Manuscript, Siddur Kavanot HaRashash – Jerusalem, 1905 – Copy of the Imrei Emet Rebbe of Ger, Written for Him by ...

Manuscript, Siddur Kavanot HaRashash – Jerusalem, 1905 – Copy of the Imrei Emet Rebbe of Ger, Written for Him by Rabbi Shem Tov Gagin

Manuscript, Siddur Kavanot HaRashash, prayers for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, scribed by R. Shem Tov Gagin. [Jerusalem], 1905.
The manuscript was scribed by R. Shem Tov Gagin for the Imrei Emet Rebbe of Ger, and was sent from Jerusalem to the rebbe together with other volumes of Siddur Kavanot which the rebbe commissioned from R. Shem Tov's father – R. Yitzchak Gagin (see below).
Includes kavanot for part of the Rosh Hashanah prayers, kavanot for shofar blowing, and kavanot for shaking the Lulav on Sukkot and Hoshana Rabba.
Two sermons of inspirations precede the kavanot of shofar blowing (leaves 6-10), for the first and second day of Rosh Hashanah respectively – the first by R. Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi, and the second by R. Chaim Avraham Gagin.
The second sermon is signed by the writer: "Handwritten by his grandson Sh.T. Gagin, written on Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul 1905".
Another inscription on the front endpaper: "Siddur for Rosh Hashanah according to the Arizal, written on 13th Cheshvan 1905, Shem Tov Gagin".
The Min HaGenazim anthology, Vol. XIV (published by Ahavat Shalom, 2021), features 37 letters written by R. Yitzchak Gagin to his son R. Shem Tov Gagin between 1912-1921. Amongst the wealth of important information these letters contain, we learn that the Imrei Emet of Ger commissioned several kabbalistic manuscripts from R. Yitzchak Gagin, wishing to enrich his famous library with siddurim with kavanot of the Rashash, which were not at all available in Europe.
R. Yitzchak Gagin was an elite member of the Beit El yeshiva and a descendant of the Rashash (through his grandfather R. Chaim Avraham Gagin, son-in-law of R. Refael Avraham Shalom Mizrachi – grandson of the Rashash). His son, R. Shem Tov Gagin (writer of the present siddur), later served as rabbi of the Sephardic community in Manchester and eventually head of the Sephardic Beit Din in London. R. Yitzchak Gagin earned a livelihood by trading in books and manuscript, and published catalogs of the manuscripts being sold from the library of the Rashash. The rebbe of Ger maintained close ties with him, acquiring books for his prominent library through him. The aforementioned letters indicate that upon the request of the rebbe of Ger, R. Yitzchak Gagin instructed his son R. Shem Tov Gagin to work on copying the siddurim of the Rashash, in a project which extended over a period of seven years, from 1905 until 1911. This project is mentioned several times in the letters, which indicate that R. Shem Tov copied and sent the rebbe manuscripts of the siddur.
There are a few extant manuscript siddurim with kavanot copied by R. Shem Tov Gagin for the Imrei Emet, including the present volume for Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, as well as the Yom Kippur part, held in the library of R. Y.M. Hillel, and the Bedtime Shema service part – held in the Columbia University Library, New York, SH 893 x 2 (dated: Tevet 1911).

[14], 20, [48] written leaves (and several blank leaves). 20 cm. Good condition. Stains. faded ink on two leaves. One leaf detached. Marginal tears and wear to a few leaves. Minor worming. Original binding, with leather spine, damaged.

Regarding the provenance of the present manuscript from the library of the Imrei Emet of Ger, see Min HaGenazim, ibid, p. 277 note 248; see also: R. Moshe Hillel, The Rashash's meditation prayer books, between tradition and innovation, in: Windows on Jewish Worlds, Essays in Honor of William Gross, ed. Shalom Sabar, Emile Schrijver, Falk Wiesemann, p. 236.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EI.011.018.

Manuscripts of Siddur HaRashash in the Gross Family Collection
Siddur HaRashash was a siddur with kabbalistic kavanot based on the writings of the Arizal and R. Chaim Vital. The siddur was edited by the kabbalists of the Beit El yeshiva in Jerusalem, based on the siddur compiled by their teacher the Rashash – R. Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi, dean of the Beit El yeshiva in the mid-18th century. For many years, copyings of Siddur HaRashash were produced from accurate manuscripts proofread by the kabbalists in the yeshiva.
Prayer using the manuscripts of the siddur was the privilege of just a few kabbalists. In general, the kabbalists themselves produced various copyings of Siddur HaRashash for their personal use, or entrusted them to reliable kabbalists only. Each of these manuscripts bore the stamp of the kabbalist who copied it, through the emendations and additions he inserted.
For many years, the siddur was zealously and intentionally kept in manuscript form only, without being printed at all. Only in 1911-1912 did several Ashkenazi kabbalists of Yeshivat Shaar HaShamayim in Jerusalem finally initiate the printing of the siddur, and parts I and II were published. Parts III-IX were printed later, presumably in 1916.
The Beit El yeshiva of kabbalists, also known as Midrash HaChassidim or Kehal Chassidim, was founded in Jerusalem in 1737 by R. Gedalia Hayun, and was designated as a place for studying kabbalah. Ever since, the kabbalists of Jerusalem have gathered to study there, directed by foremost kabbalists. Of particular prominence were R. Shalom Sharabi (the Rashash), who headed the yeshiva, and his successor R. Yom Tov Algazi. Reputedly, R. Gershon of Kitov – brother-in-law of the Baal Shem Tov, also studied there. Following the passing of R. Chaim Avraham Gagin in 1848, R. Yedidia Refael Abulafia (1806-1869), was appointed in his stead, a position he held until his passing. R. Abulafia's disciples include the sons of Rebbe Moshe of Lelov; the Imrei Binah Rabbi of Jerusalem; R. Shalom Moshe Chai Gagin, who succeeded him as dean of the Beit El yeshiva; and others.
Presented here is a unique collection of manuscripts of Siddur HaRashash from the Gross Family Collection, which reflects the tradition of manuscript transmittal of the Siddur HaRashash amongst kabbalists. Some of the present siddurim were scribed by most prominent kabbalists of the Beit El yeshiva, including R. Yosef Edrehi (scribe of the Rashash), R. Yedidia Refael Abulafia, R. Nissim Zerachya Azulai (grandson of the Chida), R. Yitzchak Moshe Ferrera, R. Masoud HaKohen Alhadad, and others.
Regarding the development of Siddur HaRashash, see: R. Moshe Hillel, The Rashash's Meditation Prayer Books, Between Tradition and Innovation, in: Windows on Jewish Worlds, Essays in Honor of William Gross, ed. Shalom Sabar, Emile Schrijver, Falk Wiesemann, pp. 205-239. An addendum at the end lists the manuscripts of Siddur HaRashash found in the Gross Family Collection.