Bidspirit auction | Meleches Machsheves Venice, 1710 With

Meleches Machsheves Venice, 1710 With Author’s Portrait! * Discourses on the weekly Torah portions by Rabbi Moshe Chefetz, one of the great Torah giants of Italy. A complete copy with its illustrated title page, the portrait of the author, the ”Index of Insights and Principles” diagram chart, and errata sheet. The sefer opens with an impressive full-page portrait of the author and a side caption alluding to his age. “In the year [5]740 (1710), at the age of one hundred (מאה)” — referring, in fact, to the numerical value of the word ”מאה, ” which equals 46 in gematria, the author's actual age at the time. Some mistakenly interpreted it to mean he was literally 100 years old. The author,   Rabbi Moshe Chefetz, was born in Trieste and raised in Venice, where he taught Torah to his students. He was well-versed in secular wisdom, science, and philosophy, as is evident from his magnum opus Meleches Machsheves. The author wrote the sefer to seek comfort and solace following the tragic passing of his beloved son, Rabbi Gershom, author of Yad Charuzim, in his prime years. Venice, 1710. First edition. Page Count: Portrait page, [10], 98 leaves. Page Size: 30 cm. References to sources in early handwriting appear on several leaves. Condition : Good-Fair, with attractive margins. Minor restorations to inner margins. Stains. Small tear on one leaf. New binding with spine and corners from leather (slightly worn). Provenance : William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv.