Bidspirit auction | A special promise by the

A special promise by the author – Mikra’ei Kodesh by R. Yosef Samiga – first edition, Venice, 1586, rare! - Sefer Mikra’ei Kodesh, First part on the commandments of awe and love and their roots, and the second part on the secrets and reasons for the commandments of the festivals. By the perfect sage, our master Rabbi Yosef Samiga Venice, 1586 Printed during the author’s lifetime, with the author’s introduction. The Author’s Promise: Rabbi Yosef Samiga promises at the end of his introduction that one who studies his book on the festivals will be considered as though he engaged in Torah study throughout the entire year. These are his words: ” יען היא היא הקריאה והלימוד הראוי ומוטל על כל המון ישראל לקרוא בשבתות ובפרט בימים טובים המקודשים כנזכר, ובקוראו בהם יזכה וידכה ויכנע ויוטע בלבו אהבתו ויראתו ויבוא אל המעשה ויזכה גם כן למצות תלמוד תורה, ויעלה עליו כאילו עסק בתורה כל השנה כולה, כי מן הימים טובים המקודשים נשפעים ומתברכים כל ימות השנה” Rabbi Yosef Samiga , son of Rabbi Binyamin, an important sage of Salonika who relocated to Venice. It appears that he lived in Venice already at the time of the printing of this book, Mikra’ei Kodesh, in 1586, and he remained living in Italy until his passing on the 15th of the month of the sign 1629. He participated in the famous polemic regardind the mikveh in Rovigo in 1601 and wrote a responsum in Mashbit Milchamot, as well as in other polemics debated by the sages of Italy in those years. He was especially known for his dispute with the R. Menachem Azarya, the Rema miFano, regarding the meaning of the Sages’ instruction to turn toward the “right side”. The Rema published an essay called Yemin Hashem Romemah, and R. Yosef responded with the treatise Pirush Derech Yamin. To this treatise the Rema responded with an additional work, Yemin Hashem Oseh Chayil. In Venice he authored Porat Yosef on the Rif, and in his introduction he writes that in the distress of the times he was forced to leave the great Torah center of the world – Salonika – for Venice, “a place without the Talmud”, due to the burning of the Talmud and the prohibition of its possession in Italy in those years. To compensate for this deficiency he occupied himself with the Rif, who cites the language of the Gemara, but was not banned. The Maharsha cites him several times. Even in later generations the book was held in great esteem. The Minchas Elazar of Munkatch calls him “one of the Rishonim” (even though chronologically he belongs among the Acharonim), and these are the words of the Minchas Elazar (III, §31): ” בס' מקראי קודש להגאון מוה”ר יוסף ב”ר בנימין סאסיגה ז”ל מהראשונים (נדפס בוויניציאה שנת שמ”ו והביאו לס' הלז במהרש”א ובשעה”מ על הרמב”ם)... ומי האיש הירא את דבר ה' הרואה דברים חמורים ונוראים כאלו על היושב בסוכה בשמ”ע יוצאים מפי גאון וגדול מהראשונים בקדושה ובטהרה ולא יחרד לבבו” It should be noted that R. Yosef Samiga, author of Mikra’ei Kodesh, is not the same R. Yosef Samiga of Constantinople, the teacher of the Kenesset HaGedolah, as demonstrated by Rabbi Y. Ch. Sofer (Shuvi HaShulamit, VII, §15).