Bidspirit auction | One of the Foundational Sefarim

One of the Foundational Sefarim of Chabad Chassidus – Torah Or by the Baal HaTanya – First Edition – Kapust, 1837 Torah Or , Part I, containing the profound Chassidic ma'amarim of  Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya , on Chumash Bereishis and Shemos, as well as Chanukah and Purim. First edition . Kapust, 1837. One of the foundational sefarim of Chabad Chassidus, preserving the Torah and ma'amarim of the Baal HaTanya as recorded from his holy lips by his brother, Rabbi Yehudah Leib of Yanovitch , author of She'eiris Yehudah . Many of the ma'amarim were personally reviewed and corrected by the Baal HaTanya himself (Igros Kodesh of the Tzemach Tzedek, no. 24). The sefer was prepared for publication by the Baal HaTanya's grandson and successor, the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch. Chabad tradition relates that while engaged in arranging this sefer for print, he devoted himself exclusively to this sacred task, setting aside even his regular practice of responding to halachic inquiries because of the immense responsibility involved in editing the writings of his grandfather. It was published by Rabbi Aharon Alexandrov of Shklov , son-in-law of the Mitteler Rebbe , who passed away shortly before the sefer was printed, on May 28, 1837. The sefer opens with two title pages, partly printed in red ink. On the reverse of the first title page appears the official censor's approval. Significantly, this edition was printed during the very year in which, through the efforts of the Maskilim who informed to the Russian authorities, the printing of most Hebrew sefarim throughout the Russian Empire was prohibited. Torah Or was among the last Hebrew sefarim to appear before these restrictive decrees took effect.