Father of the Chida: self-dedication signed by Rabbi Yitzhak Zerachya Azoulay, on the work Shut Divrei Emet. ...

Father of the Chida: self-dedication signed by Rabbi Yitzhak Zerachya Azoulay, on the work Shut Divrei Emet. Istanbul 1760.
Shut Divrei Emet by Rabbi Yitzhak Becher David. The title page has a self-dedication handwritten and signed by Rabbi Yitzhak Zerachya Azoulay, a rabbi of Jerusalem and the father of the Chida. He received the book from the publisher and signed using his family’s unique Sfina signature.

The unique Azoulay signature came about as a result of an event which occurred to Rabbi Avraham Azoulay: when he moved to Israel, the boat he was on sank next to the Israeli coast, and all of his writings and property sank with it, while he was miraculously saved. Since then his signature would incorporate the shape of a boat, which his descendants continued after him.

New binding. Worming holes (some repaired), moisture stains and mold, overall fair to good condition.

The gaon Rabbi Refael Yitzhak Zerachya Azoulay (1701-1765) was the son of Rabbi Yeshaya Azoulay and grandson of the kabbalist author of the Chesed L’Avraham. He established a yeshiva and beit midrash with his brother-in-law Rabbi Yonah Navon, and served as a dayan in Jerusalem. He is signed on shtars and shadrut letters, together with gedolim of Jerusalem. His son, the Chida, mentions sayings and chiddushim from his father frequently in his works with the title “Ateret Roshi Aba Mori”. He left behind a collection of chiddushim in manuscript by the name of Zera Yitzhak.