Darchei Tzedek – Chassidic Practices – Three Editions – A Forgery of the First Edition and an Especially Rare ...

Darchei Tzedek – Chassidic Practices – Three Editions – A Forgery of the First Edition and an Especially Rare Edition Printed in Minkovitz
Three editions of Darchei Tzedek, Chassidic practices, by R. Zecharya Mendel of Yaroslav (Jarosław), disciple of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk.
• Darchei Tzedek, [Russia-Poland], 1810. Third edition. Printed on title page: "As printed in Dyhernfurth".
Hanhagot HaAdam by R. Elimelech of Lizhensk, the author's teacher, was added on the last leaf.
[16] leaves. 16 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Damage and tears to several leaves. Worming affecting text to last leaf, repaired with paper. Leaves trimmed, slightly affecting headings of several leaves. Stamps. New binding.
Stefansky Chassidut, no. 151.
• Darchei Tzedek. [Minkovitz? 1797?]. Printed on the last leaf: "By the worker who is involved in the holy effort, Binyamin son of R. Yitzchak of Minkovitz".
[21] leaves. Lacking title page and several more leaves (near the end). 14 cm. Fair condition. A few stains. Damage, worming and tears, affecting text, with some loss.
This edition is apparently a rare edition of the book, one mentioned by Friedberg in his History of Hebrew Printing in Poland (Tel-Aviv 1950, p. 121). According to Friedberg, the book was printed by three printers: R. Yosef son of R. Yitzchak, R. Moshe son of R. Yosef and R. Yechezkel son of R. Shevach. These printers established the Hebrew printing press in Minkovitz one year earlier, in 1796. The record of this edition in A. Yaari's essay about the Hebrew printing press in Minkovitz, is based on Friedberg. See: A. Yaari, The Hebrew Printing Press in Minkovitz, Kiryat Sefer, XIX, Jerusalem 1942, p. 270.
• Darchei Tzedek. [Russia-Poland, between 1830 and 1850]. False imprint on title page: "Lviv, printing press of Yehudit wife of R. Tzvi Hirsh [Rosanis], 1796".
This is a forgery of the first edition, in reality it was printed decades later.
[24] leaves. 14 cm. Good condition. A few stains. Minor marginal worming. New binding.
Stefansky Chassidut, no. 149.
The printer's name and date of printing are incorrect and were copied from the first edition. This edition was printed in close imitation of the first edition, though with slight variations: The title page is bordered with one line and most of the words are in Rashi script, whereas the title page of the true 1796 edition contains only square print, within a floral border. (See: Avraham Yaari, Supplements to the Bibliography of the Polish-Russian Printing Presses, Kiryat Sefer, XXI, 1944-1945, p. 301).
The author, R. Zecharya Mendel of Yaroslav (died between 1788-1796, Encyclopedia L'Chassidut I, pp. 524-525), was a prominent disciple of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk. He was a nephew of the holy brothers R. Pinchas Horowitz, author of Haflaah, and R. Shmelke of Nikolsburg, and also studied Chassidut from R. Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov. At first he served as rabbi in Yaroslav, but after some time he decided to leave this position to devote himself to disseminating Chassidut. His primary teacher was R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and he was involved in bringing his teacher's book Noam Elimelech to press (together with the author's son). Printed at the end of Noam Elimelech, in the section entitled Igeret HaKodesh, is a special letter by R. Zecharya Mendel in which he responds to a relative who had been opposed to him joining the Chassidic movement. In this reply, R. Zecharya Mendel describes at length the greatness of the Chassidic tzaddikim and their lofty levels of asceticism and conduct. Among other things, he mentions his uncle R. Shmelke of Nikolsburg, who had also joined the Chassidic movement, and effusively praises his greatness and pure conduct, adding that he feels compelled to follow in his footsteps. His book Darchei Tzedek was written in the lifetime of his teacher, R. Elimelech of Lizhensk and he refers to him as his teacher and rabbi.