Important Judaica

Important Judaica

Compilation of Kabbalistic Texts, [17th century]

Auction Closed

December 18, 04:51 PM GMT

Estimate

5,000 - 7,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Fols. 1r-7v: Sefer ha-Yihud, a commentary on the ten sefirot composed by members of the Iyyun circle, a group of early kabbalists, who probably lived in Provence and produced the Sefer ha-Iyyun and other anonymous kabbalistic works. See G. Scholem, in Kiryat Sefer, x (1933/34), p. 503, no. 37.


Fols. 7v-8r: Another commentary on the Sefirot. See G. Scholem, in Kiryat Sefer, x (1933/34), p. 507, no. 87.

Fol. 8r-v: A fragment on the story of Creation in Genesis according to the kabbalah attributed to Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides).


Fols. 9r-11v: Another commentary on the sefirot. Imperfect, the beginning of the text is missing.


Fols. 11v-18r: Azriel of Gerona's Sha’ar ha-Sho’el on the ten sefirot. Printed in Derekh Emunah by Meir ibn Gabbai (Constantinople, 1560). See G. Scholem, in Kiryat Sefer, x (1933/34), p. 500, no. 9.


Fols. 18r-19v: Kelal Ehad me-Inyan ha-Kabbalah, a commentary on the Sefirot. See G. Scholem, in Kiryat Sefer, x (1933/34), p. 498, no. 2. On fol. 19v a piece on the revelation of Elijah to the early kabbalists. See G. Scholem, Reshit ha-Kabbalah (Jerusalem, 1948), p. 96.


Fols. 20r-26v : Extracts on kabbalah, among them from a commentary on the prayers for Rosh Hashanah by Azriel and extracts on the sefirot and on the Divine Name of four letters both by Azriel. Some of these extracts were printed in a different order at the end of Moses de Leon’s Sefer ha-Nefesh ha-Hakhomah (Basel, 1608).


Fols. 26v-83v: Jacob ben Jacob ha-Kohen’s commentary on Ezekiel’s Chariot. This copy is incomplete as the scribe noted on fol. 83v. Only a few pages of text are missing. The author was identified by G. Scholem, Reshit ha-Kabbalah (Jerusalem, 1948), p. 20, note 1.


Fols. 84r-86v: Part of another commentary on the Chariot; the end of the text is missing.


Sotheby’s is grateful to Menahem Schmelzer z”l and Benjamin Richler for cataloguing this manuscript.


Provenance

Zemah ben Mordecai (inscription, fol. 86v) — Solomon Halberstam (shelf no. 388)


Physical Description

89 leaves on paper, 7 x 5 inches; 178 x 128 mm, written in black ink in Oriental semi-cursive script, catchwords, modern foliation in pencil; first leaf partially detached, some dampstaining, fols. 1-3, 86 remargined and laminated, fol. 86 mounted with much of the text lacking, fols. 81-86 are bound backwards and upside down at the end of the manuscript. Half morocco over cloth; scuffed, tear to cloth on lower cover.


Literature

Hirschfeld (ms. no. 354)

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