Lot 55
Bat Ayin – First Edition – Jerusalem, 1847
Bat Ayin, by Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovruch. Jerusalem, [1847]. First edition. The author, Rebbe Avraham Dov of Ovruch (1765-1841), a leading renowned Chassid. Disciple of Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl and of his son Rabbi Mordechai. Also disciple of Rabbi Zusha of Annopol and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdychiv. Served for 40 years as Av Beit Din of Ovruch, and was called "the Holy Rabbi of Ovruch”. In 1833, he ascended to Eretz Israel, to the city of Safed in which he established his Beit Midrash and led the Safed Chassidic communities. The famous story is told of the miracle of his delivery from the tragic earthquake in 1837, which happened at the time the Mincha prayer was being held in the synagogues (late afternoon). The Ovuruch Rebbe warned his Chassidim not to leave the synagogue, he lay on the floor of the Beit Midrash and all the surrounding congregation held on to his belt. The entire building collapsed with the exception of the narrow area in which the Rebbe and his followers lay. [After some time elapsed, the Rebbe related that he saw that the earthquake was not a natural event since the stones were cast to the sides and did not fall directly to the ground in spite of their weight. He understood that fierce power had been granted to the Sitra Achra, therefore he just laid there submissively on the ground – "Wait a moment until the fury passes (Yeshayahu)"]. After the earthquake, he restored the Safed community and did not allow his Chassidim to abandon the holy city. He died of pestilence which plagued Safed in 1841 and after his death, the plague ceased. Many wonders are told of his lofty holiness and of his great strength in performing wonders for the Jewish people. His holy book Bat Ayin was printed in Jerusalem in 1847 and in Zhitomir in 1850 in varied editions and it is considered a basic book of Chassidic thought. [2], 125, [1] leaves. 20.5 cm. Poor condition, extensive worming and fungus damages, with damage to text. New elaborate binding. S. HaLevi, no. 38; Stefansky Chassidut, no. 103.
