Manuscript – Segulot, Amulets, Incantations and Hashbaot – Practical Kabbalah Notebook of R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai ...

Manuscript – Segulot, Amulets, Incantations and Hashbaot – Practical Kabbalah Notebook of R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai Rabbi of Ancona, the Chida's Son – Passages in his Handwriting
Manuscript containing Segulot, Hashbaot, incantations and amulets – Practical Kabbalah notebook of R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai, son of the Chida and rabbi of Ancona. Written partly by a scribe, and partly by R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai. [Ancona, ca. 1820-1824].
Handwritten notebook, mostly in neat Italian scribal-script, and alternately in Sephardic script – the handwriting of R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai, who added Segulot, Hashbaot and amulet texts. The manuscript also contains personal lists, with income and expenditures records and names of Jews in Ancona, as well as two pages of Torah thoughts. Includes tables, Kabbalistic illustrations and "Ktav Malachim".
In the bound notebook are interspersed additional handwritten leaves, also on practical Kabbalah, some in R. Yeshaya Azulai's handwriting, and some in scribal-script.
An overall breakdown of the manuscript:
Leaves [1]-[4a]: Amulet texts for protection in various matters: to remove foreign thoughts, for a storm at sea, for headache and malaria; Hashbaot and incantations "to cause anyone to do your will..." and "against fear".
Leaves [4b]-[8]: Accounting inscriptions and names of people [presumably from Ancona], in Hebrew and Italian, some handwritten by R. Yeshaya Azulai, dated "Tishrei 1821", "Nisan 1822", "Elul 1822" and "Tishrei 1822". P. [7b] contains an amulet "Segula for a thief" with "Angels' seals" illustrations.
Leaves [9]-[12]: Segulot, Hashbaot and incantations for various matters: "to be loved by all", "for escaping prison", "for increasing a woman's milk supply", "to cause illness or death to an enemy", "to cease menstruation", "against miscarriage", and more. Leaf [10] contains two amulet texts handwritten by R. Yeshaya Azulai. Leaf [11] contains a list of 12 different Segulot "for a difficult labor".
Leaves [13]-[14a]: three pages of Torah teachings (Halacha and Aggadah) in R. Yeshaya Azulai's handwriting.
Leaves [14b]-[16]: Lists of accounts and names, mostly handwritten by R. Yeshaya Azulai. Leaf [14b] contains a list of calculations, handwritten by R. Yeshaya: "Tishrei 1820 the salary I receive from the community for the whole year is two hundred scudos every six months…".
Leaves [17]-[24]: Segulot, Hashbaot and amulet texts, with tables, Kabbalistic combinations of names and "Angels' seals", for various matters, including: "to annul sorcery", "to sell merchandise", "for a thief", "for a store", "to sell and buy", "for difficult labor", "to change a person's mind", and more. Some pages contain accounting and various other inscriptions, some in R. Yeshaya Azulai's handwriting.
P. [18a] contains a handwritten list by R. Yeshaya Azulai of prices of books (the book LeDavid Emet from his father the Chida appears in the list).
The front endpaper contains a record of a dispute - "Shimshon Pacifico's claim on the widow of Moshe Yitzchak Pesaro…".
In the additional leaves interspersed in the manuscript: gathering of six written pages, Segulot and Refuot, She'elat Chalom (dream question), Holy names and amulet texts (numbered, sections 1-33); several leaves from a handwritten work on practical kabbalah; several leaves from a different Segula notebook, Hashbaot and incantations, with passages in R. Yeshaya Azulai's handwriting.
R. Refael Yeshaya Azulai (1743-1826) was born in Jerusalem, the eldest son of the illustrious R. Chaim Yosef David Azulai - the Chida. A great Torah scholar in his own right, he was a rabbi, posek and leader of Italian Jewry in his times. Some of his halachic responsa were printed in his father's books, who honored and esteemed him and always mentioned him with epithets of love ("my dear son", "my firstborn son, the perfect great chacham", "the light of my eyes", "friend of my soul", etc.). After the death of R. Avraham Yisrael, rabbi of Ancona, in 1785, the community leaders turned to the Chida who hinted that his son R. Refael Yeshaya would be suitable for this position. He served as rabbi of Ancona for many years until his death on Shevat 9, 1823 (he lived 83 years, like his father). He was greatly honored at his death and was mourned by his community for a long time [for further information see M. Benayahu's book on the Chida, pp. 476-487].
[24] leaves + [8] leaves. Approx. 19 cm. Overall good condition. Stains and wear. Tears and damage. Worming in places, slightly affecting text. Binding worn.