Sefer Yesharesh Yaakov, Rabbi Haim Abulafia. Signatures of important geonim and tzaddikim. First edition, Izmir 1729.

Sefer Yesharesh Yaakov, Rabbi Haim Abulafia. Signatures of important geonim and tzaddikim. First edition, Izmir 1729.

A commentary on the work Ein Yaakov on agadot of Shas, by Rabbi Haim Abulafia. The title page has signatures of Rabbi Yosef Refael ben Nun, a dayan of the Sefardi community in Yafo, author of the book Yair Mevin (Arzei HaLevanon p. 1035), Rabbi Avraham Sigari, a sage of Tzfat and son of Rabbi Yehuda of Turin (Torino, Italy) (Arzei HaLevanon p. 164), Rabbi Yitzhak Fragi, a shadar of Tzfat (Arzei HaLevanon p. 1821).

The blank first leaf has a repeated note of the family name “Hager”, seemingly the Admor Rabbi Yehuda Horwitz of Dzikov, and there are two handwritten corrections in his handwriting among the pages of the work.

[1], 145 leaves (originally 187), missing the Sefer Beer Lachay, which appears in the original at the end of the book. Many moth holes, fair condition.

The Tzaddik Rabbi Yehuda Horwitz of Dzikov, known as Rav Yudaleh (1905-1989) was the son of Rabbi Alter Yehezkel Eliyahu Horwitz of Dzikov. He was a rabbi and Admor of the Dzikov-Rofshitz dynasty. His maternal grandfather was the Ahavas Yisrael. He studied under Rabbi Meir Arik in Tarnov. At age 20 he was certified to teach by Rabbi Avraham Mendel Steinberg, the rabbi of Brody. His works include: Imrei Torah on the Torah, Mishnat Yehudah on Masechet Avot, Gilionei Mahari (a collection of notes that he wrote in books that he studied). Since his death many religious works have been published with the additional “Gilionei Mahari” collected from the margins of his works, including the Shulchan Aruch, Chatam Sofer, Noam Elimelech, Avodat HaKodesh by the Hida, Shut Maharsham of Berezhan, Shut Imrei Yosher, and Toldot Yaakov Yosef.

His students include important rabbis and admorim and Chassidic figures from the last generation: Admor Rabbi Mordechai Hager of Vizhnitz-Munsey, Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, leaders of the Breslev community shlita; Admor Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Kahane of Toldot Avraham Yitzhak shlita. Admor Rabbi Mordechai Stein of Poltishan shlita; Admor Rabbi Yisrael Hager of Vizhnitz Bnei Brak shlita. Rabbi Zeev Feldman, Av Beit Din of Kahal Tora Etz Hayyim Chatam Sofer and member of the Badatz in London shlita; Rabbi Eliezer David Friedman, rabbi of the Belz-Mechenovka chassidus in London; Rabbi Menachem Mendel Mundrer, the Admor of Kasov-Jerusalem; Rabbi Mordechai Ganut, author of Luach Davar.