Letters relating to the Nehemiah Hiyya Hayon controversy [Italy, late 17th century–1729]

174 leaves, various sizes as large as 8 ¼ x 5 7/8 inches; 210 x 150 mm, written in various Italian cursive and semi-cursive Hebrew scripts, early foliation in Hebrew letters:1-9 [1],10-17 [1], 18-27, 29 [1], 30-126 [1], 127-140 [3], 141-152 [1], 153-160 [1], 161-165 [1] = 174 leaves;  modern foliation in pencil with errors; a few stains and repaired tears, a few outer margins strengthened touching a few words, a few leaves loose in binding; library stamp on last page.  Library buckram.

This volume contains a collection of letters and pamphlets concerning the controversy that swirled around Nehemiah Hayon (ca. 1655–ca.1730), an itinerant kabbalist who was accused of being a follower of the false messiah, Sabbetai Zevi. Numerous rabbis in Italy and Holland were involved in the fierce polemics and a large body of literature was produced on this subject. This manuscript comprises some forty letters, among them several written in Italian in Latin characters. According to Menahem Friedman, the Italian letters may have been translated from Spanish-Portuguese. Some of the letters are autographs. In addition, the manuscript contains parts of published pamphlets as follows (modern pencil pagination): Sefer Shalhevet Yah (fols. 43r-62v); Moda’a Rabba (fols. 63r-72v); Tokhhat Megullah (fols. 99r-104v) and Shever Posh'im, in an order different from the printed edition (fols. 148r-159r, 161r-168v).  Fols. 11r-15v contain a letter regarding a woman of loose virtue. This letter was printed in Pahad Yitzhak, part 2, pp. 146b-149a.  Fol. 174r provides a list of polemical works based on Jonathan Eibeschutz’ Luhot ha-Edut (cited by Friedman as fol. 177r). On a loose, small sheet, pasted to fol. 174v (in Friedman as 184v) is a note about texts that discuss amulets. This manuscript was sold in these rooms Important Hebrew Manuscripts from the Montefiore Endowment, Sale, Sotheby's NY, Oct 27–28, lot 351.

LITERATURE:
Hirschfeld (ms. no. 469); Some 36 letters from this manuscript were published by M. Friedman, "Letters relating to the Nehemiah Hiya Hayon controversy." in Sefunot 10 (1966), pp. 485-619, and a description of the manuscript on pp. 485-486.

PROVENANCE:
Solomon Halberstam (shelf #32); Important Hebrew Manuscripts from the Montefiore Endowment, Sale, Sotheby's NY, Oct 27/28, lot 351.