Bidspirit auction | Tzuk Ha’itim A Gripping Account

Tzuk Ha’itim A Gripping Account of the Chmielnicki Massacres of 1648–1649, Recorded Near the Time of Their Occurrence Venice, 1656 * Tzuk Ha’itim is an early sefer that contains a tragic and historical account of the terrible events that transpired in 1648–1649 throughout Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. It was composed by Rabbi Meir, the son of Shmuel of Shebreshin (see below). In 1648, the uprising of the Cossacks erupted under the leadership of the cruel Bogdan Chmielnicki. During this revolt, the Cossacks murdered tens of thousands of Jews al Kiddush Hashem in horrific ways, completely destroyed whole communities, and nearly succeeded in bringing about the complete annihilation of the Jews of the region. The sefer was composed in 1650, remarkably close to the period of the events themselves, and it is regarded as the earliest chronicle of the massacres. In this work, the author recounts the histories of numerous communities, the various measures undertaken by each one in an effort to save themselves before the massacres, and the heart-rending scenes of Jews who gave up their lives al Kiddush Hashem rather than be forced to convert. The present edition was printed in 1656, only eight years after the outbreak of the massacres. At the time of printing, disturbances were still occurring in several places, albeit on a smaller scale. This sefer is regarded to this day as one of the primary historical sources for understanding the events of those difficult years. A rare and most important work. Among the historically significant accounts, whose source originates from this sefer, is the painful narrative of the murder of Rabbi Yechiel Michel, Av Beis Din of Nemirov, Hy”d, author of Shivrei Luchos. Rabbi Yechiel Michel was one of the Gedolei Hador; the Shach refers to him as “the treasure of Yisrael, the strength of our pride, ” and the Tosfos Yom Tov composed a lamentation upon his murder. Venice, 1656. Page Count: 11 leaves. Size: 17.6 cm. Condition : Good; slight repair to the title page, a few tiny holes. New binding. ---------------- Literary Theft Reports of the massacres spread throughout the entire world, largely through refugees who survived and managed to flee. Consequently, this work — which deals directly with the massacres — spread like wildfire and was printed in three different editions within only six years! It was first printed in Cracow in 1650, where the author’s name was recorded as Rabbi Meir, the son of Shmuel of Shebreshin. It was then printed again in Salonika in 1652, bearing the same author's name. This sefer is the third edition, printed in Venice, Italy. In this edition, the real author’s name was removed from both the title page and the introduction, and in its place appeared the name of a “new” author: Yehoshua, the son of Dovid of Lvov! The original author had hinted at his name in the acronym of several passages, as well as in the acrostic of consecutive sections. In the present edition, however, the publisher altered those very passages, adjusting them so that the initials would support the substituted name.