Bidspirit auction | Copy that was Sent by

Copy that was Sent by Maran the Ben Ish Chai to Rabbi Chaim Berlin: Set of the Ben Ish Chai Bnayahu ben Yehoyada Books - First Edition Jerusalem, 1889-1905 - אשר ביקש הדר”ג לשלוח לו בן יהוידע - complete set of the books by Maran the Ben Ish Chai on the Talmudic Aggadot, works by Reish Galuta Debavel Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim of Baghdad - first editions - copies that were sent by Maran the author to the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Berlin.  Pedigreed and sacred copies! In the book Nishmat Chaim by Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, there is a halachic responsum which was sent by Maran the Ben Ish Chai to Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, noting that at his request, he is sending him this set of Ben Yehoyada!!! אשר ביקש הדר”ג לשלוח לו בן יהוידע ח”א וח”ב הנה היום כתבתי להרב הכולל ח”ר בן ציון מרדכי חזן נר”ו למסור ליד מעכ”ת בן יהוידע ח”ב שיש לי אצלו, אבל ח”א לא נמצא בעה”ק תוב”ב, ורק כאן יש אצלי, והנני שולח אותו בשבוע הבא...”  (Nushmat Chaim Yoreh Deah, p. 42).  Appearing in the two volumes are stamps of Maran Rabbi Chaim Berlin from the time he lived in Jerusalem.  The lot includes six of Maran's books, a complete set of his works on the Talmudic Aggadot, Sefer Bnayahu amd a set of five sections of Ben Yehoyada - bound in two volumes - with gilt title pages! The reason the books were titled Bnayahu ben Yehoyada: It is recounted that on the 25th of Nissan, 1869 , Chacham Yosef Chaim set out with his brother, Chacham Yechezkel, to make a pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael and visit the tombs of the Tzaddikim there. On the 12th of Iyar, they arrived in Damascus, where all the city's dignitaries greeted them and escorted them on their way to the tombs of the Tannaim in the Galilee. There, Chacham Yosef Chaim stayed for several days at the tomb of Bnayahu ben Yehoyada.  ”Many great secrets” were revealed to him there, and it was even revealed to him that ”his soul originated from the soul of Bnayahu ben Yehoyada.” Therefore, he titled his books after Bnayahu ben Yehoyada and his epithets, deriving from the verse (2 Samuel 23:20): ”ובניהו בן יהוידע בן איש חי [חיל] רב פעלים מקבצאל”. Volume I includes the following sections:  ~ Bnayahu - Chidushim of Aggadot HaShas - this work was published by Rabbeinu after completing the series of ben Yehoyada as indicated by Maran the Ben Ish Chai in his introduction - ”Section I” is printed on the title page; no other sections were printed however - Rabbi Y.D. Frumkin Press - Jerusalem, 1905 - first edition. [2], 76 leaves.  ~ Ben Yehoyada Section I - Chidushim on Berachot and Shabbat - with a leaf of blessing with gilt lettering to the philanthropist Meir Eliyahu, who donated money for the printing costs  - The Solomon Brothers Press - Jerusalem, 1988. [2], 59, 47, [2] leaves.  ~ Ben Yehoyada Section II - Chidushim on all other Masachtot of Seder Moed - Rabbi Y.D. Frumkin Press - Jerusalem, 1899. [2], 93, [1] leaves.  Volume II includes the following sections:  ~ Ben Yehoyada Section III - Chidushim on some Masachtot of Seder Nashim - Rabbi Y.D. Frumkin Press - Jerusalem, 1900. [2], 87 leaves. ~ Ben Yehoyada Section IV - Chidushim on all some Masachtot of Seder Nashim and Nezikin - with a blessing to the philanthropist Shalom Chaim David Chai Moshe - Rabbi Y.D. Frumkin Press - Jerusalem, 1902. [2], 111 leaves. ~ Ben Yehoyada Section V - Chidushim on Aggadot HaShas - with a blessing to the philanthropist Binyamin Meir Yitzchak Sachar - Rabbi Y.D. Frumkin Press - Jerusalem, 1902. [2], 11 leaves.  Blesmishes to the bindings and other minor blemishes. Good overall condition.  Rabbi Yosef Chaim - the Ben Ish Chai (1835-1909), was Rav of the entire Diaspora, one of the greatest leaders, Mekubalim and Poskim of all generations. Born in Baghdad to his father Rabbi Eliyahu [Rabbi Moshe Chaim - who is mentioned in the sermon before us.] At the age of only 14, he was accepted to the yeshiva of Rabbi Abdallah, who became his leading Rav. For over fifty years was the leader of the Jewish community of Baghdad, delivering sermons and answering questions. In his introduction to the book Rov Berachot, the author, Rabbi Yechezekel Moshe Halevi writes : ”If Rabbi Yosef Chaim tells me that right is Left and left is the right, I will accept his words”. Indeed, Rabbeinu's many books which contain more than 100 works[!] earned a place of honor in the Jewish bookshelf. Not all Rabbeinu's writings have been published and in recent years many institutes, especially the Ahavat Shalom Institute, have been working on publishing Rabbeinu's Divrei Torah and his many Piyyutim, the most famed of them being VeAmartem Koh Lechai in honor of the Tana Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Rabbeinu passed away in Elul 1909 and was laid to rest in Baghdad. It is generally accepted that because of Rabbeinu’s desire to immigrate to the Holy Land, he merited being brought to it after his passing. According to the Mekubalim of Jerusalem, the location of his grave is on the Mount of Olives.