Sidduro shel Shabbat by the Chernowitzer Rebbe - Copy that Belonged to Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger, Author of Lev Ivri

Sidduro shel Shabbat by the Chernowitzer Rebbe - Copy that Belonged to Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger, Author of Lev Ivri

Sefer Sidduro shel Shabbat - topics on the sanctity of Shabbat from the Kabbalistic and Chassidic perspective, by Rabbi Chaim Tirer, av beit din of Chernowitz. Lemberg, 1860.

His signature, crossed out with thick lines, appears on the title page, alongside Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger's familiar stamp. Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger was one of the zealots who closely guarded the embers of authentic Judaism.

Rabbi Akiva belonged to the camp of the more conservative Chareidim in Hungary who fought every deviation, even tiny ones, from the traditional path. He was known as a major zealot already in his youth. He published his work Levi HaIvri,  which caused quite a stir, when he was only 25 years old. Rabbi Akiva had an overflowing soul, full of novel and deep ideas.

Little is known about Rabbi Akiva's relationship to the Chassidic movement, yet this most important Chassidic work belonged to one of the leading zealots!

The Etz Chayim-Bobov anthology contains a fascinating letter from Rabbi Menachem Mendel Budik, author of Seder HaDorot HeChadash, sent to Rabbi Akiva Yosef Schlesinger, in which he explains to him about cleaving to tzaddikim and the ways of Chassidism. (Booklet XI, New York, 2010, pp. 39-44).

[3], 50, 36 leaf. 24.5 cm.

Very fine condition. New binding.