Zamir Aritzim (I). First Polemic Work Opposing Chassidut. 1804

Zamir Aritzim (I). First Polemic Work Opposing Chassidut. 1804

"Almost no one in the world has ever observed anything like it" (text of the title page)

Zamir Aritzim (I) is the first polemic work against the Chassidic movement. It was (erroneously) attributed to the Vilna Gaon, and reprinted here with an introduction by Ephraim Dinard. Kearny, New Jersey, at the author's press. 1904. Rare second edition. Beautiful copy. Wide margins. Handwritten glosses.

Second edition of the first sefer in history written against the Chassidim. Including the text of the excommunication! Rare work of immense historic value. With a sharp preface by Ephraim Dinard. As a matter of course, these books were methodically destroyed by Chassidim over the years, hence its rarity.

Sefer Zamir Aritzim is one of the fiercest sefarim of opposition to Chassidism (and the first of this type of sefer). In his sefer, the author called for a battle against Chassidism, mocking its customs and coming out harshly and blatantly against the leaders of the movement and especially against the founder of Chassidism, Rabbi Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov, as well as the sefarim attributed to him by his students. Much has been written about the historical importance of this work. Some (mistakenly) attributed the work to the Vilna Gaon or to his students. This is devoid of any basis, yet the great importance attributed to this work can be understood from this. The Alter Rebbe of Lubavitch wrote about the sefer: "And the sefarim were sent to the entire Diaspora. The amount of humiliation and torment inflicted on the famous tzaddikim is truly unbelievable, to the extent they could not sit in their homes and they all came to take shelter under the wings of our great rabbi (the Maggid of Mezeritch) in Równe and seek advice as to what to do."

The author's name does not appear on the title page. Researchers across the generations have put forward several hypotheses regarding the author's identity. Rabbi Yisrael Leibel of Slutzk, who also served as a rabbi in Mohilev, believed that the Gr"a himself wrote the sefer, while some believed that Rabbi David of Makov authored it. Historian Zvi Gretz speculated that the author was Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, a student of the Gr"a, as opposed to historian Shimon Dubnov who pointed out that Rabbi Chaim became close to the Gr"a only later, in 1778, and proved that there were differences between the styles of Zamir Aritzim and Nefesh HaChayim, so it is not possible that Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin composed Zamir Aritzim. Dubnov's conclusion is that which is currently accepted - that the author is Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib, Brody community scribe.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of Ephraim Dinard.

8, 43 pp, 22 cm. Wide margins. Many pencilled comments and explanations on the leaves of the sefer.

Fine condition, New hardcover binding on the original jacket cover.