Fine and impressive manuscript containing two compositions by the Ga’on Rabbi Shlomo of Chelm author of Merkavat HaMishna. Includes illustrated maps.
First section of manuscript: “Sections of Na’im Zemirot which were not printed in Shulchan Atzei Shittim”. Na’im Zemirot is a lengthy composition in the form of a poem-riddle on 39 prototypes of creation forbidden on Shabbat, written by Rabbi Shlomo of Chelm, with the addition of a detailed explanation of allusions to poem. Words of poem in square letters; beneath, explanation in fluent Ashkenazi writing.
Printing of composition began in Berlin in 1762 at beginning of book of Rabbi Shlomo ‘Shulchan Atzei Shittim’, however, for reasons which are unclear the printing was interrupted in middle [written there: “Time was of essence and I managed to print only until this point”]. This manuscript contains continuation of composition [printed in 1980].
Second section of manuscript: Sefer Chug Ha’Aretz, lexicon composition on geography of Eretz Israel, allocation of land to each of the Tribes and borders of the country. Fluent Ashkenazi writing. Eight impressive maps, illustrated by artist; detailed description of cities of country, allocated areas of land and borders integrated throughout leaves of composition. [Printed in 1988].
Ownership stamps of Rabbi Binyamin Fuchs Av Beit Din of Grosswardein.
This manuscript was miraculously saved from the Holocaust. According to legend, an anonymous Jew who was taken to an extermination camp together with additional Jews of his town, guarded the manuscript and just prior to his murder transferred it to a Jew by the name of Ungar who was also a prisoner in that camp. Ungar survived the camp and succeeded in maintaining the manuscript until his release [see attached material].
The Ga’on Rabbi Shlomo of Chelm (1716-1781), among famous Torah giants of Poland, passed through Turkey in 1779 on his way to Eretz Israel. He was delayed in Constantinople and in Izmir for an extended period and formed a close relationship with local Torah giants. Several months after arriving in Eretz Israel was forced to leave. He arrived with his family in Thessaloniki and began preparing the second section of his book Merkavat HaMishna on the Mishnah and his remaining compositions for print, however he perished in a plague which erupted in the city.
25 leaves; 44 + [7] leaves. Good condition, stains and wear. New binding.

Remnants of parchment manuscript, Perush HaMishnayot L'HaRambam. Italian-Ashkenazi writing. [15th century?].
Contains sections of Hilchot Shekalim [first chapter and part of second chapter] and of Hilchot Megillah [part of the first and second chapter], on 4 non-consecutive pages. At the top of the first page is the title: “Hilchot Megillah V'Chanuka, Hilchot Shekalim”, followed by the beginning of the first chapter of Hilchot Shekalim. This manuscript has a different order than usual in the manuscripts and printings, where Hilchot Megillah and Chanuka appear only after Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh and Hilchot Ta'aniot.
[4] pages. 30 cm. Fair condition [some of text is very faded], stains and rough tears.

22 leaf remnants [more than 50 pages] removed from the "bindings geniza".
Sections of an unknown work which apparently included homiletics written by a Spanish Torah scholar. The style is characteristic of Spanish scholars in the generation before the Spanish Expulsion with philosophic ideas, allegories and ethical teachings. Some of the leaves have extensive explanations on the Ten Commandments. One of the pages has a "signature" [of the homiletic or the composition]: "G-d shall place us amongst those who keep his mitzvoth and those who fear him…".
Over 50 pages, with various levels of damage to text. 20 cm. Professional leaf restoration. Ring motif on watermarks on leaves corresponds to the watermarks on paper produced in Europe in the second half of the 15th century.

