Chen Tov [sermons on the weekly Torah Portion]

HALEVI, TOBIAS BEN ABRAHAM

Judah ben Jacob Katz,

Prague

1618-1624

Second edition. THE YAIR CHAIM BACHARACH COPY, with his signature at the top of the first word of text - “Bereishith.”

Vinograd, Prague 312

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”