Manuscript of "Agadta De-Pascha" by the Maharitz – Author's Autograph Copy – Mahadura Kama of the Work – Yemen, ca. ...

Manuscript of "Agadta De-Pascha" by the Maharitz – Author's Autograph Copy – Mahadura Kama of the Work – Yemen, ca. 1760s

Manuscript, Passover Haggadah "Agadta De-Pascha", with halachic rulings and interpretations, by R. Yichya Tzalach – the Maharitz, chief rabbi of Yemen. [Yemen, ca. 1760s.]
Autograph of the author, who signs his name at the end of the introduction: "The young Yichya son of my father and master R. Yosef son of R. Tzalach". Neat handwriting (partially vocalized), with titles and calligraphic initial letters, decorated with red ink. Additions in "windows" within the text and in marginal notes. In the colophon at the end of the first page: "Written for the desire of the good brother, may God give him good, descendant of Aaron the priest, Saadya son of Yosef Katz… May he merit to study it, he and his children and children's children for all generations".
On the front endpaper is the Seder Bedikat Chametz in a different, later hand, and the signature of "the young Yosef son of Salim Tzalach [?]".
In the introduction, the author writes about the benefit of his book: "…And I, the young, have also seen that both in the printed and handwritten services for this night, it is not sufficiently explained how to perform this night's commandments. Therefore, I have explained everything here, and I have neglected no matter, neither small nor great, from what is relevant to this night's service, from the words of our earlier and later rabbis. Furthermore, since it is cumbersome for a person who is in doubt as to one of this night's laws to search after it, I have therefore made this and prepared everything ready and set before us briefly, and at length the explanation of the matter from our earlier and later rabbis…".
Two versions of this work of the Maharitz are known to us, different in content. In the first version (Mahadura Kama), which he composed in his youth ca. the 1750s (which is named "Zevach Pesach" in some of the manuscripts), the Maharitz followed in the footsteps of the Shulchan Aruch and other halachic authorities. Later on, however – ca. the 1770s – the Maharitz revised the work and returned to the ancient Yemenite customs.
The content of the present manuscript matches the Mahadura Kama of the work. However, in the headings of the pages (and on the leather wrappers) the title appears as Agadta De-Pascha, the same name as he gave to the later version (Mahadura Batra). Some conjecture that the author changed the name in order to distinguish it from other works also called "Zevach Pesach": R. Yitzchak Abarbanel's commentary to the Haggadah, and the "Zevach Pesach" authored by the Maharitz's brother, Rabbi Shlomo Tzalach. [Since the title "Zevach Pesach" is not mentioned in this item, we may conjecture that the present manuscript is one of the later versions of the Mahadura Kama, ca. the 1760s.]
Some of the differences between the Mahadura Batra and the Mahadura Kama which is in this manuscript: reciting a blessing over washing the hands for Karpas; a Kezayit of Karpas; dipping Karpas in Charoset; breaking the Matzah before blessing HaMotzi; concluding the blessing Goel Yisrael instead of Gaal Yisrael; not drinking coffee after the four cups; and more.
In his introduction to the Mahadura Batra, the author asks anyone who has a Mahadura Kama version to emend and correct it according to the Mahadura Batra (based on: Agadta De-Pascha with Etz Chaim commentary by Maharitz, R. Y. Ratzabi edition. Bnei Brak 1996, editor's introduction, pp. 8-14 [Hebrew]). Moshe Gavra researched and described the differences between the versions, according to his findings, the printed Siddurim which followed to the Sephardi rite grew in popularity in Yemen, and influenced the Siddur text of the Yemenite Jews, who viewed every custom coming from the Land of Israel as holy. However, in the 18th century, some of the Yemenite sages, including R. Yehudah Tzaadi and R. Pinchas HaKohen Iraki, began to oppose this process, after they saw in Kabbalistic writings that ancestral traditions should not be changed, and from that point on they began to cleave conservatively to the Yemenite rite. Maharitz was not directly involved in this process, but it seems that he also went through a similar change of attitude, as expressed in his returning Yemenite customs to the Pesach Haggadah (see: Studies in the Yemenite Rites, 1: Weekday Prayer, by M. Gavra. Bnei Brak, 2010, Preface, pp. 79-86 [Hebrew]).
R. Yichya son of R. Yosef Tzalach – the Maharitz (1715-1805), head of the Beit Din in Sanaa, foremost Yemenite rabbi in the 18th century, and a leading halachic authority. He was the disciple of his grandfather Mori Tzalach, and of R. Aharon HaKohen Iraki, R. Yichya Iraki and R. David Mishreqi, author of "Shetilei Zeitim". Around the age of 43, he was appointed chief rabbi and head of the Beit Din of all Yemenite communities, a position he held for more than 45 years. His authority was unequivocally accepted throughout Yemen, and to this day many Yemenite Jews adhere to his customs and rulings. He compiled the Tiklal siddur with the Etz Chaim commentary, and many halachic works: Zevach Toda and Shaarei Kedusha on the laws of shechita, Shaarei Tahara on the laws of niddah, Responsa Peulat Tzaddik, and other books of halachah, ethics and kabbalah.

[24] leaves (including: [46] pages written in the author's handwriting). 16 cm. Fair-good condition. Many stains. Wear and tears. Ancient leather wrapper, torn.

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, YM.011.100.