Banned Kabbalistic-Shabbatean Siddur: Ketter Yosef. Berlin, 1699. Especially Rare

Banned Kabbalistic-Shabbatean Siddur: Ketter Yosef. Berlin, 1699. Especially Rare

"These are the books that swallowed this snake's poison in some hidden places, the siddur Tefillah Ketter Yosef, hence rabbis of the previous generation decreed that it should be placed in genizah" (the Ya'ave"tz)

Siddur for the entire year, Ashkenazic text. With the Ketter Yosef commentary - Kabbalistic explanations and prayers by Rabbi Yosef of Premishlan. Berlin, 1699. Incomplete copy. Close to 100 handwritten Kabbalistic glosses, some quite lengthy, by an unidentified Kabbalist.

Especially rare work as a result of most of the copies being buried by order of the gedolei hador after Sabbatean motifs were found among its leaves. To the best of our knowledge, a complete copy has never been offered at auction. This copy is the most complete among the few copies that have been offered at auction.

Rabbi Moshe Lipshutz's Sefer HaZikaron (pp 884-888) notes regarding the rarity of this siddur: "The sefer is very rare." He continues, writing about its being put into genizah in the previous generation, by rabbinic order: "Refer to Gechalei Esh p. 53, in the letter that was sent on Tzom Gedaliah of 1725, sent by the author of Knesset Yechezkel [the gaon Rabbi Yechezkel Katzenelbogen, av beit din of Ah"u] to Rabbi Moshe Chagiz, as follows: 'I saw the writings ... so I ordered an announcement be made in all synagogues that all the prayers with the Ketter Yosef commentary be brought to me."

He also tells of the work's Sabbatean leanings there: "Refer to Luchot Zikaron (Frankfurt am Main, 1904). I indeed examined Ketter Yosef al HaSiddur, in the hidden part, and it is filled to the brim with apostasy, that is, explicit hints to Shabbetai Tzvi. The Ya'avetz, too, in his sefer Torat HaKana'ut (Altona, 1752) categorizes this siddur as among the works suspect of Sabbateanism, writing: "These are the books that swallowed this snake's poison in some hidden places, in the siddur Tefillah Ketter Yosef, hence rabbis of the previous generation decreed that it should be placed in genizah." However, in his sefer Edut B'Ya'akov (Altona, 1756) the Ya'avetz qualifies his words about the author, but not about the siddur, as follows: "Yet the senior dayan in Amsterdam R' Moshe Frankfurter, said that the author of the body of the Ketter Yosef commentary in the siddur wrote his commentary only on the revealed. He was blind, and he does not know what the printers or proofreaders added. They added to the commentary, and they will be the ones to answer for it." (Refer to Sefer Zikaron by Rabbi Moshe Lipschutz, pp. 888; Sefer Meishiv Devarim, pp. 121-133.)

14-64, 61-96, 101-174, 51, [1], 55-66, 57-84, 83-86; 97 leaf. Lacking [10] at the beginning of the sefer. 21.5 cm.

Most of the leaves are in fine-very fine condition; the first part of the sefer is in moderate-moderate-fine condition. Usage marks and significant wear in the first part, with tears (some with lack) in the margins of some of the leaves. Four leaves are bound in the incorrect places. Beautiful new binding.