Manuscript By Rabbi Yaakov Semah, With His Signature. Never Printed

Manuscript By Rabbi Yaakov Semah, With His Signature. Never Printed

1-page manuscript, handwritten and signed by the holy Kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Semah, part of his work on the Zohar, which had never been printed – regarding the Kavanot and Yichudim Aharon HaKohen had when he lit the Menorah – Jerusalem, mid-17th century.

This is one page, (25 lines) in the handwriting of Rabbi Yaakov Semah, part of his work on the Zohar, which had never been printed. This specific page is taken from the beginning of Parshat Beha’alotcha, and deals with the Kavanot and Yichudim Aharon HaKohen had when he lit the Menorah.

The holy Kabbalist Rabbi Yaakov Semah (1584? – 1667), the greatest of the transcribers of the teachings of the Arizal, and first and foremost of the editors of the writings of Rabi Chaim Vital. Born in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal to a family of Conversos. In the year 1619 emigrated to the Holy Land, and settled in Safed, where he toiled in the overt teaching of the Torah for six consecutive years in great effort, living a life of poverty and little sleep. After those years he began to spend nights and Fridays in studying the covert teachings, and since then began devoting himself to purchasing original and verified transcriptions of the writings of Rav Chaim Vital, proofreading them, editing them, and organizing them in several editions. Circa 1690he moved to Damascus in order to study the teachings of the Arizal directly from Rabbi Shmuel Vital, his confirmed master. In the year 1640 he returned to the Holy Land and lived in Jerusalem until his passing in 1667. Rabbi Semah composed many essays, the most famous of which are “Nagid Umetzveh, ” and “Kol Baramah.” Around half of his writings have yet to be published.

The greatest of the Kabbalists and Tzaddikim toiled to expound on his teachings. These even included some of the leaders of Chassidism, such as Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov and the “Be’er Mayim Chayim, ” who even wrote glosses to explain the writings of Rabbi Semah, which had been printed in “Pri Eitz Chaim.”

[1] page. 15.5cm. Good condition. Stains. Bound in superb leather binding.