Sefer Zera Kodesh (Rafshitz), first edition, Lviv (Lemberg) 1868

2 sections, 2 cover pages. Book by the Admor Rabbi Naftali Zvi Horwitz from Rafshitz, one of the deepest and most well-known books of chassidut. Rabbi Naftali Zvi was born in Linsk on the day the Ba’al Shem Tov died (Shavuot 1760), he was a student of the Rahak Rabbi Haim, the Divrei Haim of Sanz, who wrote a recommendation of him that “he studied from the time the sun rose and until it set.” His path was through mysticism and his drashes and conversations used riddles and figurative language, only the best of his students could reach the end of his thoughts, and his book Zerah Kodesh has many deep concepts related to gematriya, in which there are many buried secrets. The book was first printed around 40 years after his death, since his students were afraid of his warning not to bring them to the publishers. This holy book was handwritten until a group of chassidim, led by Rabbi Haim of Sanz, mustered the courage to have it published. In his endorsement, Rav Haim of Sanz writes: “it arose in my heart that the printers that published these holy texts did a good job, since it is known that Rav Rabbi Haim Vittel also prevented the publication of his chiddushim and what he accepted from the Ari, who didn’t allow his students to write them, and nonetheless the tsaddikim of the generation, through chicanery and activity, managed to copy them.” Since then the book has occupied its important place, and it has been printed in dozens of editions. Rabbi Naftali Zvi was the direct student of Rabbi Elimelech of Luzhansk, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimnov and the Khozeh of Lublin; after their death he set his residency in Rofshitz, which began a stream of chassidim who accepted Rabbi Naftali as their rav, which quickly turned it into one of the largest groups in Galicia. Stefanski Chassidut 208. Generally ok to good condition, the first cover and page after it are a little defective, the book’s pages are partially damaged by water and moth damage. Rare book!