Incredible Discovery!!! More precious than gold and precious stones, a chassidic – kabbalistic discovery. Manuscript of one of the most distinguished fundamental works among chassidic – kabbalistic books—a primary source for a number of well-known holy customs of the saintly Baal Shem Tov. Siddur HaArizal in the holy handwriting of Harav Hakadosh R' Shabsai of Rashkov, a disciple of the Ohr Shivas Hayamim, aka the Ba'al Shem Tov. 1770
Seder Tefillah, nusach Sefard with kavanos of the Ari Hakadosh and customs, kavanos and yichudim of the Baal Shem Tov, compiled and handwritten by Harav Hakadosh R' Shabsai of Rashkov, one of the early chassidic tzaddikim who was a close disciple of the Ba'al Shem Tov and a member of the group of saintly sofrim who wrote sTa"m and kisvei Kabbalah amidst purity and sanctity for the Baal Shem Tov. R' Shabsai's siddur is one of the main sources for the chassidic nusach tefillah and the source of many chassidic customs. The Baal Shem Tov's disciples and the great chassidic Rebbes prayed from this siddur and based their conduct on it.
237 pages with Kabbalistic illustrations and embellishments drawn by Harav Hakadosh R' Shabsai of Rashkov.
The siddur was examined by numerous experts, all of whom have confirmed what is written here—see below.
This siddur contains the earliest appearances of kavanos and customs of the Baal Shem Tov, who was the Rebbe of the compiler of this siddur, R' Shabsai of Rashkov. The kavanos and customs appearing here are a primary source: "…and in the name of my teacher, may Hashem guard and redeem him."
Tehilaso B'Khal Chassidim
The siddur and its author were greatly admired by chassidic communities, and especially by the great chassidic masters:
Michael Levi Rodkinson writes in his book Toldos Amudei HaChabad (Konigsburg 5636/1876, pg. 31-32) that when the Alter Rebbe, Rav Shneur Zalman of Liadi, compiled his siddur, "He selected from the printed siddurim of the Arizal the siddur of R' Shabsai Sheftil of Rashkov… and for the most part, he took the nusach tefillah from the siddur of R' Shabsai Rashkover for his own siddur."
The sefer Imrei Pinchas Hashalem (I, pg. 223 – 224), quotes R' Yaakov Shimon, son of Harav Hakadosh R' Pinchas of Koritz: "One should pray only in the Lviv edition of the Arizal's siddur [5548/1788, Rabbi Asher's siddur] or in the siddur of R' Shabsai, and not from other versions appearing in more recent siddurim."
The Saba Kadisha Rav Yisrael of Ruzhin would pray from Rav Shabsai's siddur that was written in the compiler's holy hand. This siddur was left behind in Russia when he escaped, and he made a tremendous effort to have it brought to him. It is said that after the Ruzhiner moved to Sadigura, "he constantly asked the people he met to try and bring him the siddur he'd left in the city of Iasi, as it had been handwritten by the tzaddik Harav Shabsai zt"l of Rashkov… and when the siddur was brought to Sadigura and handed to him, he said: Der siddur is mein leben [This siddur is my life.]" (Yeshuos Yisrael, Podgorze 5664/1904. Today, this siddur is in the basement of the National Library of Israel.
The Maggid of Kozhnitz, the Ateres Zvi of Ziditchov, and the Minchas Elazar of Munkacz learned and studied Rav Shabsai’s siddur and embellished it with glosses and commentaries that were printed. The Rebbe R' Shmuel Abba of Zichlin prayed in RavShabsai's siddur all his life (Lahav Eish, Pieterkov 5695/1935, pg. 28).
The siddur has the approbation of the saintly Rebbe Reb Zusia, who wrote: "Many holy people longed to see the pleasantness of this siddur."
The Ashkenazic Ari Siddurim and the Siddur of Rav Shabsai of Rashkov:
The first Ashkenazic siddur with Nusach HaAri, was printed in Zhovkva in 5541/1781. It was compiled by Kabbalist R' Aryeh, son of R' Avraham of Zhovkva, with the approval of the sages and Kabbalists of the Brody kloiz. The nusach and kavanos in that edition were compiled based on the sefarim Mishnas Chassidim and Pri Eitz Chaim. Later, in 5548/1748, "Rav Asher's siddur" was printed in Lviv, compiled by R' Asher Margulies of Mezhibuzh, a disciple of Rav Chaim Sanzer of Brody. In the Lviv 1748 edition, errors that had appeared in the first edition were corrected and additions were inserted from other works based on the Arizal's writings: Eitz Chaim, Sefer Hayichudim, Machberes Hakodesh and from the siddur of Rav Shabsai of Rashkov [this siddur, of which only a manuscript existed at the time - perhaps it was this very manuscript?]
The siddur of Rav Shabsai of Rashkov was first printed in Koritz in 5554/1794 and it was based on the siddur that had been printed in Zhovkva in 5541/1781, to which Rav Shabsai added additional important additions from the Ari's writings.
It is our cautious estimation that a portion of Rav Shabsai's siddur was printed based on this manuscript. While there are minor changes in the order of the contents, and certain things were lengthened or shortened, it is reasonable to assume that changes were made from the manuscript, just as there are differences between the printed editions.
The holy mekubal Rav Shabtai of Rashkov [Born before 1720?- Died between the years 1775-1782]:
Disciple and writer of the Baal Shel Tov. A tzaddik and mekubal, of the lofty saints who enjoyed the tutelage of the Baal Shem Tov and his talmidim. Some say that he was also the student of the Mezritcher Maggid. The tzaddik Rav Meir of Premishlan served as a melamed in his home, and it is told that in those days the Baal Shem Tov traveled to them to try to annul together the power of the Frankist cult hat had spread, through special yichudim and kavanos. Known as an expert replicator and editor of writings, especially the holy writings of the Torah of the Arizal and his talmidim.
