Or Yisrael – Frankfurt an der Oder, 1702 – Signatures

Or Yisrael, on Kabbalistic matters and a commentary on the Zohar and novellae on Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, by Rabbi Yisrael son of Rabbi Aharon Av Beit Din of Shklow. Frankfurt an der Oder, [1702]. Illustrated title page. On the endpapers are signatures of Rabbi "Yechiel HaLevi Landau" [son-in-law of the first Radomsko Rebbe Shlomo Rabinowitz, author of Tiferet Shlomo], and of his son Rebbe "Paltiel Shimon HaLevi Landau". The author: Rabbi Yisrael Yaffe Av Beit Din of Shklow (1740-1808), was one of the first rabbis of Shklow (Belarus), an outstanding Torah scholar and holy man immersed in Kabbalistic wisdom. In several places in this book he recounts amazing details of his holy conduct and that he merited ru'ach hakodesh and Eliyahu's revelation. In his books, he warns against useless discussions of various preachers, against cantors who do not perform their duties with fear of Heaven and are satisfied with melodies, and rabbis who teach according to the Shulchan Aruch and abridged books of Jewish law and do not study the Talmud and the Rishonim themselves. He writes that the reason for the length of the exile and the many troubles is the neglect of study of Kabbalistic wisdom which is the spirit and soul of the Torah. After this book was published, opposition arose to alleged Sabbatean allusions found in the book. Rabbi Yisrael later wrote another work titled Tiferet Yisrael (see Item 43), which was only finally printed in 1774. In the introduction, the author writes an apology in which he explains to his progeny the reason readers erred and thought that he believed in Sabbatai Zevi, [due to Kabbalistic mention of the word Zvi in which he alluded to Eretz Yisrael, one of whose names is Eretz HaZvi and readers mistakenly thought that he was alluding to Sabbatai Zevi]. In the many approbations for Tiferet Yisrael and in the publisher’s introduction are words of justification attempting to clear the author from this error. [1], 7, 187 leaves. 32.5 cm. Good condition. Minor worming to margins of several leaves. New, elaborate binding, with leather spine.