Dov Baer of Lubavitch (The Mitteler Rebbe). Kuntress HaHithpa’aluth. ff. 4, 9-21, (1). * With: Kuntress Katan Me’Inyanei Bechirah. ff. 8 (1).

(CHASSIDISM)

(Zolkiew?)

c. 1850

First edition(?).

Vinograd, Zolkiew 1026; Habermann, Shaarei Chabad 234 and 244; Mehlman 1177.

Kuntress HaHithpa’aluth has been described as “a penetrating analysis of various forms and stages of mystical rapture and ecstasy” (G. Scholem, Major Trends, p. 121). The second Kuntress bound in here contains a Chabad-Chassidic interpretation of Free Will. This edition unseen by Habermann who cataloged this based upon a communication from Haim Liberman who surmised that it was possibly printed in Zolkiew. There is confusion among bibliographers as to the date of publication. Although the numerical equivalent of the verse on the first title is equivalent to 1831, this is questionable as the publisher requests in the introduction that no one should reprint it until 1858 - 27 years being an unusually lengthy period of time. Yudlov gives the date as circa 1850. The introduction and the same chronogram on the title appear in a (Koenigsberg?) edition with slightly different pagination. It is difficult to establish with certainty which is the real first edition.