Five Books of the Torah with the Or HaChaim Commentary – Slavita, 1832 – Complete Set in Five Volumes

Five Books of the Torah with the Or HaChaim Commentary – Slavita, 1832 – Complete Set in Five Volumes

Five Books of the Torah, with Targums and commentaries, and with the Or HaChaim commentary by R. Chaim ibn Attar. Slavita: R. Shmuel Avraham Shapira, son of the rabbi of Slavita, [1832]. Complete set in five volumes.
Title pages printed in red and black.
The first volume includes approbations by Rebbe Mordechai of Chernobyl, R. Chaim HaKohen Rappaport Rabbi of Ostroh, and R. Efraim Wohl Rabbi of Sudilkov.
The Or HaChaim commentary by R. Chaim ibn Attar was held in high regard by the Chassidic leaders, who considered it to be on the level of the Zohar in its ability to purify the soul. His disciple the Chida quotes the Chassidic custom of studying the Or HaChaim commentary on Friday night: "And we heard that it is now held in high regard in Poland, and was printed there in another two editions. And this was due to the praise of the holy R. Yisrael Baal Shem Tov on the greatness of R. Chaim's soul".
Chassidic leaders praised the holiness of the author profusely. The Baal Shem Tov stated that every night, the Or HaChaim hears Torah directly from G-d. He also stated that when his soul ascended to Heaven each night, he saw that only R. Chaim ibn Attar preceded him in his ascent, and all his efforts to precede him were unsuccessful. Reputedly, the reason the Baal Shem Tov attempted to immigrate to Eretz Israel was in order to meet R. Chaim ibn Attar, who was "a spark of Mashiach", and thereby bring the Redemption.
Ownership inscription on verso of title page of Bamidbar volume: "Yisrael Yaakov son of R. Chaim, citizen of Câmpulung (Romania)". Additional inscription at the foot of p. 8b of Bamidbar vol.: "R. Chaim Chayet son of R. Moshe pledged this Chumash to the great synagogue…".

Five volumes. Bereshit: 82, 89-196 leaves. Shemot: 182; 24 leaves. Vayikra: 144 leaves. Bamidbar: 162 leaves. Devarim: 132; 26 leaves. Approx. 24-25 cm. Mostly printed on bluish paper. Overall good-fair condition, Shemot vol. in fair condition. Many stains, including dampstains. Shemot vol. with significant dampstains and traces of past dampness, with mold. Wear. Tears, including open tears affecting text in several places (including tears to some title pages), repaired in part with paper (many paper repairs to first leaves of Shemot vol, affecting text). Worming, affecting text. Leaves trimmed with damage to text in several places. Stamps and handwritten inscriptions. New, elegant leather bindings (with gilt decorations), slipcased.

The Bibliography of the Hebrew Book lists a copy of the Bereshit vol. lacking the first leaves after the title page, and the Devarim vol. based only on a photocopy of the title page. The present set comprises complete copies of all five parts.

Printing the Or HaChaim in Slavita Upon the Directives of R. Pinchas of Korets, as a Segulah for Protection
Reputedly, "R. Pinchas of Korets… commanded his sons [=R. Moshe Shapira rabbi of Slavita, and his brother R. Yechezkel Shapira, who was also involved in the establishment of the Slavita printing press] to print the Or HaChaim book every year… and they will thereby be saved from calamity and misfortune, and they fulfilled his directive, yet after the books of the Or HaChaim became so prevalent that they could no longer find buyers for them, they stopped printing them, and that year the infamous slander and misfortune occurred" (Migdal Oz, p. 268). (Nowadays, only seven editions of the Slavita Or HaChaim Chumash are bibliographically known, printed between 1791-1832).