along with his signature:
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"Blessed is Hashem, Who has granted me the merit, and has sustained and enabled me to see this precious sefer of mine, Pe’as HaShulchan, which is imbued with the chiddushim drawn from the holy air of Eretz Yisrael…”
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He goes on to express his hope to merit completing the second part, on the Laws of Shemittah, and prays: "May He let me taste of His holy Torah, the Torah of truth that shall sprout forth from the Land" alluding to a Kabbalistic concept.
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He concludes with his distinctive signature:
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"May His glory fill the entire land, amen, dust of Eretz Yisrael, author of Sefer Taklin Chadatin, Pe’as HaShulchan and Beis Yisrael."
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In his great humility and love for the Holy Land, Harav Yisrael would at times sign with the words "Dust of Eretz Yisrael" which also alludes to his personal name — Yisrael.
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<b>Throughout the sefer are nine glosses in the handwriting of the author! Some are additions while others are corrections to the text. </b>
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A photograph of the inscription and the text of these glosses was printed from this very copy in the Yerushalayim 1959 edition of Pe’as HaShulchan.
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<b>An impressive copy with wide margins, as is found in copies belonging to the authors themselves – a most rare phenomenon in the scarce Tzfas printings!! </b>
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It is quite likely that this was the first copy to come off the printing press and was immediately sent to the author, as was customary.
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<b>Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, </b> author of Pe’as HaShulchan (1770-1839), was a preeminent disciple of the Vilna Gaon. He merited to serve the Vilna Gaon for the last six months of his life, and the Vilna Gaon cherished him and drew him close.
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In 1810, he led a group of the Vilna Gaon's disciples to establish a Jewish settlement in Tzfas, and devoted himself with unimaginable self-sacrifice to establishing the Ashkenazi settlement in Tzfas and Jerusalem.
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He became well known through his sefer Pe’as HaShulchan, which became a foundational sefer on the laws of the mitzvos pertaining to Eretz Yisrael and is based on the method of his rebbi, the Vilna Gaon. There is an interesting introduction with his biography and history.
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<b>Tzfas, 1836. First edition. </b>Printed by the chassid Rabbi Yisrael Beck.
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<b>Page Count: </b>[5], 2-109, [1] leaves.
<b>Page size: </b>Large sefer: 34.3 cm!
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Condition: Holes, some through many leaves. Minor restorations on the first and last leaves. Some stains. Besides that – good condition. An impressive copy. Fine new binding.
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The inscription in the handwriting of Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov on the flyleaf has been completely preserved. The lower part of the page is lacking and has been completed with paper.
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<b>Bibliography: </b>Stefansky Sifrei Yesod, no. 205.
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<b>Surviving Leaves from the Tzfas Riots and the Destruction of the Printing Press <br /><br /></b>
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Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov began printing his work Pe’as HaShulchan in the year 1833 in the Tzfas-based publishing house of Rabbi Yisrael Beck, yet the printing was halted due to the terrible rioting and looting perpetrated by the rebel fellahin against the Jews of Tzfas. During the riots, the printing press was destroyed and Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov was physically attacked.
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<b>The leaves already printed were miraculously saved, and the printing was completed in 1836. </b>
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It is possible to discern the differences between the pages printed before the pogrom (leaves 2-93), and those printed afterwards using new print tools ([5] opening leaves, and from leaf 94 till the end).
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![<b>Collection of Philosophical Works: Goren Nachon </b>
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<b>First Edition. Riva di Trento, 1562 </b>
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The sefer Goren Nachon comprises three important analytical works belonging to the corpus of Jewish and Judeo-Arabic philosophy. One of these works appears here in print for the first time, while the other two are presented in new versions based on manuscripts that differ from earlier printed editions.
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<b>1. The first is Tikkun Middos HaNefesh</b> by Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gabirol, translated by Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Tibbon.
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This is a philosophical-mussar work, divided into twenty chapters corresponding to the twenty traits in a human: two positive and two negative traits for each of the five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It includes charts that organize the relationships between these traits.
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<b>This sefer holds an important place in the literature of philosophical ethics and has been printed numerous times.</b>
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It was first printed in Constantinople in 1550, and it appears here in a newly established text based on a different manuscript, which at times diverges significantly from the earlier version.
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In addition, references and a brief summary (“Pratei HaKlalim”) are printed here for the first time in the margins.
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<b>2. The second work is Mussarei HaPhilosophim</b>, authored by the Arab-Christian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq of Baghdad, who lived in the 9th century, and Rabbi Yehuda Alcharizi translated it. This is its first edition.
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(An amusing detail is that the author’s Arabic name, “Hunayn, ” was rendered in the Hebrew translation as “Chananyah, ” and thus he is referred to in the printer’s introduction as “Reb Chananyah.”)