A handwritten notebook, sermons "Some of the sermons by Rabbi Yakely Bausker – with valuable sermons in Mussar and a few parables". [Bauska, 1837-1851].
Rabbi Ya'akov Benditman (1790-1861), was orphaned of his father at a young age and raised in the home of his famous grandfather, Rabbi Shmuel Chassid of Raszyn disciple of the Gra. He served as dayan of Shavel and from 1830 was appointed to the rabbinate of Bauska (Northern Lithuania, Latvia). After his death, he left writings, novellae, responsa and sermons. In 1874, his grandson in Vilna printed his book “Zichron Ya'akov”, and with the rabbis' approbations was also going to include the printing of the sermons, although actually only the responsa and novellae appear. (In the publisher's introduction, he writes that the author's writings were scattered and lost and he printed only what he had). In the approbations, Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan and the outstanding rabbis of his time describe Rabbi Ya'akov as: “Holy, famous genius and tzaddik". His son-in-law Rabbi Alexander Moshe Lapidot writes about him in his approbation that "his righteousness, asceticism and toil in Torah are famous". In these homiletics, many Kabbalistic ideas also appear that correlate the publisher's words that Rabbi Ya'akov also studied the hidden secrets of the Torah.
Stories in the name of the Vilna Gaon are told in this manuscript: "I have heard…that when they wanted to travel from the Vilna Gaon close to the time of the Mincha prayer, and they asked him that since the horse driver was urging them to leave and was in a hurry, if they may travel before praying with the tzibbur. The Gaon answered them in his sweet manner: It is only a minor thing, one only becomes a "mumar l'davar echad" …" (leaf 21/2). This story also appears on leaf 54 in his handwriting in different words: "He only becomes a mumar in this matter of praying without a minyan. " There he also relates: "It is a known fact about the Vilna Gaon that he was always meticulous to pray with a minyan when traveling. Once he could not find a minyan at the inn and he sent a peasant to bring a minyan to the inn so he could pray with ten men".
In other places in the manuscript, he writes things heard from Lithuanian rabbis and from his grandfather the Tzaddik Rabbi Shmuel Chassid of Raszyn.
On leaf 11/1, he brings an interesting saying in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin about the “Dibbuk” of Novardok who would say to wicked men that he loves them and to G-d fearing tzaddikim he would say that he hates them. At times, it was amazing when he would yell at a man that he loves him and a minute later he would yell the opposite that he hates him, "since it was known that the man to whom he yelled his love knew that this was a sign that he lacked fear of Heaven so he would be very ashamed and blanch from shame… thereby repenting in his heart…". On leaves 23/2-24/2 he brings a nice parable heard from "Rabbi Mordechai Uriah in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak Volozhin".
[1], 1-35, 37-76 leaves. Approx. 150 written pages. 22.5 cm. Good-fair condition, wear and loose torn binding.

Manuscript, "Eulogy by Rabbi… Yechezkel Landau Rabbi of Prague on Rabbi Meir Fishels Ra'avad of our community, at his burial on the 18th of Kislev 1769". Prague, Kislev 1769.
Rabbi Meir ben Fishel of Bumsla, close disciple of Rabbi Yehonatan Eibeshitz, served for forty years as Head of yeshiva in Prague and most of Prague's scholars were his disciples. Served also as Ra'avad of the city. Died on Shabbat the 17th of Kislev 1769 and was buried the next day, Sunday the 18th of Kislev. The city rabbi, the renowned Rabbi Yechezkel Landau, author of the Nodah B'Yehuda (1714-1793) eulogized him at the funeral and in his words included heavenly revelations that appeared in his dream two weeks previously in regard to his eulogy. This is what he said: "Even though I do not have the strength to eulogize him as fitting and it is better to keep quiet, but from Heaven I was warned to eulogize him. Otherwise, I would not have known what to say about him. But I was informed in my dream from Heaven what to say in my eulogy… and I will relate to you an awesome tale which came to me in my dream 15 days ago on Shabbat night the 3rd of Kislev. I was sleeping in my bed and in my dream they told me the verse… 'I hereby remove all reliance of bread'… and do you not know the meaning of 'reliance of bread'? Bread in the bread of Torah and they told me the verse 'And I will send a famine in the Land, not hunger for bread and not thirst for water but to hear the words of G-d'… And know that Rabbi Meir Fishels will die and at the time of his eulogy say this scripture. The rest of what I saw in my dream I will not reveal G-d forbid, just take to heart all the things I will say…".
To reinforce the truth of the tale of his dream, the Nodah B'Yehuda adds: "… And all my household members will testify that I fasted on that Shabbat and on the following Sunday…".
This awe-inspiring eulogy was printed in the book Midrash Yehonatan (Belogorye 1933) according to a manuscript from the Breslau Seminary. It was printed a second time with changes according to the manuscript by Buksbaum in Moriah (Issue 62-64, Av 1975) and in Chidushei Rabbi Meir Fishels (Jerusalem 2003). Here the eulogy is in another ancient manuscript [seems earlier than the copies from past printings] with many changes from the printed version.
4 pages, 36.5 cm. Fair condition, wear and tear, hard stains that hide a little of the text.