Bidspirit auction | Sefer Sha‘arei Tzion – Early

Sefer Sha‘arei Tzion – Early Kabbalistic Manuscript, Illuminated. Turin, 1697. Montefiore Collection - Manuscript copy of the important kabbalistic work Sha‘arei Tzion by Rabbi Nathan Neta ben the holy Rabbi Moshe Hanover, of blessed memory. An early and handsome manuscript, copied from the first printed edition (1662), and among the earlier known handwritten exemplars of this foundational kabbalistic text. The decorated title page, executed by hand in ink and green-tinted watercolor, bears the inscription: “Copied by Avraham Shimshon son of Rabbi Yisrael Levi Fobini, may he live, here in Turin … in the year 1697.” In the colophon at the conclusion of the first section (fol. 49b) it is recorded: “Completed on the Fast of Gedaliah … in the year 1697, in glorious Turin, by … Avraham Shimshon son of Rabbi Yisrael Levi Fobini, may he live.” A precise and moving record of the completion of the manuscript on the Fast of Gedaliah in that year. In addition to Sha‘arei Tzion, the manuscript includes several kabbalistic treatises of considerable interest: Fol. 1a–49b: Sha‘arei Tzion. Fol. 51a–54a: Kavanot for the Shofar Blowing. Fol. 55a–67b: Megaleh Amukot – apparently an early version of teachings attributed to Rabbi Menachem Azariah of Fano in his work Kanfei Yonah. Fol. 69a: Segulot (Mystical Remedies). Fol. 70a–70b: Kabbalistic Miscellanies. 74 leaves in total, of which 69 are written on both sides. Size: 25 cm. On the front pastedown appears the Montefiore Library label, no. 346, attesting to its provenance from one of the most distinguished Jewish collections in Europe. The spine bears the stamped inscription MONTEFIORE. While other manuscripts of Sha‘arei Tzion are known, the present copy stands out for its early date, relative completeness, artistic title page, and documented place and date of copying. The combination of a central kabbalistic work, additional rare kabbalistic texts, explicit scribal colophon, and Montefiore provenance grants this manuscript exceptional bibliographical, scholarly, and collector significance. Very good condition. Minor time staining. Simple binding, slightly worn.