Compilation of Kabbalistic Texts, [Italy, 18th century]

This volume contains extracts from texts on Lurianic kabbalah, mainly from the school of Moses Zacuto (Amsterdam ca. 1610–Mantua 1696). Many of the extracts are from Zacuto's Sefer Kavvanot  (book of mystical intentions), and some are from works by Hayyim Vital and others. Includes, inter alia, kavvanot for the festivals (fols. 3r-30v), on the shofar copied from the autograph of Zacuto (fols. 73r-75v), and mystical explanations of zizzit (fols. 87r-94r). Some of the extracts are from the book Mishnat Hasidim by Immanuel Hai Ricchi (fol. 2v). There is a passage from Vital's Ozerot Hayyim (fols. 35v-36r), a piece on the sufferings preceding the coming of the Messiah by Vital (fols. 36v-40v), and excerpts from an anonymous collection of homiletics and ethics with Shabbatenean leanings (Hemdat Yamim on fol. 95r).

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

Provenance

Solomon Halberstam (shelf no. 39)

Physical Description

99 leaves on paper (27 blank), 7 ¾ x 5 ¾ inches; 197 x 145 mm, written in Italian semi-cursive script in brown ink, a few leaves in a different script, several tables, diagrams of amulets (fol. 45r), catchwords, modern foliation in pencil; fol. 45r diagrams of amulets, overall in fine condition. Tan paper wrappers.

Literature

Hirschfeld (ms. no. 357)