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Discovery: Kabbalistic Manuscript - by Rabbi Moshe ibn Tzur! Annotated by Rabbi Masoud Amsellem North Africa, Mid-19th Century *   Me'aras Sadeh HaMachpelah is a Kabbalistic work by Rabbi Moshe ibn Tzur of Fez, one of the Moroccan kabbalists of the late seventeenth century. The work is remarkable in both its structure and content, consisting of three sections: 1. A poetic composition entitled ‘Me'aras Sadeh HaMachpelah, ’ based on the sefer Otzros Chaim of Rabbi Chaim Vital. 2. Surrounding each stanza is a Kabbalistic commentary entitled ‘Divrei Kabbalah, ’ following the teachings of the Arizal and explaining the corresponding verse. 3. An additional commentary, ‘Halachah LeMoshe, ’ presents allusions and references to the same subject. In the present manuscript, this section is copied separately from the first two and is bound at the end of the volume. The work remained in manuscript form for many years and was first printed only in Jerusalem in 1910, with warm approbations from the rabbanim and kabbalists of Jerusalem, among them Rabbi Chaim Shaul Dweck HaKohen (HaSade”h), who described it as “a most precious and exalted sefer.” A sample comparison of several passages reveals an extraordinary number of textual variations between this manuscript and the printed edition — virtually every section examined contains many differences! These variations are mainly alternative wording, the omission or addition of words, and even entire sentences. Apart from this preliminary examination, the manuscript has never been studied. It clearly deserves a meticulous comparison with the printed edition in order to establish the author's authentic text. The manuscript contains several handwritten annotations by the kabbalist Rabbi Masoud Amsellem, a Moroccan kabbalist in the nineteenth century. Rabbi Amsellem owned numerous important manuscripts, to which he added his own handwritten annotations. One of his notes is signed “HaMa'amitz” (“The young Masoud Amsellem, may Hashem protect him”; p. 107). On the opening page appears a lengthy note beginning “Amar Masoud HaTza'ir” (“So said the young Masoud”), discussing the identity of the author's family. Page 104 bears the ornate signature of the scribe: “Yaakov Vaknin.” Throughout the manuscript are additional signed annotations reading “היו”ן” or “הי”ו” (“The young Yaakov Vaknin, may his light shine”). Most of these annotations are correcting errors introduced by earlier copyists. North Africa, approx. mid-19th century . Contains [160] written pages and additional blank leaves. Apparently lacking one or two leaves at the beginning. Average height: 23.5 cm. Condition: Good to fair. Small holes throughout the leaves. Light stains. Fine marbled binding with vellum spine and corners.