Bidspirit auction | Ahavat Olam. Constantinople, 1642. One

Ahavat Olam. Constantinople, 1642. One of the Rare Books of Constantinople. Bearing the Handwritten Signature of the Rashash. - Ahavat Olam, containing twenty-six sermons on Torah, Divine service, and acts of kindness, delivered by the gaon Rabbi Nissim Shlomo Algazi, Av Beit Din of Izmir. Printed in Constantinople at the press of Shlomo Franco, by his son Avraham Franco and his son-in-law Yaakov Gabai. First edition. Before us is one of the rare and desirable books printed in Constantinople, dating from the early revival of Hebrew printing in that city after decades of inactivity. A.Y. Yaari, in his work Hebrew Printing in Constantinople (p. 147), writes that this was the first or second book printed at the new press of the Franco family, established after approximately forty years during which no Hebrew press operated in Constantinople. The present volume is the first part of a four-part collection of sermons by the author. The remaining parts are: Ratzuf Ahavah, Minchat Erev, and Orchot Tzaddikim. Handwritten Signature of the Rashash On leaf 4 appears the sacred handwritten signature of Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi – the Rashash, written in his characteristic square script. The first letter, shin, is lacking. Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi (approx. 1720–1777), one of the greatest kabbalists of all generations, was born in Sharab, Yemen, and journeyed in his youth to Jerusalem by way of Bombay, Basra, Baghdad, and Damascus. At first he concealed his greatness in Kabbalah, but once his stature became known, his teacher Rabbi Gedaliah Chayon appointed him head of the kabbalistic academy Beit El in Jerusalem. The Chida greatly praised him, writing: “A holy one in our generation, a wondrous kabbalist… he virtually knew Etz Chaim by heart… and directed all the intentions of the Ari z”l…” Among his foremost disciples were: the Chida, Maharit Algazi, Rabbi Avraham Gershon of Kitov (brother-in-law of the Baal Shem Tov), Rabbi Chaim de la Rosa, and others. Description of the Copy The complete book contains 154 leaves [though some bibliographical records mistakenly state 157]. In the present copy: the title page is supplied in facsimile; two leaves following it, containing the introductions, are lacking, as are the two index leaves at the end. The main body of the text is complete, including all of the sermons. It is possible that the book was already lacking at the beginning when it was in the possession of the Rashash, which would explain why he signed on leaf 4. Before us is a highly distinguished and exceptionally rare copy, linking the early Hebrew printing of Constantinople with one of the greatest kabbalists of Jerusalem. Condition: Good. Stains. Minor worming. Leather binding.