Bidspirit auction | Sdei Chemed – First Edition.

Sdei Chemed – First Edition. Author’s Presentation Inscription and Manuscript Annotations. Warsaw, 1891 - Sdei Chemed – First Edition. Author’s Presentation Inscription and Manuscript Annotations. Warsaw, 1891 Sdei Chemed, comprising Talmudic principles, halachic rules, and a comprehensive collection of legal discussions, by the gaon Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, author of the renowned Sdei Chemed. Warsaw, 1891. Two parts. First edition. A distinguished copy featuring the author’s presentation inscription and scholarly manuscript annotations. Affixed to the reverse of the title page of Part III is the author’s printed presentation label, titled “Mizkeret Ahavat Dodim” (“A Token of Affection”). In the present copy, Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini personally added in his autograph the name of the recipient, the gaon Rabbi Shabtai Frumkin, together with his official rabbinical stamp as Chief Rabbi of Karasubazar (Bilohirsk) in Crimea. Both volumes contain numerous scholarly manuscript annotations, which have not been researched. The author, Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini (1833–1904), was one of the foremost halachic authorities of the modern era. Universally known by the title of his monumental work Sdei Chemed, he became one of the most influential rabbinic figures of his generation. Recognized as a prodigy from childhood, he received rabbinic ordination at an exceptionally young age. For thirty-three years he served as Chief Rabbi of Karasubazar in Crimea, where he led a far-reaching spiritual revival, instituted important communal enactments, and strengthened Torah observance throughout the region. His reputation spread throughout the Jewish world, and rabbinic authorities from distant lands sought his guidance on complex halachic matters. He was held in equally high esteem by local government officials and by the non-Jewish population, who regarded him as a saintly and influential figure. In 1899 he fulfilled his lifelong aspiration of settling in the Holy Land, establishing himself in Hebron, where he served as the city’s rabbi until his passing. Part I: Kuntres Ha-Kelalim – first section, covering the letters Aleph through Heh. Part III: Divrei Chachamim – a collection of responsa, scholarly notes, and novellae from leading rabbis of the period, accompanied by the author's comments. 240 pages. 32 cm. Condition: Good to very good. Minor age stains and signs of use. Author’s presentation inscription and stamp. Manuscript annotations throughout. A notable provenance copy of considerable research interest.