Signature of the Chida - On the Title Page of Dvar Moshe, Salonika, 1742

Signature of the Chida - On the Title Page of Dvar Moshe, Salonika, 1742
A section of the title page of the Dvar Moshe responsa, Part 1, by Rabbi Moshe Amarillo. [Salonika, 1742].
Ownership inscription and curly calligraphic signature of the Chida: "…Chaim Yosef David Azulai".
The Chida - Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (1724-1806), a leading rabbinical authority, Kabbalist, exalted genius, prolific author and famous rabbinical emissary. Born in Jerusalem to Rabbi Raphael Yitzchak Zerachia Azulai, a Jerusalem scholar and great grandson of Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Azulai, author of Chesed Le'Avraham. From his youth, he was a disciple of leading Jerusalem scholars and Kabbalists, including Rabbi Chaim Ben Atar - the Or HaChaim HaKadosh. His Kabbalistic study began at the Beit E-l Yeshiva for Kabbalists headed by Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi - the holy Rashash. At that time, his friend, Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi, studied with him at the yeshiva.In 1753, he embarked on his first mission as a rabbinical emissary on behalf of the Hebron community. During the course of his five years of travel, he passed through Italy, Germany, Holland, England and France. During this mission his name began to spread. Wherever he traversed, he attracted a great deal of attention and many acknowledged his greatness. In 1873, the Chida embarked on an additional mission on behalf of the Hebron community which left a profound imprint on all the places he visited. At the end of this journey, he settled in Livorno, Italy, There he served in the rabbinate and published most of his books.
The Chida was among the greatest authors of all times and composed more than 80 works in all facets of Torah, including his composition Birkei Yosef, a commentary on the Shulchan Aruch which has greatly influenced Halachic rulings. His books were accepted throughout the entire Jewish Diaspora and are highly regarded. He wrote the majority of his compositions while preoccupied with travelling or with other matters, and with access to very few books, attesting to his overwhelming genius and phenomenal memory. In each city the Chida visited, he would inspect the local libraries and search unknown manuscripts and compositions written by Torah scholars. He was awarded great honor and admiration and was granted authorization to enter large libraries and museums, such as the National Library of France, in which he spent many hours copying important manuscripts. He invested the vast knowledge gleaned during these opportunities in all his books, particularly in his bibliographic masterpiece Shem HaGedolim.
Damaged leaf section, approximately 16.5 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains and tears. Worming affecting signature.