Tosefot Bikurim, commentary on Tosefta by R. Menachem Nachum of Chavusy. Shklow: Tzvi Hirsch son of Meir HaLevi, Yitzchak son of Shmuel Zanvil Segal and Yitzchak son of Shmuel, [1809]. First edition.
Copy of R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn (son of R. Baruch Shalom son of the Tzemach Tzedek; great-grandfather of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) – his signature on the title page: "Levi Yitzchak son of my father and master R. Baruch Shalom Schneersohn", with a blessing for the living following his father's name. This signature of R. Levi Yitzchak is from his youth, before the passing of his father R. Baruch Shalom in 1869. To the best of our knowledge, this signature of his is the only one that has survived to the present day, and no other signature of his is known (in the Chabad-Lubavitch Library there is a wax seal with a partial ownership inscription attributed to him: "[Levi Yi]tzchak son of… R. Baruch Shal[om] Schneer[sohn]").
On the endpapers are additional ownership inscriptions: "Belongs to… R. Baruch son of R. Alexander Ziskind of Yanavichy"; "In honor of… R. Chaim Aryeh Leib". Stamp: "Moshe Loeb – Elshanske".

R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn (1834-1877), eldest son of R. Baruch Shalom Schneersohn, eldest son of the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch. Originally served as rabbi and posek in Paddabranka (Mogilev governorate), and at the end of his life he was appointed Rabbi of Beshankovichy (Vitebsk governorate). After the passing of the Tzemach Tzedek (1866), R. Baruch Shalom was the only of his sons who did not take a leadership role, instead becoming a follower of his younger brother R. Shmuel, the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch. Like his father, R. Levi Yitzchak of Paddabranka followed his uncle the Maharash, as did his sons and descendants. In the writings of his son, R. Baruch Shalom, he cites practices he saw, and teachings heard by R. Levi Yitzchak from his grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek (Reshimot HaRabash, pp. 33, 70). It is there told how he once sat and sang a tune in a Shabbat meal by his uncle, the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch: "…how my father and master was a great singer and prayer, with wondrous loftiness, and that once on Shabbat by… the Rebbe Maharash, he asked him to sing during the meal, and he sang the prayer 'Meloch Al Kol HaOlam Kulo'…" (ibid., p. 120).
R. Levi Yitzchak of Paddabranka left three sons: R. Avraham, R. Menachem Mendel of Revka and R. Baruch Shneur Zalman (the Rabash) – father of R. Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn, Rabbi of Yekaterinoslav (Dnipropetrovsk), father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. His works in Torah and halachah remain in manuscript. A responsum from him regarding the laws of kashrut is printed in the anthology Yagdil Torah (issue 4; New York, 1978, pp. 181).
Note that R. Levi Yitzchak of Paddabranka passed away young, and the information on him is meager and imprecise. In Nachalat Avot by R. Levi Ovchinski (Part I, 34), the biographical information about him is somewhat different: "The great R. Levi Yitzchak son of the Tzaddik R. Baruch Shalom son of the Rebbe author of Tzemach Tzedek – expert rabbi, saintly and ascetic… was rabbi and posek in Velizh, after which he left rabbinical posts. Died in 1872 around the age of 38".

[3], 52, 55-80 leaves. 34 cm. Fair condition. Stains and wear. Tears and worming, affecting text. Margins of some leaves reinforced with paper. Inscriptions. Stamp. Detached endpapers. Old binding, damaged and worn; partially detached and missing spine.

Knesset HaGedolah on Tur Even HaEzer, by R. Chaim Benveniste. Izmir: Yonah Ashkenazi and David Chazan, [1731]. First edition.
Copy of R. Yechezkel Landau, Rabbi of Prague, author of Noda BiYehudah, with his signature, and inscriptions by his son and sons-in-law.
On the front endpaper is an ownership inscription handwritten by the son of the Noda BiYehudah: "Belongs to my beloved father, teacher and master, the famed Gaon, rabbi of all the diaspora, R. Yechezkel Segal Landau, Rabbi of Prague". Another ownership inscription is dated 1782.
Additional inscriptions on this leaf, handwritten by the son-in-law of the Noda BiYehudah – R. Yom Tov Wehly of Prague. One in Hebrew: "Belongs to my father-in-law, my master and teacher, the famed Gaon… R. Yechezkel Segal Landau, Rabbi of Prague – Yom Tov son of R. Efraim Wehly, Thursday, 13th Elul 1782". Another in German, from the same year, signed: "Jentoff Ephr. Wehly".
On the back endpaper are several inscriptions in German attesting that the book belongs to the Chief Rabbi of Prague R. Yechezkel Landau. Two of them are signed by Joseph Landau – apparently, this is the Noda BiYehudah's second son-in-law, R. Yosef Landau, Rabbi of Posen, known as "Yosef HaTzaddik".
In the center of the title page is a signature: the name "Yechezkel" encoded in the Atbash cipher. Apparently, this signature is in the handwriting of the Noda BiYehudah.
Additional inscriptions, at the top of the title page: "From R. Hirsch Shidlov" (possibly R. Tzvi Hirsch Shidlov, publisher of Ateret Eliyahu, by his father R. Eliyahu Shidlov, Fürth, 1776); "A book of R. Yaakov Pisling, given to me by his dear, excellent son R. Yehudah – Yechiel Michel Sachs, [1862], when I was in Prague" (the rabbi and scholar Dr. Michael Sachs, Rabbi in Prague and Berlin, d. 1864; R. Yaakov Pisling, a Torah scholar in Prague, mentioned in Responsa Shivat Tzion by R. Shmuel Landau, section 16: "and my mechutan the excellent… R. Yaakov Pisling alerted me to this…").

