Bidspirit auction | Kodesh Kodashim — The “Asarah

Kodesh Kodashim — The “Asarah Ma’amaros” with the Holy Signature of the Ba’al Me’ir Nesivim ZYA”A Asarah Ma’amaros — Sodos HaTorah ve’kabbalah — by the holy mekubal Rabbi Menachem Azariah of Pano ZYA”A, with the commentary Yoel Moshe from the ksavim of the mekubal R’ Moshe Halevi Frankfurt of Zalkova. Amsterdam, 1649 — first edition. On page 4 appears the holy signature (partially covered by ink) of the gaon hakadosh, close talmid of the BeSh”T, Rabbi Meir Margolies ZYA”A, written while he served as Av Beis Din of Huradenka: מטת אלדי’ הוא זה הצעיר מאיר בלא״א המ״ג מהצבי הירש זל״ה מאזלאוויץ, ולא״א פ״ק האראדענקי At the top of page 41, he completed the page number in his holy ksav, forming the letters of his name — מאיר. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Why the Me’ir Nesivim Learned This Sefer — By Instruction of the BeSh”T It is well known that the Torah of the holy Ari was transmitted through his primary talmid, the Maharcha”v, and that the Ari warned not to rely on the writings of his other students. Nevertheless, many of the Ari’s disciples composed explanations and teachings from his Torah that became accepted in the world of Kabbalah — among them the Mahari Serug. The great leaders of Chassidus refrained from studying these works, with one notable exception: a talmid of the Mahari Serug — the Rema MiPano. As the Rebbe of Kamarna writes (Damasek Eliezer, os 52), in a mesorah he heard from his father, the Mahari of Kamarna, who received from his uncle C”K Admor m'Ziditshov, who received from the Chozeh of Lublin, who received from R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, who received from the Maggid of Mezritch, who received from the BeSh”T: “But in the writings of Rabbeinu Menachem Azariah (the Rema MiPano), one may learn at any time he desires.” Rabbeinu, a talmid muvhak of the BeSh”T, surely received this directive as well. It is therefore understood that he immersed himself in the teachings of the Rema MiPano — in the very sefer before us, Asarah Ma’amaros. In our general survey of Rabbeinu’s ksavim, we did not find an explicit reference where he cites the Rema MiPano or Asarah Ma’amaros by name. However, when Rabbeinu writes the phrase “kasvu haMekubalim, ” it is clear from context that he is referring to the Rema MiPano. For example, in Me’ir Nesivim (vol. 2, Remezim, daf 8b) he writes: “…it appears to me as a remez based on what the Mekubalim wrote — that through the his’orerus of the Akeidah, when Avraham bound Yitzchak, the dinim become bound…” This very yesod appears explicitly in Asarah Ma’amaros (Ma’amar Im Kol Chai, chelek 3, siman 32). Similarly, regarding the halachah of giruras tzitzis, as discussed in Shu”T Me’ir Nesivim (vol. 1, siman 2), his psak aligns with the position of the Rema MiPano (cited from Asarah Ma’amaros in Sha’arei Teshuvah, siman 21:4), indicating that Rabbeinu’s ruling was influenced by the words of the Rema. The Special Connection to the Commentary “Yoel Moshe” The Gaon’s family trace back to Zalkova — the very city of the author of Yoel Moshe. His descendants served there in rabbanus for generations. It is therefore very likely that there was a natural familiarity between the Margolies and Levi families, and that the Me’ir Nesivim held this particular commentary in special esteem as it appears here alongside Asarah Ma’amaros. About the Me’ir Nesivim Rabbi Meir Margolies ZYA”A, Av Beis Din of Ustraha, was among the closest talmidim of the BeSh”T, illuminated from his youth with the light of Chassidus. He served as Av Beis Din in Haradenka and later in Ustraha — positions he accepted at the direction of the BeSh”T. Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev writes of him: “Raban shel kol Bnei haGolah, chasida kadisha… Mohar”R Me’ir…” The BeSh”T cherished him greatly and instructed him to inscribe his name in his siddur — a siddur still preserved to this day. In his seforim he quotes his Rebbe’s Torah, records segulos he heard from him, and stood as one of the foremost poskim of his generation for complex agunah cases through brilliant pilpul. From his seforim: Me’ir Nesivim (halachah and Shu”T), Sod Yachin uBoaz (nistar), and HaDerech HaTov VeHaYashar. A foremost kabbalistic work — learned by a talmid muvhak of the BeSh”T, very likely under his direct instruction — bearing his holy signature and visible signs of use! A true otzar shel kedushah from the inner world of the BeSh”T’s talmidim!