Sefer Toldot Aharon, by Rabbi Aharon of Pissaro, Amsterdam 1652.
Title page with 2 signatures of the Holy Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Chazak Rabbi of Padua.
Signature of Rabbi Yitzchak Refael Finzi on the title page: "Acquired with my money, i Yitzchak Refael Finzi, here Moncalvo, 17..”
The Divine Gaon Rabbi Yaakov Chazak Av Beis Din of Padua [1689-1782], one of the greatest sages of Italy, one of the eldest Kabbalists and sages of Padova. The friend of Rabbeinu the Ramchal who became his disciple and spread his Torah. The greatest rabbis admired him, referring to his name with awe. Rabbeinu the Chida asked for his blessing and testified on his behalf about Divine Giluyim that the members of the Ramchal’s group headed by Rabbeinu Yaakov Chazak had merited. And in his Sefer Dvash L’Fi (in the entry on Berachah) where he refers to him as עיר וקדיש סבא קדישא. The Ramchal greatly praised him.
The Gaon Rabbi Yitzchak Refael Finzi (1728-1813), a leading Italian Torah scholar, rabbi of Padua. He was one of the rabbis invited to serve as members of Napoleon’s Sanhedrin in Paris, 1806. A disciple of Rabbi Yitzchak Lampronti, author of Pachad Yitzchak, he later served as rabbi and Torah disseminator in many Italian communities. He was appointed rabbi of Padua in 1786.
His disciple, Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ghirondi, portrays him at length in his book Toldot Gedolei Yisrael UGeonei Italia (pp. 126-132). He describes how he edified close to one hundred disciples in the years he served as rabbi of Padua, and his fame spread far and wide, to the extent that the leading Torah scholars of the generation considered him a Rishon. In regard to R. Yitzchak Refael’s exceptional oratory skills, he attests that even non-Jewish scholars, priests and ministers would come to hear his lengthy and profound discourses. R. Ghirondi also records that he was invited to join Napoleon’s Sanhedrin, where he was received with great honor and seated beside the president of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Yosef David Sinzheim. His works remained in manuscript form, yet teachings in his name were printed in Ikrei HaDat by his colleague, Rabbi Daniel Tirani.
Overall in good condition, foredge colored blue, stains, lacking bottom half of title page, tears to page one with some loss to text, tear to page in the middle affecting text, later binding.
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