Three Kabbalistic Treatises: Ma‘ayan Gannim (The Spring of the Gardens), Menahem Azariah of Fano; Sefer ha-Kavvanot (Book of Intentions), Moses Zacuto; and Kabbalistic Discourse, Israel Isaiah Norzi [Italy: 17th century]

33 leaves in three volumes (8 1/8 x 6 in.; 205 x 152 mm) 13, 16, 4 ff. Written in several Italian semi-cursive scripts in brown ink, catchwords, modern foliation in pencil (with errors); fol. 3 lacking a portion of the inner margin affecting a few letters of the text, some stains, several loose leaves.

The Judith Lady Montefiore College at Ramsgate, England (ff. 9r, 32v).

Yosef Avivi, “The Kabbalistic Writings of Rabbi Menahem Azariah da Fano,” Sefunot 19 (1989): 347-376 (in Hebrew); Yosef Avivi, “Clean Flour – Rabbi Moses Zacuto’s Sifter,” Pe‘amim 96 (2003): 71-106

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Vol. 1: Extract taken from Ma’amar Ma‘yan Gannim, Rabbi Menahem Azariah da Fano’s (1548-1620) treatise on the kavvanot (mystical intentions) required during prayer throughout the year on weekdays, Sabbaths, and holidays. The present manuscript includes the text discussing the kavvanot for the sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. While Ma’amar Ma‘yan Gannim has been printed in its entirety twice (Munkács, 1900; Jerusalem, 1997), the publishers made several mistakes, left out certain kavvanot completely, and did not print the marginalia found in this text (ff. 6b, 8a).

 

Vol. 2: Extract taken from Sefer ha-Kavvanot, the book of Lurianic kavvanot edited by Rabbi Moses Zacuto (ca. 1620-1697). The present manuscript includes the section on the kavvanot for the High Holy Days. It was evidently copied from ff. 123r-141r of MS Livorno, Talmud Torah 72, a book inscribed by several of Zacuto’s students that features marginalia in Zacuto’s own hand. While the comments in the Livorno manuscript were added somewhat haphazardly, here they are laid out elegantly and in order, with the body of the text in the middle and the comments on the sides. The treatise was never printed.

 

Vol. 3: An unpublished kabbalistic discourse by Rabbi Israel Isaiah Norzi, a student of Rabbi Menahem Azariah da Fano. The manuscript features extensive marginalia and corrections.