Bidspirit auction | A Fundamental Work – HaTorah

A Fundamental Work – HaTorah VeHaMitzvah – The Malbim – First Edition, Published in the Author’s Lifetime – With All Three Title Pages, Rare - A magnificent copy of a fundamental work: HaTorah VeHaMitzvah by the Malbim. Bucharest 1860 First edition With all three title pages. A commentary on the Sifra (Torat Kohanim) on the Book of Vayikra, authored by R. Meir Leibush—known as the Malbim. Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Weiser (the Malbim, born 1809 – passed away on 1 Tishrei, 1879) served as rabbi in various communities, including Wreschen, Kempen, and Bucharest. The Malbim’s self-sacrifice in responding to his detractors: The 19th century in Europe was marked by intense struggles between Orthodox Judaism and the movements of Enlightenment and Reform. One of the great defenders of traditional Jewish observance was the Malbim. Throughout his rabbinic career in the various cities where he served, he enacted communal regulations and delivered extensive writings and sermons aimed at stemming the drift of Jewish communities toward these new movements. During this period, there arose a growing inclination to analyze and investigate Scripture, and numerous commentaries and translations of the Bible were published. This phenomenon was exploited by proponents of the Haskalah, who sought to draw after them the Jewish masses. With deliberate intent, they attempted to portray the Bible as merely a narrative–historical text, rather than a divine Torah from which halachic details and laws are derived. In order to undermine the authority of the Sages as transmitters of the Oral Law, they tried in various ways to sever the connection between halachic teachings and the Written Torah, and to detach rabbinic interpretation from the plain meaning of Scripture. In response to this, the Malbim abandoned his great work on Orach Chaim, Arzot HaChayim, which he had authored only up to approximately thirty simanim—yet is cited on every page of the Mishnah Berurah in those sections—in order to dedicate himself entirely to biblical commentary and “respond to those who mock us.” He titled his work HaTorah VeHaMitzvah, for “the Torah” refers to the Written Torah, and “the Commandment” refers to the Oral Torah. The Malbim’s aim was to reveal the profound unity between the Written and Oral Torah, each being incomplete without the other. The commentary of HaTorah VeHaMitzvah is divided into two parts: a narrative section and a halachic section. In the narrative part, the verses are explained according to the order of the parashiyot. The halachic part is arranged according to the halachic midrashim of the Sages in the Mekhilta, Sifra, and Sifrei, in correspondence with the sequence of the biblical verses. In his commentary, the Malbim demonstrates the correctness of the rabbinic derivations through the rules of Hebrew grammar, showing the intrinsic bond between the wording of the verses and the halachic teachings of the Sages and the midrashim. The Malbim began his biblical commentary with his work on the Book of Vayikra. In an additional introduction to his commentary on Vayikra, titled Ayelet HaShachar, he enumerates 613 grammatical principles that form the foundation of the halachic portion of the commentary. Using these principles, he establishes the authenticity and precision of the teachings of the Sages. Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod, p. 42. Vinograd, Bucharest 5. [3], 14, 233 pages. 29 cm. Excellent condition, with a small part missing from the spine.