Bidspirit auction | Kohelet Yaakov by R. Yisrael

Kohelet Yaakov by R. Yisrael Yaakov Algazi – with the approbation of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, with autograph from two of his foremost disciples - Sefer Kohelet Yaakov, on the rules and principles of the Talmud, authored by Rabbi Yisrael Yaakov Algazi. Printed in the press of R. Zalman Leib Fleckir, R. Uri Zev Salat, and R. Yisrael Elimelech Stand, Lemberg, 5622 (1862). Rabbi Yisrael Yaakov Algazi (born 1680– died 10 Tammuz 1757), was among the great sages of Izmir and Jerusalem. He served as the head of the Beit El Kabbalistic Yeshivah from the year 1751, and as Rishon LeTzion from the year 1755 until his passing. His son is the famed Mahar”iT Algazi. In Kohelet Yaakov the words of the Mahar”iT also appear, introduced with the phrase “Amar HaBen.” The work was first printed in Salonika in 5545 (1785) by the husband of the author’s granddaughter, R. Nissim Farhi, and in this edition it appears for the first time in a beautiful print with elegant type. The Divrei Chaim and his disciples: At the beginning of the book appears a single approbation: that of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, who writes regarding our author that “he was renowned throughout the world for his wisdom and righteousness…” The date of the Divrei Chaim’s approbation is written: “יום ו עש״ק ויקרא לסדר ולפרט לרצון להם לפני ה' לפ״ק צאנז.” The highlighted letters add up to the year תרכ״ו (1866), while the book itself was printed, as stated on the title page, in תרכ״ב (1862). This raises the question: either the letter ה was mistakenly included in the calculation; or perhaps the intent was to inlclude the thousand digit, though this would not align with the notation “לפ״ק.” Provenance Rabbis of Sanz + handwritten Kabbalistic novellae: On the title page appears the ownership signature: Yehoshua Heshel Wallerstein. Rabbi Yehoshua Heshel Wallerstein was the Av Beit Din of Rzeszów [Reishe], one of the great sages of Galicia, a disciple of the holy Divrei Chaim of Sanz. He authored She’elot U’Tshuvot Sadeh Yehoshua and the homiletic work Kerem Yehoshua. He passed away in 1904. See further n. 121 regarding R. Wallerstein. On the binding appears another inscription: “קניתי מהוני לכבוד צורי וקוני … הק׳ יצחק האבד״ק סאקלוב.” Rabbi Yitzchak Habenshtrit was the Av Beit Din of Sokolow in Galicia, near Rzeszów [Reishe]. The Divrei Chaim of Sanz responds to him in Shu”t Divrei Chaim Vol. II, Yoreh De’ah §2, dated “יום ה פקודי תרי״ט” = Thursday, Parashat Pekudei, 5619 (17 March 1859): “To my beloved friend, the great and holy rabbi… our teacher R. Yitzchak, Av Beit Din of Sokolow, may God protect him.” He concludes: “All this appears to me clear and straightforward, yet who am I, poor and humble — you shall act as seems proper before God. All this I have written as a ruling, but Your Honor and your Beit Din are ordained, and in this matter a judge has only what his eyes see. May God be with you, and may you be at peace.” Additional ownership signatures: Yosef Wallerstein, Hertz Wallerstein, Yitzchak Chaim Wallerstein (the name of the father of R. Yehoshua Heshel, Av Beit Din of Rzeszów). At the end of the book appears a handwritten section of profound Kabbalistic material. Here is the transcription of the first half: “אליהו בארבע כי בראשית מ נחמיה בן חושיאל מנחם בן עמיאל אליהו, וכן בראשית מ חלחליאל קרספיהאל סגדיה גדריה, שמבוא אליהו מותר לקבל טיפת דמים מולד הנימול [הערת מ.ק.: ראה עמק המלך (כסא הכבוד פרק יז) שכתב על המלאכים הנ״ל: ‘הם ממונים לקבל טיפי הדמים היוצאים מהתינוק הנימול ומקריבים אותם לפני הקב״ה ואז הוא יתברך מתמלא רחמים על ישראל ומרחם עליהם ולפי שהיכל זה בסוד יסוד כאמור לכן מקבלים המלאכים שבו הדם היוצא מהמילה שהוא סוד יסוד גם כן כנודע וגם בהיכל זה יש בו סוד דמו של יצחק אבינו עליו השלום’] והוא עתיד לעשות שלום בעולם מ י״ג חסד [מ.ק.: 13*72 = 936 כי ם עולה 600], כי בהריאל גזוריה אהריאל יהדניאל שהן ת״ת ול״ו ועם כ״ה אותיות [נוסף מעל לשורה: וד׳ שמות ע״ה] שלהם הן ק׳ ובמספר גדול הן מ תתל״ו ס״ה תתקל״ו מ שלום בם רבתי אשר ח מלאכיך…”