Sermon for Shabbat Teshuvah – handwritten by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Author of "Ben Ish Chai" – Baghdad, 1905

Sermon for Shabbat Teshuvah – handwritten by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Author of "Ben Ish Chai" – Baghdad, 1905

Sermon for Shabbat Teshuva delivered by rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad, the "Ben Ish Chai" – handwritten by him.

Before us is a compilation of [12] pages. Autographic writing handwritten by Rabbi Yosef Chaim with erasures, corrections and additions.

On the first page:

" בשם ה' נעשה ונצליח ליקבה"ו, בס"ד דרוש שדרשתי בעזה"ו בשבת תשובה שנת תרס"ו השי"ת יזכני ברחמיו לדרוש בכל שנה ושנה בשנים הבאים עלינו לחיים טובים ולשלום תורה לשמה בעזרת האל וישועתו אכי"ר".

The sermon contains Pilpulim and Divrei Torah about repentance. Among others, he refers to his book Rav pealim and to his book Shnei Eliyahu.

Before us is part of a long sermon which was delivered by the Ben Ish Chai on Shabbat Teshuvah 1905 – approx. three years before his death. Th sermon was printed in his book Ben Ish Chayil Section B Drush B for Shabbat Teshuvah. There are textual variations between the printed version and this one since later, Rabbi Yosef Chaim prepared it for printing, adding and changing some of the things he had written.

Rabbi Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (1833-1909), author of "Ben Ish Chai", the son of Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim the on of Rabbi Moshe Chaim the rabbi of Baghdad. Since his youth he was known as a genus and Tzaddik. After his father's death in 1859, when he was only 26 years old, he replaced his father and delivered a sermon in the great synagogue, on four Sabbaths of the year: Shabbat Teshuvah, Shabbat Zachor, Shabbat Hagadol, and Shabbat Kalah (the Sabbath before the Shavuot). Thousands of the Jews of Baghdad used to come to the Great Synagogue of Baghdad 'Salat al-Kabir', which could seat 10,000 people, to listen to his sermons. On the other Sabbaths of the year, he would deliver sermons in the small synagogue of Baghdad 'Salat al Za'ir', which could seat only a thousand people. There he delivered sermons every Sabbath for approx. fifty years. For three hours he would deliver a sermon on Parashat Hashavu'ah, combining his sermons with wit halacha and Aggadah, proverbs, tales, commentary on verses and Aggadot of the sages, by way of Peshat, Remez and Sod. Authored dozens of books on all aspects of the Torah, compositions which became foundation stones for the entire Jewish people.

[6] leaves. Written on both their sides [12] handwritten pages. 10.5x13.5cm. good condition. The ink has blurred in several words. Several folding marks. Tiny tears in the margins.