Bidspirit auction | The Personal Yom Kippur Machzor

The Personal Yom Kippur Machzor of the Gerrer Rebbe, the “Pnei Menachem, ” Used by Him in His Divine Service on the Holiest Day, with Additions in His Holy Handwriting and a Kabbalistic Prayer in His Holy Handwriting – Part IV - The Personal Yom Kippur Machzor of the Gerrer Rebbe, the “Pnei Menachem, ” Used by Him in His Divine Service on the Holiest Day, with Additions in His Holy Handwriting – Including a Kabbalistic Prayer Entirely in His Handwriting Machzor for Yom Kippur – Machzor Kol Bo HaShalem, with commentary by the sages of Ashkenaz, Nusach Sefard. Jerusalem, 1981. Before us is one of the most personal and moving sacred objects from the spiritual world of the Gerrer Rebbe, the “Pnei Menachem.” The complete Machzor comprised approximately one thousand pages. The Rebbe divided it into four separate volumes in order to facilitate its use during the lengthy Yom Kippur prayers. On the binding of each volume his name was embossed: “Machzor LeYom HaKippurim – Alter, ” indicating that the set was specially bound for his personal use. The present volume contains the Minchah and Ne’ilah services. At the end of the present volume, the Rebbe wrote in his holy handwriting: “With Hashem’s help, in His abundant goodness and kindness, Hashem has favored me, ” followed by his signature: “Pinchas Menachem Alter, of the holy city of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and established speedily in our days.” He further wrote: “I received [this], with Hashem’s help, from my son R. Y.D., shlita, ” followed by an additional line in his handwriting which we have been unable to decipher. The Rebbe’s Personal Resolutions for His Yom Kippur Avodah The principal distinction of this Machzor lies in the remarkable list of spiritual principles that the Rebbe wrote for himself, so that they would remain before his eyes throughout his service on the holiest day. At the beginning of the present volume, the Rebbe wrote: “With Hashem’s help, to endeavor to pray, recite blessings, study, and do everything for the sake of Heaven and to bring satisfaction to Hashem – and to be ashamed before Him.” On the penultimate leaf, the Rebbe inscribed the sacred Divine Names “Havayah” and “Ehyeh” in his own holy handwriting – a brief inscription bearing inner significance according to Kabbalistic tradition. Beneath the Divine Names, the Rebbe once again wrote the resolutions appearing at the beginning of the volume: “With Hashem’s help, to endeavor to pray, recite blessings, study, and do everything for the sake of Heaven and to bring satisfaction to Hashem – and to be ashamed before Him.” He then listed seven concise and fundamental principles in his own holy handwriting, reflecting his innermost spiritual world: 1) Hashem has greater compassion upon me than anyone who could have compassion upon me, and He protects me even when I do not protect myself. 2) All good that comes from anyone is entirely from Hashem; they are all His emissaries. 3) All goodness is bestowed through Hashem’s kindness, and not because we are deserving. 4) Hashem knows whether our trust in Him is complete, and nothing can be concealed from Him. 5) Nothing can be added to or subtracted from Hashem’s decree, except through prayer to Him. 6) To endeavor to fulfill the teaching of Chazal: “Make your will like His will, ” etc. 7) To rejoice and thank Hashem that He did not make me a non-Jew. These are not merely scholarly annotations, but a personal program of spiritual conduct written by the Rebbe for himself, intended to accompany him throughout every stage of his Yom Kippur avodah. The inscriptions open a rare window into the inner world of one of the great Jewish leaders of the previous generation and reveal the fundamental principles upon which he sought to reflect repeatedly during the most exalted hours of the holy day. “LeDavid Hashem Ori VeYishi” – The Entire Psalm in the Rebbe’s Holy Handwriting At the conclusion of Maariv following Yom Kippur, after noting that the Machzor itself does not print the Psalm “LeDavid Hashem Ori VeYishi, ” since not all communities customarily recite it, the Rebbe copied out the entire Psalm, from beginning to end, in his own holy handwriting! The fact that he copied the entire Psalm, rather than merely writing a reminder to recite it, demonstrates that he wished his personal Machzor to contain everything necessary for his avodah, precisely in accordance with his own practice. In this way, he transformed a printed prayer book into a personal book of Divine service, fashioned according to his own spiritual path. A Special Kabbalistic Prayer with Sacred Names – Entirely in the Rebbe’s Handwriting Of exceptional significance, the present volume contains a special Kabbalistic prayer copied by the Rebbe in his own holy handwriting, incorporating sacred Divine Names. The prayer has its source in the writings of the Arizal and is customarily recited when the Ark is opened,