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<b>3. The third work is Sefer HaTapuach, </b> attributed to Aristotle and translated by Rabbi Avraham bar Chisdai HaLevi. This sefer was first printed in Venice in 1519, but here it is presented in a new and improved version based on a different manuscript, with many variations.
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<b>This is the first edition in which these works are compiled together under the title Goren Nachon</b>. Manuscripts containing these compositions together are known from as early as the late 14th century, often alongside additional works. The title Goren Nachon itself is already found in at least one early manuscript.
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Glosses in Italian script appear on leaves 3b, 4a, and 15a (second page count).
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<b>Riva di Trento, 1562 </b>
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<b>Page Count: </b>17, [1] blank leaf; 30 leaves.
<b>Size</b>: 19.5 cm.
<b>Condition</b>: Restoration to the margins of approximately ten leaves (far from the text). Stains. Title border slightly trimmed. Old half-leather binding with marbled paper boards. Somewhat worn.
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<b>Bibliography</b>: Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, p. 236 (addenda).
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<b>Provenance</b>: Tzfunot Auction
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<b><u>Hebrew Translations of Writings of Non-Jewish Scholars</u></b>
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The dispersion of the Jewish people across the world throughout the generations led many Jews, who had acquired the languages of their surroundings, to become directly or indirectly exposed to the writings of non-Jewish scholars, such as Aristotle.
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In addition, many classic Jewish works were originally composed in Arabic, such as the Kuzari, the Moreh Nevuchim of the Rambam, and Chovos HaLevavos of Rabbeinu Bachya.
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To make these writings accessible to the Jews of Europe, translators — often referred to as “copyists” — rose to the task and produced accurate, methodical Hebrew translations. Among the most prominent translators were Rabbi Yehuda Ibn Tibbon and Rabbi Yehuda Alcharizi.
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<b>These translations were not limited to Jewish works written in Arabic; they also included works authored by Muslim and Christian scholars. This was, in part, because Jewish sages engaged extensively with their words, and they significantly influenced the development of philosophical and scientific thought among them.</b>
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These translations were especially widespread in regions where social and cultural conditions enabled flourishing intellectual activity, such as Spain during the Golden Age, Provence, and Egypt.
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The translation of philosophical works should be seen as part of a broader movement to bring the wisdom of the wider world into the Hebrew language, in diverse fields such as medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and the natural sciences.
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![<b>A Segulah for Children! Chiddushei Torah in the Holy Handwriting of the Chasam Sofer <br /><br /></b>
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<b>Dresnitz, 1797 </b>
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Chiddushei Torah in the holy handwriting of the venerable Rabbi Moshe Sofer, Av Beis Din of Pressburg and author of 'Chasam Sofer'.
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It includes a complete chiddush on Parshas Vayechi, dated from an early period, as well as sections of chiddushim on Vayigash and Shemos.
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His insights on Parashas Vayigash focus on Chushim, the son of Dan. He discusses the words of our sages regarding whether Chushim was one individual or two, and among his words, he discusses the possibility that Dan also had a daughter, Chushim’s sister. He writes: "And it appears that this righteous man [=Dan] would fulfill the mitzvah of ‘be fruitful and multiply’ with both a son and a daughter…"
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Among the descendants of the Chasam Sofer, it is widely believed that holding an original handwritten manuscript of the Chasam Sofer is a powerful segulah for being blessed with children.
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A well-known story is told, which was heard directly from the person involved (his name is known to us): A couple who had been waiting to be blessed with children heard a remarkable piece of advice from Rabbi Bunim Schreiber shlita of Kiryat Sefer, a descendant of the Chasam Sofer. He told them that holding a handwritten manuscript of the Chasam Sofer is a well-known and effective segulah for having children.
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The couple turned to the person who told over this story, who was in possession of such a manuscript and requested to borrow it for a certain period of time. Through Hashem's mercy, after some time they were indeed blessed with a child!
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The handwritten manuscripts of the Chasam Sofer are also known to be a segulah for a woman having a difficult labor, as attested by Rabbi Yosef Naftali Stern. This belief has been held by leading Torah sages, including the author of Shevet HaLevi (see Shu”t Shevet HaLevi, vol. 6, siman 162) and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, as recorded in Otzros HaSofer (vol. 25), in the name of the philanthropist Rabbi Shimon Hershler.
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At the conclusion of several sections, the Chasam Sofer marked a line and a dot as was his custom, according to Kabbalah (see below).
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<b>There are slight variations in wording between the present manuscript and the printed version.</b>
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<b>Rabbi Moshe Sofer, the Chasam Sofer</b> (1762-1839)
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“When Hakadosh Baruch Hu beheld the danger hovering upon the Jewish people, He dispatched a heavenly angel, the Chasam Sofer zt"l, who taught Torah and spread purity among Klal Yisrael and cultivated thousands of disciples. Today, the vast majority of European Torah derives from his students, and his students’ students. (Hagaon Harav Zalman Spitzer, Tikkun Shlomo p. 108a).
