Bidspirit auction | Sefer Mishnah Berurah, Warsaw 1884.

Sefer Mishnah Berurah, Warsaw 1884. First Edition – With Rare List of Subscribers - Sefer Mishnah Berurah (Vol. I), Warsaw 1884. The first edition of one the most consequential works on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim in several centuries. Authored by R. Yisroel Meir Hakohen of Radin, who together with his work “Chofetz Chaim”, revolutionized not only the correct approach to learning Shulchan Aruch, but also became the central authority in all matters of Halachah, and is relied upon by hundreds of thousands till this very day.  This copy includes the rare final leaf of subscribers, which contains the names of the individuals who subscribed for a copy in advance. This was a common practice amongst those printing Seforim, which subsequently enabled them to raise the funds needed to bring the Sefer to print. Perhaps most interesting, we find the following statement on the page, which reads as follows: “In order not to offend the honor of anyone who subscribed to the Mishnah Berurah, I arranged their names by order of the alphabet”. In hindsight, we may say this is ‘typical of the Chofetz Chaim’, who was known to go great lengths so as to not offend his fellow Jew. However, at the time of publication in 1884, this was virtually unheard of. A quick look at pages of subscribers from this era reveals that names were typically arranged according to the stature or monetary status of the subscriber, and not according to their names.   It is also quite interesting to see that in the city of Novagrod, one of the subscribers listed is the ‘Beis Hachasidim’, the local Chabad-Lubavitch group there. Was this perhaps at the behest of the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch? If so, it shows a great respect and affinity towards Mishnah Berurah. As is well known, the Mishnah Berurah often quotes and sides with Shulchan Aruch Harav, which was written by none other than R. Shnuer Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad Lubavitch Chassidus.  The first edition of a sought after classic which is used till this very day, including the rare list of subscribers, which is lacking in almost all copies.   In overall very good condition. Paper is slightly brittle, typical for Warsaw imprints of this era. A small tear is seen on title page. Bound in a new, modern binding.  152, [1] pp.  Page size: 22.5cm