Glosses from the Admor Rabbi Meir of Przmyslan on the book Pri Etz Chaim—Koritz 1785

Glosses from the Admor Rabbi Meir of Przmyslan on the book Pri Etz Chaim—Koritz 1785

Sections from the Pri Etz Chaim, by Rabbi Chaim Vittel (the Maharhav), a foundational kabbalistic work drawn from his rabbi, the Ari, printed by students of the Baal Shem Tov in Koritz in 1785, with glosses and corrections handwritten by the Admor Rabbi Meir of Przmyslan.

The book got damaged over the years and part of it cannot be repaired, but because of its extreme holiness great efforts were expended in repairing what remained. Before us are 64 leaves of which some are partial and defective and have been professionally prepared so that it can be preserved for generations. More than 30 leaves have handwritten corrections by Rabbi Meir'l Przmyslaner, 7 of which are long and significant.

Rabbi and Av Beit Din of Neveh Achiezer Rabbi Yitzhak Yeshaya Weiss certified the yichus of the handwritten notes in his certificate (a facsimile is included): “Some notes are completely identical to confirmed examples of his handwriting” and he notes: “the large gloss on the 32nd leaf is extraordinary, such phrasing wasn’t found in writings of the Ari and it follows that it is not a copying of the Ari but a chiddush of the Rav HaKadosh himself.” This note is 24-lines long and deals with the “Sod HaChesed” and “Heichal HaZechut”, which were the known midot of Rabbi Meir of Przmyslan.

The margins of leaf 129 has the stamp of Rabbi Moshe Meir Shmerler of Tzfat, the son-in-law of the Admor Rabbi Meir of Shatz, relative of the Rebbe of Przmyslan. Rabbi Weiss notes in his certificate: “I merited seeing another book, which is also decorated with notes from the Rahak of Przmyslan, which was owned by the same grandson.”

While the Przmyslaner Rebbe’s greatness can be described at length, it suffices to emphasize that his books and writings are known segulahs, even after his death. A story is told (Aspaklariya HaMeira, p. 167) on a Jew who got stuck in a storm in the ocean and he dropped into the ocean something he received from the Rebbe, and the ocean went quiet, and when he was asked what he did he said: “Before I set off I went to say goodbye and receive a blessing from the holy Tzaddik Rabbi Meir of Przmyslan, the Tzaddik answered and told me you will not know that the sea has great courage and sometimes he storms without being able to calm down; so Meir gives you this object, and if the sea will storm and does not calm then throw the object to the sea and say “ this object was given by Meir ben Yenta!” and the ocean will immediately calm.”

The pages have been rebound in inscribed leather binding inside a matching box.