Sefer Biurim – A profound and foundational commentary on the great commentary of Rashi on the Five Books of Moses.
On pages 9, 29, and 139, there are four handwritten signatures of the holy Rebbi Noach Shmuel Lifshitz of Opotchna and Turbin.
On the final page, there are ancient signatures: Gershon, son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch; Gershon of Turbin in the region of Chełm.
The copy contains an ancient gloss.
Venice, 1593. First Edition. Printed by Matteo Zanetti and Comino Presegno.
Includes various illustrations: A map of the Land of Israel – one of the earliest printed maps of the Land of Israel. A full-page illustration of the pure Menorah. Depictions of the spies carrying the cluster of grapes and Jacob’s ladder according to Kabbalah.
The title page states that the sefer was composed by the holy genius Rabbi Nathan Shapira (the elder) – the grandfather of the author of Megaleh Amukot – one of the greatest rabbis of Poland in the 17th century.
This work is attributed on the title page and throughout the sefer to Rabbi Nathan Shapira. However, this attribution is a forgery. Rabbi Nathan’s commentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary was actually published in the sefer Imrei Shefer (Cracow and Lublin, 1591–1597). In the introduction to Imrei Shefer, his son, Rabbi Isaac Shapira, exposes the forgery:
"Two years ago, certain commentaries were printed and falsely attributed to the genius, my late father, of blessed memory. These were concocted by people without the yoke of heaven… wishing to attach his name to a prominent work… but it is demonstrably counterfeit."
The exposure of this forgery led to the sefer being banned by Polish rabbis. Consequently, it’s is exceptionally rare and has only appeared twice in public auctions.
Colophon: "Completed, thank God, on the fifth day of Rosh Chodesh Adar II, in the year 1583." (This should read 1593, as 1583 was not a leap year, and in 1593, Rosh Chodesh Adar II indeed fell on a Thursday.)
The Holy Rabbi Nach Shmuel Lifshitz was born in 1780 to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Lifshitz, Av Beit Din of Opotchna, and a disciple of the Chozeh of Lublin and the Maggid of Kozhnitz. Rabbi Nach Shmuel also became a devoted follower of these figures, frequently quoting their teachings in his works Divrei Shmuel.
As a young man, he was recognized as a prodigy. At the age of 18, he was appointed Rabbi of Turbin but chose to leave the rabbinate to immerse himself in Torah study at the home of his father-in-law.
He was renowned for his spiritual greatness and miraculous deeds. One account recalls how, as a young man dining at the home of his father-in-law, the wealthy R’ Ze’ev HaLevi Wahlman of Kazimierz, he was served non-kosher soup. Through his great sanctity, he detected this and refrained from eating it.
His diligence in Torah study was extraordinary. Every year on Tu Bishvat, he would complete the Talmud and hold a celebratory mitzvah meal. He studied 18 chapters of Mishnah daily and slept no more than three hours in 24 hours. Most of the day, he wore tefillin, and on Shabbat, he spoke exclusively in Hebrew (as noted in the preface to Divrei Shmuel by his grandson).
He authored Zer Zahav on Sefer HaMachria (Lublin, 1897), which received enthusiastic endorsements from many of the era’s great rabbis, including his mentor, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, Rabbi Akiva Eiger, the Mahari of Lissa, the author of Yeshuot Yaakov, Rabbi Aryeh Leib of Plotzk, Rabbi Azriel Horowitz, and others. In 1810, the Maggid of Kozhnitz sought to secure him a rabbinical position, and in 1830, he was elected Rabbi of Bezin. He passed away there in 1832 at the age of 52, a lifespan matching that of the prophet Samuel.
Aside from Zer Zahav, he also published Divrei Shmuel on Tractate Shabbat. His nephew, Rabbi Yechiel Meir of Gustanin, was raised in his home (see further in Bromberg’s Gedolei Torah VeChassidut, vol. 1, pp. 10–23).
Ownership Inscription of Rebbi Menachem Binyamin Ben Zion Halberstam Rotenberg of Sanz-Vidislav (1881–1957):
Rabbi Menachem Binyamin Ben Zion Halberstam Rotenberg, a descendant of the righteous dynasties of Sanz and Kshanov, was a great-grandson of Rebbi Aharon of Biala-Bilitz son of Rebbi Yosef Ze’ev, son of Rebbi David of Kshanov, and grandson of the revered Rebbi Chaim of Sanz. On his maternal side, he was the grandson of Rabbi Alter Chaim of Walbrum, from whom he adopted the surname Rotenberg.
He was also a descendant of the tzaddikim of Ropshitz, Sanz, Or LaShamayim, Belz, and Apt, and his lineage further intertwined with many great spiritual leaders. Rabbi Halberstam emigrated to the United States, where he led his court and served as President of the Union of Admorim.
Signature and stamp: Mordechai Friedman of Mezeritch – the signature of Rabbi Mordechai Friedman, author of Meorer Yeshanim (Warsaw, 1926) and Poteach Devarim (published at the end of Ohel Moshe, Warsaw, 1889). For further information, see R. A. HaCohen Katzman’s Hagahot LeSefer Shem HaGedolim (Yeshurun, vol. 23, 2010, pp. 665–675).
9-180 Leaves. (lacking the title page and the first seven leaves). 19.3 cm.
Overall Good condition, marginal water & age stains, some minor marginal worming, a couple marginal repairs, page 69 has large repair with missing text, a few frayed corners, later binding.
Share this lot:
Lot #83