Bidspirit auction | Likutei Torah by the Holy

Likutei Torah by the Holy Maggid Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl Chernowitz, 1859. First Edition. The Rare Edition * Chiddushim and commentaries on the Torah following the path of chassidus by the holy and illustrious chassid, the renowned tzaddik Rabbi Mordechai Twersky, the Maggid of Chernobyl, son of the Meor Einayim, and father to the distinguished dynasties of Chernobyl, Trisk, Tolna, Skver, Rachmastrivka, and others. Presented here is the first printing (mahadura kama) of the first edition . The sefer was originally printed in the same year in two consecutive editions, with slight variations between them (see below). An extremely important chassidic sefer, reprinted over the following thirty years in at least nine different editions! The Sanzer Rebbe writes in his approbation: “I found words in this holy sefer that are precious and sweet like fine honey, and I know that I have not been able to comprehend even one in a thousand of its hidden mysteries… It enlightens the eyes and awakens the heart to cleave to the Creator.” The Komarno Rebbe writes in his sefer Heichal HaBrachah: “The new sefer from the holy one of Chernobyl, Rabbi Mordechai — cleave to it, for it is all holy of holiness, pure and refined.” Likutei Torah is a segulah sefer. It is well-known in the name of the Divrei Yechezkel of Shinova that every Jew should possess the holy sefer Likutei Torah, together with his tallis and tefillin, and should learn a portion of it every day with purity of thought, and it will serve as a special segulah (see the introduction to the new edition). The sefer was printed at the behest of the author’s son, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael of Cherkas, who entrusted the manuscript to his son-in-law, Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Tlamitch, who served as the publisher. At the beginning of the sefer there are approbations from great tzaddikim: the Rebbe of Sanz, who later granted an additional approbation for the Lemberg edition of 1866; Rabbi Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura, who describes the author as “my uncle”; and Rabbi Yeshaya Schorr, rav of Chernowitz. The Maggid Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl (1770–1837) was the son of the famed tzaddik Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl, author of Meor Einayim. In his first marriage, he was the son-in-law of Rabbi Aharon HaGadol of Karlin, and in his second, the son-in-law of Rabbi Dovid Leikes, disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. He was one of the leading rebbes of his generation — “his righteousness and fear of Heaven were known across the land, ” as described by the Shoel U’Meishiv, who testified that the Sar Shalom of Belz once said that had the author of Likutei Torah lived in his country, he would have traveled several miles to visit him (from his approbation to the Lemberg 1866 edition). All his sons and sons-in-law were among the tzaddikim of the generation, including Rabbi Avraham of Trisk, Rabbi Dovid of Tolna, Rabbi Aharon of Chernobyl, Rabbi Yitzchak of Skver, and others. Chernowitz, 1859. First Edition. Page Count: [2], 43, 43–63, [1] leaves. Condition: Good to fair; small holes on the first and last leaves, stains on lower margins. Fine new leather binding. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — On the first and second printings of the first edition: The sefer appeared in the same year, 1859, in two distinct issues by the same printer. In the first, a Luach HaTa’us (leaf of errata) was included, and two names of workers of the printing press appear. Shortly thereafter, likely due to the great demand for the sefer, a second issue was printed, in which the errors were corrected in the text itself; thus, that version lacks the errata leaf and bears the names of two other printing press workers. The present copy is the first issue (mahdura kama) of the first edition — the very first printing ever to disseminate the sacred teachings of the holy author. See: Yitzchak Yudlov, “Typographical Variations in Hebrew Books, ” Areshet, vol. VI (Jerusalem, 1981), p. 120, no. 36.