Tzemach Tzedek – Responsa, Novellae and Halachic rulings, by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch. Vilna: 1870-1884. First editions.
1. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek – Responsa on Orach Chaim. Vilna: the Widow and Brothers Romm, 1884. [3], 135 ff.
2. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek, Responsa on Yoreh De’ah, part I. Vilna: Fin, Rozenkrants and Shriftzettser, 1874. [2], 86 ff.
3. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek, Responsa on Yoreh De’ah, part II. Vilna: the Widow and Brothers Romm, 1874.[2], 121 ff.
4. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek, Responsa on Yoreh De’ah, part III. Vilna: R. Yosef Reuven Romm, 1874. Lacking title page, 52, 13 ff.
5-6. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek, Responsa on Even HaEzer, part I. Vilna: R. Yosef Reuven Romm R. Shmuel Yosef Fin and R. Avraham Tzvi Rozenkrantz, 1870. V [2], 147 ff.; : [1], 82, [1] ff.
7. Sefer Tzemach Tzedek, Piskei Dinim, Novellae and Halachaic ruilngs – two parts (in one volume). Vilna: Fin, Rozenkrantz and Shriftzettser the Widow and Brothers Romm, 1884. ) [2], 286; [2], 70 ff.
This volume is special & Rare, see below.
In most of the known copies of this book, on Page 138 of Volume 2 (Leaf 69/2), printed on the Vilna Gaon’s proof on an issue: "And I, in my lowliness, was not privileged to understand his holy words". – Interesting that the Rebbe of Lubavitch Chassidism, severely pursued by the Vilna Gaon, writes about him with such honor and humility.
In the 1949 edition published by K.H.T. the version "and this is not an answer" appears instead of "and I, in my lowliness, was not privileged to understand his holy words". Much polemic arose from this issue, Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner sent the book’s printers a letter of protest and their answer was that the former version was a forgery – see a lengthy article in Yeshurun, Vol. 20, Adar 2008, pages 790-793. The article’s writer, the renowned bibliographer Rabbi David Kaminetsky, writes: "… I searched in many large libraries throughout the world and by private collectors and I did not find a ‘corrected’ copy of the Vilna edition but all were written like the original. Apparently no ‘corrected’ copy exists in the Chabad library in NY either… recently… I found one single lone copy…". [See weekly "Kfar Chabad", Issues 1261, 1262, 1271 2008 where there is a photocopy of the rare copy that Rabbi David Kaminetsky saw and the polemic in regard to it].
To the best of our knowledge, no more than seven or eight original copies with the version "and this is not an answer" are known throughout the world.
This is an interesting and rare copy that surprisingly has two leaves. Printed on the first leaf is the version "and this is not an answer", and printed on the second leaf is the version "and I, in my lowliness, was not privileged to understand his holy words". Physical study of this copy casts a doubt on Rabbi Kaminetsky’s conclusion that the version "and this is not an answer" is the ‘correction’, and not the second version that appears here after the section of Omissions and Corrections that was added after printing.
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Lot #58