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<b>Dresnitz, 1797. </b>Two pages in the holy handwriting of the Chasam Sofer.
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<b>Size:</b> 19.8 x 24 cm.
<b>Condition:</b> Several words missing at the top of the page, restored with artistic paper filling. Minor stains.
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<b>The Chasam Sofer - the Soul of the Ramban <br /><br /></b>
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The grandson of the Chasam Sofer wrote in the sefer 'Chut HaMeshulash':
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<b>"It is well known how my grandfather the Chasam Sofer zt"l would always extol our holy teacher the Ramban z"l and his commentary on the Torah, and he also instructed in his will to study Torah with Ramban's commentary as it is the foundation of steadfast faith. And it is known that the reason he cherished the Ramban z"l so much is because he held that his soul was the soul of the holy Ramban." <br /><br /></b>
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Similarly, Rabbi Shaul Brach wrote in the name of his teacher the Maharam Shik, that the soul of his teacher the Chasam Sofer's was the soul of the Ramban, and he favored students who studied the Ramban's commentaries ('Shaul B'chir Hashem' section 10).
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It is also brought in the introduction to the sefer 'Yismach Moshe' on Nach in the name of the Yitav Lev, that his grandfather the author of 'Yismach Moshe' maintained that the Chasam Sofer was the soul of the Ramban.
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The Rayatz Dushinsky said in the name of his teacher Rabbi Zekil Pollak, a student of the Chasam Sofer, that this is why the Chasam Sofer signed: "Moshe HaKatan" (Moshe the small one), and not "HaKatan Moshe" – to indicate that he is the lesser one, but there is a greater Moshe who is the Ramban (Introduction to 'Tuv Yerushalayim' on the Ramban).
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In response to someone who wanted to print the Ramban with the Chasam Sofer's chiddushim, the Chasam Sofer wrote: "I will tell the truth that, thank God, you will find among all my chiddushei Torah that I am accustomed to making a special compilation each and every year, recording what Hashem has granted me during my weekly review of the Torah portion and during the Torah reading, and from among them you will collect here and there what pertains to the Ramban z"l, and it requires clarification and effort to search for them and arrange them..." (Shu"t Chasam Sofer Part 6 Section 61).
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<b>The Remarkable Segulos of the Chasam Sofer’s Handwriting <br /><br /></b>
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<b>A Segulah for Yiras Shamayim <br /><br /></b>
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Maharam Banet expressed that a mere glance at the sacred writing of the Chasam Sofer fosters fear of heaven.
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It is told that Maharam Banet once received a handwritten teshuvah from the Chasam Sofer and spent a great deal of time perusing it. When his students asked if the letter perplexed him, he replied, “No, but I am delving into this teshuvah, since the mere sight of his sacred writing increases fear of heaven.” (Drashos Chasam Sofer, Preface, p. 6).
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The Admor Rabbi Yoel of Satmar similarly expressed that seeing the handwriting of the Chasam Sofer can lead one to attain fear of heaven.
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<b>A Segulah for Protection <br /></b>
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It is known that the Chasam Sofer’s family members and descendants would safeguard his letters and writings as a segulah for protection and security, affirming that it is auspicious for protection from trial or tribulation. Whenever his son Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow, faced the Austrian Parliament, he would remove a letter written by his father from his pocket and carefully peruse it before rendering his decision.
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<b> A Segulah for Health and Recovery </b>
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The Daas Sofer would instruct patients to place a handwritten letter of the Chasam Sofer beneath their pillow as a segulah for health and recovery (Beis Sofrim p. 173).
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<b>A Segulah for Easy Childbirth <br /></b>
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The Chasam Sofer’s family would also place a handwritten letter by the Chasam Sofer beneath the head of a woman in the throes of difficult labor as a segulah for swift and safe childbirth (Shu”t Shevet Halevi Vol. 6 Ch. 162 #2).
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Line and Period in the Chasam Sofer’s Writings
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The Chasam Sofer would mark the end of every paragraph in his writings with a line and period. See Rabbi Nosson Stern in his preface to Drashos Chasam Sofer p. 19a, comments, citing Rabbi Asher Anshel Weiss, Av Beis Din of Nagy-Falu, who notes that the Chasam Sofer inserted these markings with kabbalistic motives.
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<b>Toras Moshe</b>
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Regarding writing his chiddushim, the Chasam Sofer writes:
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"As long as Hashem grants me life and gives me strength I am prepared to learn with all who come to hear, I will not rest and not be quiet... and I write in ink on paper, all that Hashem graces me with both in halacha and aggadah." (Printed in ‘Pituchei Chosam’ at the beginning of Shu"t Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah).
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