Chen Tov [sermons on the weekly Torah Portion]
AUCTION 36 |
Thursday, March 22nd,
2007 at 1:00
Fine Judaica: Printed Books & Manuscripts
Lot 108
HALEVI, TOBIAS BEN ABRAHAM
Chen Tov [sermons on the weekly Torah Portion]
Prague: Judah ben Jacob Katz, 1618-1624
Est: $4,000 - $5,000
The owner of this text, Yair Chaim Bacharach, (The “Chavoth Yair”), was an outstanding rabbinic scholar with an extensive knowledge of the sciences and kabbalah. He is known for his systematic approach to Talmudic literature and Halacha based on his exhaustive knowledge of all branches of Jewish scholarship.
For a most extensive treatment of the life (1638-1702) and works of R. Yair Chaim Bacharach, see: David Kaufman, R. Jair Hayyim Bachrach und seine Ahren (Treves, 1894), German. An English version appears in JQR, Vol. 3 (1891) pp. 292-313, 485-536. For a Hebrew overview, see Moses Zafir, in the introduction to the recently republished Chut Ha’shani
The author of Chen Tov hailed from Safed and frequently cites his mentor R. Solomon Sagis as well as other great scholars of Safed. His fellow student, Joseph di Trani (the Mahri”t) quotes Halevi’s work in Tzophnath Pane’ach and refers to him as his “colleague in Torah and Mitzvoth”