Rav Shabtai was especially famed through the generations thanks to the Siddur Rav Shabtai—a siddur with the kavanos of the Arizal, which he compiled based on the writings of Arizal and his talmidim. The year of his birth and death are enshrouded in mystery. Of Rav Shabtai’s progeny is a beautiful dynasty of tzaddikim and Rebbes.
(Chassidus Encyclopedia 3, p. 654-655; Siddur Rabi Shabtai, Jerusaelm edition 2008, Toldos Rabbeinu).
The siddur includes: Erev Shabbos customs- tefillos Shabbos- Rosh Chodesh and Shabbos Rosh Chodesh- Pesach and Haggadah shel Pesach- sefiras haomer after the Haggadah as opposed to other siddurim of the Arizal in which it appears after Maariv, and the siddur of the archives of the Rebbe of Ruzhin in which it appears after Shacharis, and only in Rav Shabtai’s siddur does it appear after the Hagaddah- Shavuos- from the kavanos of the morning immersion in the mikveh, without Leil Shavuos which appears in the siddurim of the Arizal and the Ruzhiner Rebbe, and only in the siddur of Rav Shabtai it doesn’t appear as in the writings that we have (in Shavuos there is the first source for the known custom of the Baal Shem Tov on Shavuos: “In the name of my teacher, may Hashem guard and redeem him, that one should not break for any trivial talk until after saying Kesser in Mussaf…”)- Bein Hametzarim- Elul and Yamim Noraim- Succos- Chanukah (In the Chanukah kavanos: “And in the name of my teacher, may Hashem guard and redeem him, to say seven times “Vihi noam”…and he would also say this in the Yamim Noraim and any time of trouble…”)- practical mitzvos (some of which were not even printed in the Siddur Rav Shabtai)- a colophon at the end. Later on in the writings there appears a page that is not in the handwriting of Rav Shabtai that speaks of three issues that Rav Shabtai learned from the Baal Shem Tov. At the end is the kavannah of the mikveh in the handwriting of Rav Shabtai.
At the end there are some empty pages, and in the tefillos of Rosh Hashanah there is also an empty page, perhaps so that one could write names to pray for or kavanos etc.
Total 237 pages in the handwriting of Rabbeinu Rav Shabtai of Rashkov- the writings begin with Erev Shabbos customs (p. 319) until the colophon at the end (p. 5664), but there is a mistake in the pagination and several pages in his handwriting appear after the colophon.
“It is whole and complete…on Tuesday, 13 Iyar, the parshah of “והבאתם את עומר ראשית קצירכם אל הכהן לפ"ק" = 5530 (1770).
Size of pages (except cover): 15.5 cm. Good-very good condition. New hand-embellished leather cover, in a hand-decorated leather-covered box (cover and box photos will be added later). Some tears, mostly light, and mostly on the first pages. In some places the ink is somewhat faded or blurred, but they do not seem to ruin the reading itself. Very few moth holes. Stains—mostly faint time stains.
The authenticity of the writings:
The siddur was checked by many experts and for a lengthy period of time was even by Reb Yitzchak Yeshaya Weiss, who checked and researched the writing and signed an affirmation that this Siddur was written by the holy kabbalist Rabi Shabtai of Rashkov with his own holy handwriting.
The Siddur was also checked by Rav Shimon Shwartz and Rav Yissochor Dov Frankel, printer of a new siddur edition, who is from our generation's great experts on Rav Shabtai of Rashkov's teachings. He also wrote an affirmation of the handwriting with many proofs and evidence and even noted: "There are countless proofs like these, but you should know that there are many and it is not possible to enumerate them… From all of these proofs, it is certain that these writings were written by our holy Rebbe, Rav Shabtai of Rashkov."
With the approval of Rav Yitzchak Yeshaya Weiss, he notes that in the siddur of Rav Shabtai of Rashkov, there are customs from our Rebbe, the light of the Seven Days, the holy Baal Shem Tov, whose original source is the siddur of Rebbe Shabtai and the holy writings that is in front of us, including, on the Yom Tov Shavuos: "In the name of my mentor, may Hashem guard and redeem him, one should not break any idle talk until after reciting Kesser of Mussaf. In the kavanos of Chanukah, he writes: In the name of my mentor, may Hashem guard and redeem him, one should say "Vihi Noam" seven times… and he had a custom to say it in the High Holy Days and in time of trouble.
It is interesting to note that in the verification of Harav Frankel, printer of Siddur Rav Shabtai of Rahskov, about the drawing of Lamnatzeiach in the form of a menorah, he writes that in most siddurim of the Arizal the drawing of a menorah does not appear at all. Those who do print the drawing of the menorah print it from right to left, so that the pasuk "Elokim Yichoneinu" is on the right side, but in the siddur of Rav Shabtai, the Lamnatzeiach drawing is printed from left to right, as it is in the writings we have.
In addition, he writes that there are slight differences between the siddur and the writings, and as is well known, Rebbe Shabtai was a writer and an expert copier who copied all of the writings of the Arizal. It's possible that the siddur that we have was written at the behest of one of the great tzaddikim, and also at the end of the Siddur, some names appear as in a kvittel.
In conclusion, here is one of the most fascinating discoveries of the last generations of teachers of kabbalah and chassidus.
