Bidspirit auction | Very Rare: Zichron Moshe, Three

Very Rare: Zichron Moshe, Three Parts – Abridged Halachic Rulings of the Chida – First Edition, 1830 * The Chida, a man of encyclopedic brilliance, authored many sefarim and constantly sought to improve them, adding in his later sefarim to what he had written in his earlier ones. Yet, as is known, some of his sefarim are rare, and in general, it is rare to find a collection of the Chida’s sefarim in one place. One who wishes to encompass the full breadth of the Chida’s teachings must turn to many of his sefarim. For this reason, his grandson, Rabbi Moshe son of Rabbi Rafael Yeshayah Azulai, rose to the challenge and compiled the halachic rulings of the Chida in Birkei Yosef, Machzik Brachah, and others into one abridged sefer, so that they would be readily available in brief form for those who issue halachic rulings. The sefer was printed in three parts, and all three are together in the present copy. Part I: Orach Chaim. Livorno, 1830. Includes detailed indexes, headed by a special title page named Zichron L’Moshe (after leaf 67). On leaf 84, a Kabbalistic passage from the handwritten manuscript of the Chida was printed . From leaf 85 until the end, the teshuvos Tiferes Moshe by the editor’s father, Rabbi Rafael Yeshayah Azulai, Av Beis Din of Ancona, the firstborn son of the Chida, were printed. Part II: Yoreh Deah. Livorno, 1834. At the beginning of this part are approbations from the sages of Italy. Includes detailed indexes, headed by a special title page named Zichron L’Moshe, Part II (leaf 86). Afterward, he printed Zichron Basefer, which omits Zichron Moshe, Part I, on Orach Chaim. Part III: Even HaEzer and Choshen Mishpat. Livorno, 1840 . At the beginning of this part are additional approbations from the sages of Italy. Includes detailed indexes, headed by a special title page named Zichron L’Moshe, Part III (leaf 38). The index Makom Dovid was printed afterward, which the Chida himself prepared in an earlier period (leaves 61–74). On the final leaf, the grandson printed the list of the Chida’s sefarim. In the sefer, Rabbi Moshe sometimes included practices followed by the Chida, as well as his own rulings. These sefarim are hard to find, and in complete condition are exceptionally rare. Rabbi Moshe Azulai (1787-1853 or earlier) was the beloved grandson of the Chida, who called him “Moshe Charif” and “Moshe Sapir.” Before he was born, the Chida instructed his son Rabbi Rafael Yeshayah to name his son “Moshe, ” for just as Moshe Rabbeinu was the seventh generation from Avraham Avinu, Rabbi Moshe was the seventh generation, son after son, from Rabbi Avraham Azulai, author of Chesed L’Avraham. Besides the present halachic abridgment that he edited, he also authored Lechem Min Hashamayim, containing selections on the Torah, of which he printed only two parts. A total of three volumes — a complete set. Livorno, 1830–1840. First and rare edition. Page Count: Part I: [1], 84, [1], 85–118 leaves. Part II: 112 leaves. Part III: 82 leaves. (In the Institute for Hebrew Bibliography, an additional [1] leaf is recorded at the end of Part III. This leaf is not in the present copy, but it is also not in the scanned copy in Otzar HaChochmah, nor in copies of important private collections that were checked by Zaidy Auction House, and was not recorded by Meir Benayahu in Sefer HaChida.) Condition : Overall good, repair on the back of the title page of Part I, a few holes and stains. Fine old bindings. Bibliography : Benayahu, Sefer HaChida, Chapter III, Kitzurim V’Asufot, pp. 250–252, no. 4a–c. - - - - - - - - - - The Abridgments of the Chida’s Sefarim There is little need to elaborate on the Chida’s immense influence. His greatness in Torah, together with his vast breadth of knowledge, stemming in part from his direct acquaintance with antique manuscripts he encountered during his travels, granted him halachic stature as one of the greatest poskim of all times. One expression of this far-reaching influence was the work of abridging the Chida’s sefarim, which was done in order to assist learners in quickly reaching the practical written halachic ruling. The first abridgment was prepared for the sefer Birkei Yosef by Rabbi Avraham Pinso, and was called Mishpat Kasuv. The sefer was printed during the Chida’s lifetime in Salonika in 1798, and the Chida saw it and mentions it in one of his sefarim. The present abridgment, compiled by the Chida’s grandson, focuses mainly on rulings that were not brought in Mishpat Kasuv, and it has an additional advantage in that it was written with familiarity with the later sefarim of the Chida, which were printed after 1798. - - - - - - - - - - The detailed indexes were prepared by Rabbi Moshe, the Chida's grandson, from no fewer than seventeen sefarim by the Chida! These are: Sha’ar Yosef; Birkei Yosef; Machzik Brachah; Pesach Einayim; Chaim She’al, two parts; Ein Zocher and Midbar Kedemos; Rosh Dovid; Pnei Dovid; Kisei Dovid; Lev Dovid and B”A;