Bidspirit auction | Bat Ayin, Zhitomir 1850 –

Bat Ayin, Zhitomir 1850 – The First Complete Edition of the Sefer. - The Holy Sefer Bat Ayin, by the holy Rebbi Avraham Dov of Ovruch. Zhitomir, 1850, at the press of the Shapira brothers—Hanina Lipa, Aryeh Leib, and Yehoshua Heschel—grandsons of the Rabbi of Slavuta. This is the second edition, which is not identical to the first. The sefer was first printed in Jerusalem in 1847, based on a manuscript copied by one of the rebbi’s disciples, Rabbi Yisrael of Paltashan. In 1850, it was reprinted in Zhitomir based on a manuscript copied by another disciple, Rabbi Meshulam Zusman of Zhitomir, who was apparently unaware of the Jerusalem edition. This edition includes many additions and significant textual and stylistic differences from the Jerusalem edition (see: N. Ben Menachem, Besha'arei Sefer, Jerusalem 1967, pp. 52-53). Stefansky Chassidut No. 104 The author, the holy Rebbi Avraham Dov of Ovruch (1765–1841), was one of the great and renowned Hasidic masters. He was a disciple of Rebbi Nachum of Chernobyl and his son, Rebbi Mordechai, as well as of Rebbi Zusha of Anipoli and Rebbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev. For about forty years, he served as the rabbinical leader of Ovruch, from which he became known as the holy Rebbi of Ovruch. In 1833, he immigrated to the Land of Israel and settled in Safed, where he established his study hall and became the spiritual leader of the Hasidic communities there. A famous story recounts his miraculous salvation during the devastating earthquake of 1837, which struck during the Mincha prayer in the synagogues. Rebbi Avraham Dov warned his followers not to leave the synagogue, lay down on the ground, and instructed the congregation to hold onto his gartel. The entire building collapsed, except for the small area where the rabbi and his congregation stood. [Later, Rabbi Avraham Dov explained that he realized the earthquake was unnatural because the stones were being flung sideways rather than falling downward due to gravity. Understanding that this was a powerful force of the Sitra Achra, he lay down in submission to the divine decree—”Hide for a little moment until the wrath has passed.”] After the earthquake, he rebuilt the Safed community and forbade its members from abandoning the holy city. He passed away in 1841 during a plague, and after his passing, the epidemic ceased. Numerous miraculous stories are told about his holiness and his great power to bring salvation to the Jewish people. His sacred work, the present Bat Ayin, is considered one of the fundamental works of Hasidic thought. [2], 127 leaves. 20.2 cm. Includes the rare five-page appendix of responsa (She’elot U’Teshuvot), which is missing in most other copies of this edition.