Bidspirit auction | Leket HaKemach – First Edition

Leket HaKemach – First Edition in Pocket Format | A Foundational Halachic Work of the Early Eighteenth Century - Leket HaKemach, a compendium of halachic rulings by the renowned Rabbi Moshe Hagiz. Two parts: Orach Chaim and Yoreh De’ah. Amsterdam, 1707. First edition. The first edition of one of the most important and widely used halachic works of the early Acharonic period. Printed in a small and uncommon pocket-sized format, it was intended for practical daily use and study, quickly becoming an indispensable reference for scholars and rabbinic authorities. The work presents a comprehensive collection of halachic rulings, responsa, and legal novelties drawn from the writings of later authorities and from manuscripts of leading sages. Owing to its importance, portions of the work were later incorporated into various editions of the Shulchan Aruch, earning it a place among the foundational works of practical halachah. The title HaKemach is an acronym for “HaKatan Moshe Hagiz” (“the humble Moshe Hagiz”), while the author refers to himself by the acronym HaMaNi’aCh – HaMelaket Moshe ben Yaakov Hagiz (“Moshe ben Yaakov Hagiz, the compiler”). The volume is adorned with an impressive array of approbations from leading rabbinic authorities of the era, including Rabbi Solomon de Oliveira, Rabbi Solomon Ayllon of Amsterdam, Rabbi David Oppenheim of Prague, Rabbi Abraham Broda, the rabbinical judges of Prague, Rabbi Jacob Reischer, author of Shevut Yaakov, and others. Rabbi Moshe Hagiz (1672–after 1750) was among the foremost sages of Jerusalem and one of the leading opponents of the Sabbatean movement in the generations following Shabbetai Tzvi. A disciple of Rabbi Moshe Galante, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and the first Rishon LeZion, he traveled extensively as an emissary of the Holy Land to Italy and Europe, eventually arriving in Amsterdam, where he published the present work. An attractive copy of the first edition of a significant halachic classic, authored by one of the most influential rabbinic figures of the eighteenth century. Orach Chaim: [4], 66 leaves. Yoreh De’ah: 133, [1] leaves. 14 cm. Condition: Very good. Contemporary leather binding, slightly loose.