Shnei Luhot ha-Brit, Isaiah ben Abraham ha-Levi Horowitz, Amsterdam: Immanuel ben Joseph Athias: 1698

482 leaves (11 ¾ x 7 3/8 in.; 297 x 185 mm). FOLIATION: [4],1-422,1- 44 [12]. Engraved title attributed to Abraham ben Jacob. Two letterpress titles, the first to main work and another for Vavei ha-Amudim. Previous owners’ signatures on letterpress title page and verso of final numbered leaf, f. 44v. Lightly browned and stained; engraved title and final leaf, mounted; first letterpress title remargined with loss of a few words on verso; first few leaves strengthened at gutter and with marginal repairs. Inkstain, biting through, second ff. 18-23. Speckled edges. Later three quarter morocco over green cloth; titles gilt.

Vinograd, Amsterdam 668; Fuks, Amstersdam 405.

The author of this work, Isaiah ha-Levi Horowitz (1556-1630), is universally referred to as the SHeLaH ha-Kadosh, or the holy SheLaH, based on the acronym of the title of this, his magnum opus. This encyclopedic compilation, first published in 1648, blended ritual, ethics, and mysticism into a seamless whole, making kabbalah broadly accessible beyond the narrow confines of the scholarly elite. Among the most beautifully produced Hebrew printed books, this third edition, issued with Vavei ha-Amudim, an extensive introduction by the SHeLaH's son Shabtai Sheftel Horowitz, is held in special esteem by Hassidim, who cherish it due to its having been printed in the birth-year of Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism.