Bidspirit auction | Kabbalah. Tola’at Yaakov. Constantinople, [1560].

Kabbalah. Tola’at Yaakov. Constantinople, [1560]. First Edition. Nice copy! - Sefer Tola’at Yaakov, a kabbalistic commentary on the prayers “in four dimensions – Peshat, Remez, Din and Sod” — together with esoteric explanations of the festivals, by the renowned kabbalist Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai. Constantinople (Kushta), [Shin-Kaf = 1560]. First edition. A particularly fine and complete copy. Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai was among the leading kabbalists of the post-Expulsion generation. Born in Spain around 1480, he was exiled as a child in 1492, settled apparently in Turkey, and was later buried in Eretz Israel. He authored three major works of Kabbalah in which he developed original mystical doctrines. Tola’at Yaakov, his earliest work, was completed when he was only 26 years old. It presents a mystical commentary on the prayers following the PaRDeS method. “And I came only to reveal a little of what I received from sages and from the holy books that follow the Zohar, particularly from the last great masters — the divine Rabbi Meir Gabbai, the divine Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, and the saintly Rabbi Isaac Luria, may their memory be blessed.” (Shelah HaKadosh) An exceptionally rare book – the first kabbalistic commentary ever printed on the order of the prayers! The present copy is complete, including the preliminary leaf with the author’s poem — a leaf absent from most surviving copies. See A. Yaari, The Hebrew Press in Constantinople, Jerusalem 1967, no. 159 (he records [77] leaves, whereas this copy has [80]). Also referenced in: Stefansky Sefer Yesod no. 342; Yaari no. 159; Genzei Yisrael – Hailmann Collection no. 1054. [80] leaves. 19 cm. Wide margins. Very good condition. Time-stains. Original antique leather binding (front board detached).