Sepher Ha’Or [Kabbalistic treatise on the Hebrew letters, vowels and cantillation points]

CHANIN, YEHUDAH BEN YAAKOV.

(Morocco)

17th century

Manuscript in Hebrew, written in a semi-cursive Sephardic hand, on paper. Former owners’ signatures and stamps including Levi Toledano, Masoud Azur and Shmuel Chaim Haroush of Meknes. At end: “This composition is complete… which I wrote for R. Chovav.” Watermarks similar to those found in the years 1609-50 (see Heawood, Watermarks (1950) nos. 3642-65).

AN UNPUBLISHED KABBALISTIC TREATISE composed by an important Moroccan Kabbalist. The work conceptually examines the Hebrew alphabet based upon mystical thought. A poem by the author is present on the final leaf. Manuscript notations on the margins throughout signed Pei Teth (Pinchas Toledano?) who refers to “my book Shalheveth Yah Yikra” in several places (7a). One of the great Kabbalists of Morocco and Algeria, R. Yehudah ben Ya’akov ibn Chanin (c.1540-1617) lived in the village of Akka (south-western Morocco) and was part of a Kabbalistic fellowship headed by Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon Elbaz, author of Heichal HaKodesh and a contemporary of the Ar’i za’l. A nephew of R. Yehudah was the kabbalist R. Ya'akov Ifergan, author of Perach Shushan who cites his uncle several times. R. Yehudah authored several works, notably Eitz Chaim and Minchath Yehudah. Although other manuscripts of the present work are extant, this copy was almost certainly written in the author’s lifetime, or shortly following his demise.