Chaim Vital. Chok LeYisrael [portions of Zohar, Bible, etc. divided for daily study]

(CAIRO).

The Orphan Abraham ben Moses

Egypt (Cairo)

1740

FIRST EDITION. Complete in two volumes. Title pages within typographical borders. Each page printed in two columns within ruled border. Scriptural texts pointed, Talmudic texts unpointed and Kabbalistic texts in rabbinic type. This copy from a rabbinic library in Iran.

Vinograd, Cairo 3; Ya’ari, Cairo 3.

The third of only four Hebrew printed books printed in Egypt. Indeed the Chok LeYisrael is among the very earliest books printed throughout all of the African Continent. The Cairo Hebrew imprints follow a short-lived Hebrew printing press that operated in Fez, Morocco (1517-24) that produced just nine works. According to Yaari (p. 54), following this Chok LeYisrael, the next Hebrew book printed in Cairo did not appear until 1905. R. Chaim Vital, the foremost disciple of Isaac Luria (the AR”I), advocated textual study as a means toward mystical contemplation. Thus he advocated for the study of these selected excerpts from the Torah, Prophets, Writings, Mishna, Talmud and Kabbalistic literature intended for study each morning.