Bidspirit auction | Manuscript Owned and signed by

Manuscript Owned and signed by the Chida. Sha'ar HaPesukim by Rabbi Chaim Vital in its Original Format * Important kabbalistic manuscript from the late 17th century, in which the Chida studied the kabbalah of Rabbi Chaim Vital. The manuscript contains 'Sha’ar HaPesukim', one of the eight she'arim (chapters) authored by Rabbi Chaim Vital, in his original format. This version of 'Sha’ar HaPesukim' has never been printed. The manuscript was meticulously copied by the scribe Rabbi Chaim of the Levi Family, one of the sages of Egypt during the late 17th century. He copied it directly from Rabbi Chaim Vital's original writings which were then in Egypt, and his copies are renowned for their exceptional accuracy. (Min HaGenazim, Vol. 7, p. 261). The manuscript was copied for the kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Abzamil, one of the great kabbalists of Egypt in the third generation, whose library was famous for its vastness and the precise manuscripts it contained. His kabbalistic glosses were printed in 'Machaneh Aharon', Livorno 1795, and are also found in additional kabbalistic manuscripts. Importance and Uniqueness of this Manuscript Rabbi Chaim Vital organized the homilies of his Rebbi, the holy Ar”i, and divided them into eight she'arim (gates) called 'Eitz Chaim'. In these eight sections, Rabbi Chaim Vital distinguished between the homilies he personally heard from his teacher, the Arizal, which he arranged within the main body of each section, and the homilies heard from the Arizal by other talmidim, which he placed at the end of each section. These eight she'arim were later re-edited and reorganized by Rabbi Chaim's son who combined everything and did not differentiate between what had been heard by his father and what had been heard by other disciples. 'Sha'ar HaPesukim' was then published in his new format. This manuscript, however, maintains Rabbi Chaim Vital’s original format. The content of this edition is as follows: Homilies of the Ar”i heard by Rabbi Chaim on the Torah: 2 – 116a Homilies of the Ar”i heard by other disciples on the Torah: 116b – 130b Homilies of the Ar”i heard by Rabbi Chaim on Nevi'im and Ksuvim: 130a – 143a Homilies of the Ar”i heard by other disciples on Nevi'im and Ksuvim: 144a – 150a At the end of the manuscript is a colophon in which is written: ”I, the writer, from among the youngest of the flock, Chaim of the House of Levi, have written this for the distinguished sage, the divine kabbalist, our teacher and master, Rabbi Yitzchak Abzamil, may his light shine. May it be the will of the Creator that he and his descendants, and their descendants for all generations to come, merit to study from it from now and forever, Amen - May Hashem fulfill this.” On the last page is the sacred handwritten signature of the Chida: ”By the grace of G-d, I have acquired from Hashem this elevated sha'ar; words of the young Chaim Yosef David Azulai.” It seems that the Chida purchased this manuscript during his tenure as rabbi of Egypt (1764 – 1769). Glosses of the great Kabbalist Rabbi Nissim Ani: The manuscript was later owned by the famed kabbalist, Rabbi Nissim Ani, one of the great kabbalists of the Bet El yeshiva. Rabbi Nissim edited the title page at the beginning of the manuscript and copied over Rabbi Shmuel Vital's introduction. There are many glosses and edits handwritten by him throughout the leaves of the manuscript, and his signature appears as well in several places. Rabbi Nissim explains the nature of his glosses in the title page. Rabbi Nissim Ani was a towering genius in both the revealed and hidden Torah and was renowned for his piety and holiness. He was a disciple of the great Rabbi Abdallah Somech and a childhood friend of Rabbi Eliyahu Manny, Av Beis Din of Chevron, with whom he studied kabbalah. He immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in 1857 becoming one of the great kabbalists of the Bet El yeshiva. He prepared the sefer 'Divrei Shalom' of the Rashash's grandson for print, edited the important siddur 'Chukas Olam' (six parts), and authored glosses on many kabbalistic sefarim. He passed away in Jerusalem in 1900. Page count: [1], 2-150, 152-154 [2] leaves. Size: 21×16 cm. Condition: Various Eastern scripts, wormholes in the margins. Antique leather binding with the engraved name of Rabbi Nissim Ani and various decorations. ---------------------------------------------- The kabbalist Rabbi Chaim Vital (1543-1620) is renowned for having possessed “an exalted soul” (Chida). He was the prime disciple of the Arizal and disseminated his kabbalistic legacy to the people. It is told that before he began teaching his pupil, the Arizal gave Rabbi Chaim Vital to drink from the 'Well of Miriam, ' thus opening a window to his lofty soul which allowed the Arizal to imbue Rabbi Chaim with the wisdom of truth, the wisdom of kabbalah. From that moment on, Rabbi Chaim became the Arizal’s faithful disciple,