Chemdat Yisrael - Livorno, 1820

Chemdat Yisrael - Livorno, 1820
Kohelet with the Chemdat Yisrael commentary, by R. Yisrael Nachman of Drohobych and Safed. Livorno, 1820. First edition.
On the front cover is a piece of paper with a printed dedication by the author "…from me the author Yisrael Nachman from Safed", with name of recipient added by hand.
The author, the Hasid, R. Yisrael Nachman of Drohobych (c. 1761 - after 1821), son of R. Yosef of Drohobych (disciple of the Ba'al Shem Tov) was a rabbi in Galicia, Poland and Hungary. He moved to Safed and for a while served in the Sidon (Lebanon) rabbinate. On his way to Eretz Israel in 1804, he spent some time in Livorno and became friendly with the Chida. The Chida heard a lot about the Ba'al Shem Tov and the Chassidic movement in Poland and Galicia from R. Yisrael Nachman, and in his books the Chida cites things he heard from R. Yisrael Nachman in the name of his father R. Yosef who was a disciple of the Ba'al Shem Tov (See for example Chomat Anach, Shir Hashirim Chapter 3).
R. Yisrael Nachman traversed many countries and in this book he cites things he heard from R. Simcha, Rabbi of Brisk in Lithuania; things he heard from a Melamed (teacher of young children) in Egypt; and writes about his visits to the Haleb communities in Aleppo, Izmir and Salonika. This book was printed upon his visit to Livorno during a fundraising journey and he requested that the community send him funds regularly to enable him to remain in Safed and study Torah. His Torah wisdom impressed the Jews of Italy and Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Girondi praised his Torah proficiency. In 1821 R. Yisrael Nachman printed in Livorno the book Eshed Nechalim by his friend, author of the Arvei Nachal (the book was printed anonymously, as requested by the author). He later returned to Safed and died there sometime after 1821 [see the Yeshurun anthology, Vol 1, pp. 493-501. Encyclopedia L'Chassidut, Vol. 2, pp. 501-502].
4, 4-58 leaves. 29.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Contemporary worn binding (front cover is detached).
Stefansky Chassidut, no. 225. One of the few Chassidic books Printed in Livorno [very few Chassidic books were printed in the East and Balkans, Greece and Livorno. Only four Chassidic books were printed in Livorno itself, all by R. Yisrael Nachman of Drohobych. Two of them are offered for sale in this catalog. See previous item]. This copy has 58 leaves. Some later copies have 4 more leaves and end with leaf 62.