Bidspirit auction | Personal Exemplar of the Gaon

Personal Exemplar of the Gaon Ridbaz! Binah Le’Ittim. Lublin, 1875. Sefer Binah Le’Ittim, Parts I–II, Derashos by Rabbi Azariah Figo. Printed by Yaakov Hershenhorn and Moshe Shneidmesser, Lublin, 1875. The exampler of the Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky, the Ridbaz. [1], 85; 126 leaves. On the front endpaper an ownership inscription: זה שייך להרב הגאון המופלג ומפורסם כש”ת מו”ה יעקב דוד ווילובווסקי אב”ד באברויסק שנת תרל”ט 1879 Together with additional inscriptions and signatures. The Gaon Rabbi Azariah Figo (1579–1647) – among the sages of Italy and one of the leading Poskim of his generation. Born in Venice to his father Rabbi Ephraim, where he studied Torah and also acquired general education at the local university, as was customary among the Jews of Italy. In the introduction to his work Gidulei Terumah he writes that from the time he reached intellectual maturity, he abandoned secular studies and devoted all his time to the study of “the Gemara and all that is connected to it.” Rabbi Azariah studied in the Yeshiva of Rabbi Avraham Abuhav. In 1607 he began serving as Rabbi of the community of Pisa, a position he held for twenty years, and afterward served as a Daeshan in Venice. He authored the commentary Gidulei Terumah on Sefer HaTerumos by Rabbi Shmuel HaSefardi, among the sages of Spain and a disciple-colleague of the Ramban. Later authorities discussed his work extensively, particularly in matters of Choshen Mishpat. His Sefer of Derashos, Binah Le’Ittim, was widely accepted among Darshanim and the broader public, served generations of Darshanim, and was reprinted in dozens of editions. The Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Ben Ze’ev Ridbaz, “the Rabbi of Slutsk” (1845–1914) – among the greatest scholars of his generation, a prodigy and outstanding Talmid Chacham who devoted himself to the study of the Talmud Yerushalmi. Author of numerous works, including responsa, commentary on the Torah, and explanations on the Talmud Yerushalmi. After serving as Rabbi and Darshan in several places, in 1890 he was appointed Rabbi of Slutsk and founded a Yeshiva there. In the years 1903–1905 he served as Rabbi in Chicago. In 1905 he immigrated to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Tzfas, where he founded the Yeshiva Toras Eretz Yisrael and taught Torah in the city. Damaged binding; defects to the corners of the leaves; stains. Fair condition.