Bidspirit auction | Two works by the “Toldot

Two works by the “Toldot Yaakov Yosef”: Tzafnat Paaneach – second edition, and Ben Porat Yosef – third edition, belonging to R. Naftoli Chanales - Lemberg, 1866 - On the title page, written on both sides of the book’s name, appears the inscription: “הק' נפתלי בן חנהלי”. It appears that this refers to the righteous scholar Rabbi Naftali Chaneles of Safed. His original family name was Doktorovitz, but he became known by his mother’s name. She was a renowned benefactor and a famous righteous woman, descended from the Maggid of Zlotchov and from Rabbi Baruch of Medzhybizh, grandson of the Baal Shem Tov. Indeed, most of her descendants adopted her name as their family name. R. Naftali was one of the leading figures of the Jewish community in Safed: a communal emissary, a dynamic public activist, a founder of institutions, and a supporter of charitable works. He established an old-age home in Meron, as well as a yeshivah near the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and he was among the administrators of the Ridbaz Yeshivah in Safed. He was a devoted chassid attached to the Admor of Chortkov. At the time of his rebbe’s passing, he happened to be in Europe and published a memorial booklet titled “Kol Nehi uMisped Mar”. On 11 Nisan 1920, while traveling toward Safed with a shipment of Passover provisions to distribute to the needy, he was tragically killed in the city of Lod in a train accident, and he was buried in Tel Aviv.