Auction 120 Special
Mar 3, 2020
Israel
 3 Shatner Center 1st Floor Givat Shaul Jerusalem
The auction has ended

LOT 39:

Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov's Siddur. Rare First Edition of the First Chassidic Siddur, Including the Rare Leaf

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Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov's Siddur. Rare First Edition of the First Chassidic Siddur, Including the Rare Leaf

Seder Tefillah L'Chol HaShanah im Kavanot HeAr"i - siddur in nusach Sephard with the Ar"i's intentions and customs, intentions and unifications from the G-dly Ba'al Shem Tov, with "Dikdukei Sofrim" by the gaon Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov, Koritz, 1794. First edition of Siddur Rabi Shabtai. Lacking 5 leaves.

Before us is the first edition of this rare and sought-after siddur, with all the sections, prayers for festivals and the Passover haggadah, and with high holiday prayers. With the rare leaf containing Hodu for the eve of Shabbat, and K'Gavna.

This is the first Chassidic siddur! Just a few years after printing this siddur, siddurim began to be printed in an Askenazic version with the Ar"i's intentions, and Chassidic tzaddikim began to pray from those. However, this is the first siddur in nusach Sephard that has unifications and customs from the Ba'al Shem Tov added to it.

Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov, the renowned Kabbalist who was one of the members of the Ba'al Shem Tov's "heichal, " arranged the siddur according to the Ar"i's intentions and with supplements from the Ba'al Shem Tov.

This siddur has the recital of Hodu (Psalm 107) before the minchah prayer preceding Shabbat. The Ba'al shem Tov established this custom. It became well-known from the book Me'or Einayim (parashat BeShalach) by the maggid of Chernobyl, disciple of the Ba'al Shem Tov. However, the book Me'or Einayim was published in 1798, and this siddur was published already in 1794.

After the weekday prayers in this siddur, and before the Shabbat prayers [between leaf 263 and leaf 261], there is an unnumbered leaf with Psalm 107, and K'Gavna from the Zohar for Kabbalat Shabbat. The Bibliography of the Hebrew Book notes that this leaf was added to only some of the copies, and the copy they had contained this leaf only in photocopy. Although K'Gavna had been printed earlier, (in Siddur Rabbi Asher in 1788) the custom of reciting Hodu before the onset of Shabbat appeared here for the first time. As mentioned, this rare leaf is found in the copy before us.

Indeed, this siddur was very sought-after by tzaddikm, and even before it was printed, it was known and many yearned to pray from it. As the Ba'al Shem Tov's disciple, Rabbi Yosef Moshe of Mezeritch, wrote in his approbation to this siddur, 'I have already heard that many complete and reverent tzaddikim of our generation desire and yearn to quench their thirst and finally see this siddur, because it is so hard to find, especially as it contains several innovations and unifications from my rabbi and teacher, the light of the Jewish people ... the Ba'al Shem Tov, ztzllh"h.'

We will note what has been brought, that Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin said that this siddur is his vitality. It is also related among Chassidim that the siddur's manuscript was hidden in a lit oven and did not burn. [Refer to Magdil Yeshuot page 70, and Even Shetiyah HeChadash II page 448.]

Kabbalistic diagrams.

LaMenatzeach Psalm in the form of a menorah on leaf 17 and on leaf 39 in the second page count.

Stefansky, Chassidut 426.

The complete siddur contains: 2, 263 [should be 260] [1] 261-344, 62, 99 leaves.

The copy before us is completed with a professionally photocopied title page. The leaf of approbations and the following leaf, leaf 305 and leaf 308 are lacking. A total of 5 leaves are lacking.

17 cm.

Stamps: on leaf 333, and on leaf 48 in the third page count.

Moderate condition. Many usage marks. Stickers to reinforce several leaves. New leather binding.


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