Meir Hakohen Poppers. Ohr HaYashar [Kabbalistic commentary to the prayers, with text].

(LITURGY).

Moshe Diaz

Amsterdam

1709

FIRST EDITION published under this title with the full text of the Siddur, Pirkei Avoth and additional material by Tzvi Hirsch Chazan, Dayan of Posen.

Vinograd, Amsterdam 880.

The Ohr Hayashar as edited by R. Tzvi Hirsch Chazan is held in the highest esteem within Chassidic circles. The first Rebbe of Belz, R. Shalom, stated that his “initial entry to Yirath Shamayim was through this work.” See approbation by R. Yehoshua of Belz to Siddur Tephillah LeMoshe (Cordovero) with Ohr HaYashar (Przemysl, 1892). Part of this work was originally published under the title “Ohr Tzadikim” in Hamburg, 1690. The new editor, Tzvi Hirsch Chazan states that the Hamburg edition is an abbreviated version of a manuscript in his possession and filled with errors. Hence the present editor added a section entitled “Tephilah Yesharah BeKavanath Halev” in which he included the entire text of the prayer-book interspersed with his own material based upon the Ari z”l and others. R. Meir Hakohen Poppers (d. 1662), the last editor of the Lurianic writings, is considered one of the most authoritative interpreters of that system of Kabbalah. His tripartite division of the Lurianic corpus into Derech Etz Chaim, Peri Etz Chaim and Noph Etz Chaim, became the accepted arrangement in Germany and Poland. See Ohr HaYashar (Waldman, ed.) Jerusalem, 1981.