Bidspirit auction | Famous Segulah Sefer – Raziel

Famous Segulah Sefer – Raziel HaMalach – Chassidic Edition with a Kabbalistic Teaching from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev – Kapust, 1820 * An early Kabbalistic sefer discussing the Heavenly bodies and angels, the creation of the world, amulets, and the invocation of angels, spirits, and demons. This was the copy of Rabbi Chaim Berlin, with his handwritten glosses – see below. The sefer is one of the earliest sources for various forms of protection and segulos and is famous as a segulah and a source of protection simply through its presence in one’s home! The title page states: “It is an effective segulah for every household in Yisrael: to merit seeing sons and grandsons who are wise and understanding, for success and blessing, to extinguish a fire in the home, and to prevent a destructive force or harmful spirit from dwelling in his midst. Whoever keeps this holy, precious and awe-inspiring sefer stored and hidden together with his silver, gold and valuables, shall merit swift salvation in times of illness and distress, and all Bnei Torah will attest to this.” On leaf 29 appears a Kabbalistic note, followed by the words: “Thus was it received by our master and teacher, the G-dly man and holy luminary, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, who heard it from the holy lips of our master and teacher, the G-dly man, Rabbi Dov Ber, of blessed and holy memory.” The Maggid of Kozhnitz also discussed this note in his glosses, published in Warsaw in 1812. The note first appeared in the Minkovitz edition of 1805, which was printed with the blessing of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak. However, due to the profound sanctity of the sefer, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak would not agree to write an approbation for it! Instead, in 1803, he wrote an approbation for the sefer Midrash Tanchuma, in which he expressed his approval for the printing of Raziel HaMalach. The very existence of this note from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak is unknown to the public. A search of available databases yielded no reference to it. This edition was printed in Kapust by the renowned Chabad printer Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe. Most of the volume is printed on bluish-green paper. Some copies were printed on ordinary paper, including the copy digitized by the National Library of Israel. Kapust, 1820. Page Count: 50 leaves. Size: 20.5 cm. Condition: Good. The sefer underwent professional restoration. Restored holes, some affecting a few words. Marginal restoration to the title page and several additional leaves. _________________________ Handwritten Glosses by Rabbi Chaim Berlin Thirteen pages contain glosses in the fine handwriting of the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Berlin, Av Beis Din of Moscow and later one of the Gedolei Hador in Yerushalayim. He was the son of the Netziv. Several pages are densely filled with his glosses. His stamps appear in several places throughout the volume. Glosses by a Lithuanian Gaon on a Kabbalistic sefer are highly uncommon! Although Rabbi Chaim came from a distinctly Misnagdic background, he was beloved and highly regarded among Chassidim, both during his younger years when he served as Rav of Kobrin and later while residing in Biala.