Sefer Chessed L'Avraham - Kabbalah. Slavuta, 1794. Among the First Sefarim Printed in Slavuta

Sefer Chessed L'Avraham - Kabbalah. Slavuta, 1794. Among the First Sefarim Printed in Slavuta

Sefer Chessed L'Avraham - fundamental work of Kabbalah by Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Azoulay I, the Chid"a's great-great grandfather. [Printed by the sacred Rabbi Moshe Shapira, av beit din of Slavuta, son of the rebbe Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz]. Slavuta, 1794. Rabbinic signatures.

Wonderful Kabbalah work which brought fame to its author, who became known as the Ba'al Chessed L'Avraham. It was written as a result of a miracle the author experienced, as he describes in the sefer's introduction: "It was the year 1770, the year joy turned to mourning due to our illness, because G-d's hand came down in a great plague and killed precious people. My family and I escaped to the holy city of Jerusalem, and G-d's wrath was there, too. I sat desolate for a few days, as I did not know where to turn, where I could  possibly flee, because G-d's hand was stretched out over all the lands. So I said in my heart that I will make an oath to Hashem, as it is a mitzvah to do so in times of distress. And if Hashem is with me, and protects me from all distress, and does kindness with me, to return me to my home, to Hebron, and is a G-d to me to arrange the roses of palms of my drushim which are scattered about, as I gathered them together these days, when Hashem's mercy was upon me ... And Hashem heard my voice and the plague ended."

In this sefer, the author cites Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, which was still hidden from the world in manuscript, and essential introductions from Sha'ar Ruach HaKodesh and Sha'ar HaGilgulim, etc., from the writings of Rabbi Chaim Vital in the name of the Ar"i z"l, upon which this sefer is based. The sefer is considered very significant by the patriarchs of Chassidism, and is cited extensively in their sefarim; it is considered a pure source of the Ar"i's doctrine. The introduction to Otzrot Chayim relates that Rabbi Avraham Azoulay and Rabbi Ya'akov Tzemach traveled to Rabbi Chaim Vital's grave in Syria, where they performed yichudim until receiving permission from Rabbi Chaim Vital to dig into his grave and remove his hidden writings from there.

This is one of the first sefarim printed by Rabbi Moshe Shapira in his sacred press in Slavuta. The title page of the sefer still does not mention the printer's name [as long as there was no permit for the press, it was not possible to print the printer's name on the title page]. However, in the approbation by Rabbi Ya'akov Shimshon of Shepetovka [a mechutan of Rabbi Moshe of Slavuta's], printed at the beginning of the sefer, he does mention the printer's names: "The press established in Slavuta by my mechutan, the exalted rabbi, scion of the sacred, butzina kaddisha, Rabbi Pinchas [- the Rebbe, Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, whose son, Rabbi Moshe of Slavuta, established the press.]

Owner's signatures on the margins of the last leaf: "Meir Ben Baruch Chaim ..."; "HaK' Nota Ben Moha"r  Ze'ev Wolf ..."; Short gloss on page 62b.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Azoulay I.

[6], 87, 1-34 leaf [marked 88]. 21 cm. Thick paper. Kabbalistic diagrams.

Fine condition. Aging stains. Isolated worming perforations. Light wear in the corner of the title page, and in the corners of several subsequent leaves. Simple binding.