Bidspirit auction | Kabbalah & Chassidut: Saraf Pri

Kabbalah & Chassidut: Saraf Pri Etz Chaim. First Edition, Czernowitz 1866. ”A great protective charm for the home” – Approbations from the Divrei Chaim of Sanz & the Ruzhin Rebbes. - Sefer Saraf Pri Etz Chaim by the holy Kabbalist Rebbi Moshe Shoham of Dolina. First Edition, Czernowitz, 1866. A rare segulah Sefer! With numerous approbations from leading Rabbis and Chassidic Rebbes of the time, including: The holy Rebbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (Divrei Chaim), The Rebbes of the Ruzhin dynasty, Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathansohn of Lemberg, author of Shoel U’Meishiv, the Ohev Yisrael of Apta, and others. The publisher was a follower of Sadigura Chassidut, which explains why the sefer opens with an approbation from his rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura, alongside endorsements from his brothers—other rebbes of the Ruzhin dynasty. Yet, the publisher still sought an endorsement from the Divrei Chaim of Sanz—despite the fact that, beginning in 1869, the Divrei Chaim vehemently opposed the Sadigura Chassidim. (The Divrei Chaim writes about the publisher: “Shown to me by my friend, the rabbi Mr. Shimshon Shlomo, may he live and be well, of the Maramureș district...”). Even in the list of “Prenumeranten” (subscribers who paid in advance for the printing), one finds towns and villages affiliated with both “strongholds” — Sanz and Sadigura. Among the subscribers appear names of many great tzaddikim of the generation: Rebbi Yitzchak Eizik of Ziditshov, The Yitav Lev of Sighet, the Kol Aryeh Yehuda of Bergsasz, Rebbi Avraham Chaim of Linsk, Rebbi Aharon, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, and many others.    The author, the divine kabbalist, the holy Rebbi Moshe Shoham, Av Beit Din of Dolina (passed away in 1820), was one of the younger disciples of the holy Baal Shem Tov, and he references the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings in his sefer. In 1786, he was appointed as the Av Beit Din of Dolina, through the intervention of the holy Rebbi Elimelech of Lizhensk. The Ohev Yisrael from Apta wrote about him in his endorsement for Sefer Divrei Moshe: ”I know this man Moshe, great in both revealed and hidden Torah, and he never left the tent of Torah.” The Divrei Chaim from Sanz wrote about him: ”He is a fearsome man of God.” In addition to this sefer, he authored Saraf Pri Etz Chaim (Chernivtsi, 1866) and Divrei Moshe, a collection of Chassidic teachings on the Torah portions (Mezhybizh, 1818). Keeping his seforim in the home is considered a protective charm, as written in the approbation of Rabbi Yehuda Tzvi Steg, Av Beit Din of Skalya, to Rebbi Moshe Shoham’s work Imrei Shoham: “It is a great mitzvah that this sefer should be in every Jewish home, as it serves as a great protection for the household, for he was one of the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory.” Self dedication and stamp on the title page of the Rebbi Menachem Binyamin Ben Zion Rottenberg Halberstam (1881–1957), the Sanzer Rebbe of New York, was a descendant of the illustrious Sanz and Kshanov dynasties. His lineage included: Rebbi Aharon of Biala-Bilitz, Rebbi Yosef Zev of Kshanov, son of Rebbi David of Kshanov, Rebbi David of Kshanov, son of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz. On his maternal side, he descended from Rebbi Alter Chaim of Walbrum, adopting the surname ”Rottenberg” from this branch. A scion of several prominent Chassidic dynasties, his genealogy intertwined with the great tzaddikim of Ropshitz, Sanz, Or Lashamayim, Belz, and Apta. Rebbi Rottenberg established his court in New York after emigrating to the United States. Revered as a spiritual leader, he presided over his beit midrash and served as the president of the Union of Rebbes (Agudas HaAdmorim). Antique Marginalia. [5], 83, 83-149 Leaves. 26.5 cm. Stefansky, Chassidut 594.