Auction 22 spring memories
By Memories
Mar 23, 2023
Bnei Brak, Israel
כִּי הִנֵּה הַסְּתָיו עָבָר, הַגֶּשֶׁם חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ. הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ,
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LOT 177:

For the first time in auctions. The handwritten signature of the holy Rav Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe (the great) of ...


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For the first time in auctions. The handwritten signature of the holy Rav Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe (the great) of Kopust, one of the leading disciples of Ba'al Hatanya. Karnayim - Amsterdam, 1765. 

The awe-inspiring Kabbalistic book, important edition (about the book, see below). 

On the title page and at the end of the printer's foreword, fine signatures of Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe: "ישראל בלאאמ"ו מוהר"ר יצחק מקאפוסט".

A gloss apparently handwritten by him. 


The holy Rav Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe "Hagadol", the Chassidic printer of Kopust (ca. 1749-1828). 

Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe was born in Russia to Rabbi Yitzchak Yaffe who was known as Rabbi Yitzchak Kopust, a descendant of Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, the Levush. 

Was a disciple of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk and later of the Admor Hazaken Ba'al Hatanya, becoming one of his leading disciples and one of his first Chassidim. Rabbi Yisrael's history is entwined with that of Chabad and he was one of the leading Chassidim who signed the Takanot Liazhna in 1796. It is told that when the Admor Hazaken was released on the 19th of Kislev, Rabbi Yisrael carried him on his shoulders. In Mitzraf HaAvodah (see about it in this auction), it is told that when Rabbi Yisrael visited Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, Rabbi Chaim honored him "as one of the greatest rabbis", asking him to introduce words by his Rav (the Admor Hazaken). 


He was renowned as the Printer of Kopust, printing the first books of Chabad (Siddur Admor Hazaken, the books by the Mitteler Admor, the first edition of Pri Haaretz (by his first Rav), Shivchei HaBesht and more - his famed mark appears at the beginning of the books with his name, Yisrael Yaffe, in its center). 

Ba'al Hatanya and his son the Mitteler Rebbe gave him their writings to be edited and printed. 

The Maharil of Yanovich (the Ba'al Hatanya's brother) wrote in his approbation to the Siddur about Rabbi Yisrael that "he has wisdom and has heard himself some things from Rabbeinu and has bundles of his manuscripts that he wrote to him" (only a few of these manuscripts were printed in Igrot Hakodesh of the Admor Hazaken (pp. 172-175, 460-463), containing correspondence on matters of paramount concerns between Rabbi Yisrael and Ba'al Hatanya). 

By the tradition of Chabad, he was the one who was sent by the Admor Hazaken with the Tanya to receive the approbation of Rabbi Zusha of Anopoli and Rabbi Yehuda Leib Hacohen (Lema'an Yedu, p. 259). 

A less known affair is the dispute between him and another Chassidic printer, Rabbi Moshe Shapira of Slavuta, concerning the printing of the Shas, a dispute similar to the Slavuta-Vilna one, which caused less stir (the Mitteler Rebbe signed the Psak Din). 


The Mitteler Rebbe, after the passing of the Admor Hazaken, ordered Rabbi Yisrael to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Yisrael refused at first, claiming that living in Kopust he could always travel to Lubavitch to the Rebbe to hear Divrei Elokim Chaim. The Mitteler Rebbe responded by telling Rabbi Yisrael that he was willing to send him the Ma'mar, handwritten by him (!), every week. This persuaded Rabbi Yisrael and he immigrated to Hebron in 1820. On his way, his convoy was attacked by Arabs, who took all parts of the printing press he was carrying with him, except for it heavy base. When Yisrael Bak's printery in Safed was destroyed, this base was used to rebuild it. Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe was head of the first Kollel in Hebron, bearing the title Memuneh of the holy city of hebron. 


About the book: Sefer Karnayim is an early Kabbalistic book attributed to Rabbeinu Aharon Hazaken of Kardina with the commentary of Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropoli titled dan Yadin.

Second and important edition with corrections and additions (see below) and with an approbation by Rabbi Shaul of Amsterdam.
At the end of the book, Likutei Shoshanim "from the writings of the Kabbalist Rav Rabbi Shimshon Maggid of Ostropoli".
After the Likutei Shoshanim, three leaves about which, the editor had written "said the young Isaac ... G-d has precipitated some novellae by the Kabbalist Rav the author which was not printed in the first edition..."
He is referring to additions that were printed for the first time in this book (although they were already printed at the end of the book Ma'amar HaItim by Rabbi Menachem Azarya of Fano, Dhyrenfurth, 1693).
The colophon refers to Shimon ben Gedalya of the Avraham Avinu family, Yaakov ben Gedalya of the Avraham Avinu family and Yosef ben Yitzchak of the Avraham Avinu family, all from Amsterdam. About these converts, see A. Yaari, Mechkarei Sefer, Jerusalem 1958, p. 252. 

[3], 25 leaves. 
19 cm. 

New, embossed binding. 
Stains. 
Very good condition.