Bidspirit auction | Manuscript, Sefer HaKavanot – Venice,

Manuscript, Sefer HaKavanot – Venice, 1656 – Copy of Kabbalist Rabbi Natan Nata Hannover, With His Signature and Many Handwritten Glosses – Manuscript from the Library of the Imrei Emet of Ger - Manuscript, Sefer HaKavanot Part II, on Shabbat, festivals and additional topics, the Arizal's kabbalistic teachings by his disciple R. Chaim Vital. Venice, [1656]. Copy of the kabbalist R. Natan Nata Hannover, with his signature and many handwritten glosses by him – manuscript from the library of the Imrei Emet of Ger. Fine cursive Italian script (with titles and initial words in square script). Illustrated title page, in the center of which is written: ”Sefer Kavanot Part II… practices of Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim and all the festivals, ancient and sweet words received from the Arizal which were sent here from Safed, written here in Venice the capital city, [1656]”. Under arch on title page, signature of kabbalist R. Natan Nata Hannover: ”G-d granted me this book, Natan Nata son of the martyr R. Moshe Hannover Ashkenazi”. Before the title page are bound two leaves with indexes handwritten by R. Natan Nata Hannover. He refers to these leaves in an inscription at the top of the first leaf: ”Says Natan Neta Naaman: I found this order in an old book of Kavanot, but it is ordered incorrectly and not chronologically… Afterwards I managed to find the correct order possessed by the kabbalist R. Moshe Zacuto and I considered annotating the pages according to that correct order. Afterwards I decided to write the correct order on an independent leaf, which is the previous leaf; see there”. Hundreds of glosses throughout the manuscript, in the margins and between the lines, including dozens of lengthy glosses, handwritten by R. Natan Nata, most in semi-cursive Ashkenazic script and others in cursive Ashkenazic script. He begins some of his glosses with his name or nickname, such as: ”Says Natan Neta Naaman…”, ”Neta Naaman”, ”it appears in my humble opinion, Natan Ashkenazi”, and more. Apparently, the present Sefer HaKavanot was compiled by R. Natan Nata, and was written by a Venetian Jew at his direction. In several places, R. Natan Nata added a reference to the source, for example on p. 52a, after the title of the section relating to Shavuot, R. Natan Nata added: ”I found this in the writings of my teacher R. Moshe Zacuto citing R. Binyamin HaLevi [of Safed]”. Additional titles with this text appear on pp. 62a and 65a. Several sections in the book were written by R. Natan Nata himself, such as the Kavanot for blowing the shofar, as well as a section of the commentary on the Haggadah. In several places written in the copyist's hand, there are quotations from the kabbalists whom R. Natan Nata met in Venice, such as on p. 45b: ”I found written in the Kavanot of R. Natan Shapiro Yerushalmi…”. On p. 52b, at the end of one of the sections: ”I received a tradition from R. Binyamin HaLevi not to use these kavanot on Shabbat”. At the end of the manuscript (at the end of Kavanot HaZakan), R. Natan Nata concludes the copying, in his own handwriting, with verses of blessing: ”Happy is the people who has such… For the Lord listens to the destitute… And He does not despise the poverty of the poor… and He listens to them when they entreat Him. Amen Selah. Blessed is the Lord forever, Amen and Amen”. On the following leaf is the beginning of a copying in Ashkenazic script, titled ”This belongs above in the laws of Shabbat”. It is unclear to us how the present manuscript relates to R. Natan Nata's work Neta Naaman, of which we possess only the fifth part entitled Shaarei Tzion (see below at length). As stated above, the expression ”Neta Naaman” appears in some of the glosses in the present manuscript, which may be one of the lost parts of R. Natan Nata's work (on R. Natan Nata Hannover's recension, see: R. Yosef Avivi, Kabbalat HaAri, II, pp. 748-750). The present work contains chapters on : Shabbat, Motzaei Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, Tu BiShevat, Purim, Pesach and the Exodus from Egypt, the Omer, commentary on the Haggadah, Sefirat HaOmer, seventh day of Pesach, Shavuot, 40 days of Elul, Rosh Hashanah, kavanot for the shofar blowing, kavanot for the shofar, secret of the shofar, Yom Kippur, lashes, Sukkot, Hoshana Rabba, secret of the sukkah, lulav and etrog, on the sukkah, Simchat Torah, travel, holiness, shemitah, purifying the soul, kavanot for study, kavanot for all the days of the week, the reading of the Torah, attainment of wisdom, the weight of the ketoret, tzedakah, plague, seven circuits for the dead, phases of the moon, immersion, ritual slaughter, positive interpretation of a dream, Torah reading for Shabbat, yichud for Nishmat, Amidah, the prayer as a whole, principle for zivugim, the prayer of R. Yeisa Sava before eating, kavanot for eating, Birkat HaMazon, blessings for pleasures and mitzvot, kavanot for corners of the hair and beard, Aleinu, prayers for mercy in tikunim of Atik DeAtikin.