Bidspirit auction | Or ha-Ḥamah By the holy Gaon

Or ha-Ḥamah By the holy Gaon Rabbi Avraham Azulai Part I: Sefer Bereshit Jerusalem — the press of Yoel Moshe Salomon 1876 - “Sefer Or ha-Ḥamah, being the second part of the work Kiryat Arba… I, the youth, brought it forth today — Avraham son of the honorable Rabbi Mordekhai Azulai, of blessed memory — and it is a commentary on the Zohar of the holy Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai…” The commentary is called Kiryat Arba because it is founded upon four commentators of the Zohar: the Ramak, R. Ḥayyim Vital [mentioned wth the reference to the living], the Ari, and a commentary found on margins whose authorship is unknown; and also because it was composed in Kiryat Arba, which is Ḥevron. Brought to the printer through the efforts of Rabbi Yitzḥak Itzik Beh’em and Rabbi Shne’ur Zalman son of Rabbi Naḥum Yosef, of blessed memory, Shneorsohn. At the beginning of the volume: Author’s preface, containing the story of his life and his quest for the wisdom of the hidden Torah, a description of the writings of the Ramak and the Ari and the manuscript of R. Ḥayyim Vital. At the end of the preface: a poem whose initials spell “Avraham Azulai” cmposed by R. Israel Najara [the author of the hymn Kah Ribbon]. An introduction to the book — recounting the transmission of the Zohar and Ra‘aya Meheimna. An approbation by Rabbi Yisrael Binyamin, a contemporary of the author. Approbations by Rabbi Avraham Ashkenazi [Rishon le-Tzion] and Rabbi Meir Auerbach [Imrei Binah], both from the year 1871. An additional approbation by these rabbis from the year 1875. The words of the publishers. Approbations by the Divrei Ḥayyim of Sanz,   the Yetev Lev, and the Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Heller, rabbi of Safed, all from the year 1876. At the end of the book were printed the words of the one who brought it to press, Rabbi Yitzḥak Itzik Bahem, including words of gratitude to ”the gaon, scion of holiness, the famed tzaddik Rabbi Yeḥezkel Shraga Halberstam” — the Rebbe of Shinova — who saw the book while in Jerusalem, and toiled and labored and urged by his letters that there be no rest nor quiet… and became a helper and supporter in the printing expenses. Owner’s signature: Gavriel Vidislavski of Lodz.