Manuscript, Selections from 'Yalkut Reuveni.' Europe, C. 18th Century

Manuscript, Selections from 'Yalkut Reuveni.' Europe, C. 18th Century

Complete manuscript from beginning to end. Short compilation from the renowned work Yalkut Reuveini (HaGadol) al HaTorah, by Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Reuven HaKohen Sofer of Prague. Written by an (unknown) contemporary of the author's. Fluent Ashkenazic script. [Central/Eastern Europe, c. early 18th century].

This manuscript was apparently written from the first edition of Yalkut Reuveini al HaTorah (Wilhermsdorf, 1641). Despite its short length, it was written on the entire Yalkut Reuveni from Chumash Bereishit through Chumash Devarim. The manuscript bears selected passages the author found suitable to copy from the entire Yalkut Reuveini, but not a precise transcription, just abbreviated notes. Among the Kabbalistic works mentioned in this manuscript are: Midrash HaNe'elam, Meirat Einayim, Megaleh Amukot, Zohar and others.

In the generations in which this manuscript was written, there was a widespread custom to write sifrei kitzurim on important and famous sefarim, primarily those on halachah and Kabbalah (such as Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, Kitzur Shla"h etc.) to the point that it was observed about the Chayyei Adam that the title was chosen by the author so that no one would write an abbreviated version of his sefer - because no one would write a book called Kitzur Chayyei Adam. (However, this did not help, and a sefer called Kitzur Chayyei Adam was published in 1854 at the Re'em Press in Vilna.)

This may be the preparation for an abbreviated version of Yalkut Reuveini (which was known in previous generations as an important work and was printed in many editions) by the gaon, a contemporary of the author's, whose identity is unknown. It is known that the kitzur sefarim were also written by gedolei hador, such as Rabbi Shlomo Gantzfried (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch). The popular custom of reciting psukim for people's names at the end of Shemoneh Esreh is sourced in Kitzur HaShla"h and is not mentioned at all in the Shla"h. The gaon, the author of this kitzur sefer here, did something seemingly impossible - he condensed a sefer of close to [200] leaves into this 24-page manuscript!

Sefer Yalkut Reuveini is a work that contains a collection of midrashim, primarily from various Kabbalistic works, written by Kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Chaim Reuven HaKohen Sofer (Hashki, son-in-law of the author of Olelot Ephraim), a Kabbalist among the sages of Prague during the period of the Ba"ch. The first part of the sefer is arranged alphabetically (Yalkut Reuveni HaKattan), and the second is arranged according to the weekly Torah portions (Yalkut Reuven HaGadol), on which this kitzur version is written. Over the course of the sacred author's lifetime, only the first part of Yalkut Reuveini was printed (Prague, 1660). The rest of his works were printed posthumously.

12 leaf [total of 24 written pages out of 28 pages]. 21 cm.

Fine condition. Stains. Faded ink in the margins of the first leaf. Wear and light tears in the margins. New binding.