R. Yechezkel HaLevi Landau (1713-1793) was a leading Halachic authority of all times. From a young age, he was renowned as a leading Torah scholar of his generation. He studied for 17 years in the celebrated Kloiz of leading Brody Torah scholars, renowned in the revealed and hidden portions of the Torah, including R. Chaim Sanzer and R. Gershon of Kitov (brother-in-law of the Baal Shem Tov). During those years, he studied the Arizal's writings together with R. Chaim Sanzer, a leading scholar in the Kloiz.
In Brody he served for 10 years as Head of one Beit Din of the four that were there. In ca. 1745, he went to serve as Rabbi of Jampol, and in 1754, he began serving as Rabbi of Prague and the region.

In Prague, he established a large yeshiva, where he educated thousands of disciples, including many of the leaders of that generation (his disciple R. Elazar Fleckeles, author of Teshuvah MeAhavah, eulogized him: "He edified several thousands of disciples, including hundreds of rabbis and dayanim"; Olat HaChodesh HaShlishi, 17, p. 85a).

Thousands of queries were addressed to him from far-flung places, many of them published in his Noda BiYehudah.
The Chida in Shem HaGedolim greatly praises the book Noda BiYehudah as well as its author, describing him as an exceptionally outstanding Torah scholar who disseminated much Torah through his books and disciples, and mentions the acuity and extensive Torah wisdom apparent in his responsa and books. The Noda BiYehudah himself wrote in a responsum regarding one of his novellae, that in his opinion it is "a true matter in the Torah of Moshe" (Even HaEzer, Mahadura Tinyana, section 23, 2). The Chatam Sofer writes of this responsum in one of his responsa (Part II, Even HaEzer, section 95): "The word of G-d in his mouth is true".

[2], 220 leaves. 30 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Much worming, affecting text, partially repaired with tape. Stamps. New binding, with two fabric bookmarks.

Provenance: Estate of Prof. Ephraim Elimelech Urbach.

Magen Avraham, commentary on the Tosefta by R. Avraham Abele Gombiner (author of the Magen Avraham commentary on the Shulchan Aruch), with Part II of Lechem HaPanim (on Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah) by R. Moshe Yekutiel Kaufman, son-in-law of the Magen Avraham. Amsterdam: Shlomo Katz Proops, [1732]. First edition. Divisional title page for Lechem HaPanim.
Copy of the kabbalist R. Nathan Adler, teacher of the Chatam Sofer.
On title page, ownership inscription: "Belongs to the outstanding Torah scholar R. Natan son of the late R. Shimon Adler Katz". Additional inscription (on inner margin of title page): "This book belongs to… R. Natan… Adler Katz".
Two signatures of former owner: "Yosef Josbel Segal of Fürth" – R. Yosef Josbel Segal of Fürth, author of Emek HaShaveh printed in Emek Yehoshua, Offenbach, 1722. Son-in-law of R. Shimon Segal, Rabbi of Heidingsfeld and the Principality of Würzburg.
On second title page (for Lechem HaPanim), additional signature of R. Yosef Josbel Segal of Fürth, deleted by crossing out, next to an ownership inscription: "Belongs to R. Nathan Adler Katz".
On p. 47a, short handwritten gloss, possibly in the hand of R. Nathan Adler (the gloss is marked with his customary three dots).

R. Nathan HaKohen Adler (1742-1800), born in Frankfurt to R. Yaakov Shimon Adler. An outstanding Torah scholar and eminent kabbalist, he headed the yeshiva he established in his home in Frankfurt, and was the prime teacher of R. Moshe Sofer, the Chatam Sofer – who mentions him extensively in his books in halachic and kabbalistic matters, referring to him as "my prime teacher, the renowned and pious Torah scholar, the great eagle" (alluding to the name Adler, German for eagle), and other honorific titles. He suffered much persecution from the residents of his city, who even forbade him from holding prayer services in his Beit Midrash conforming with his singular kabbalistic customs. In 1782, R. Nathan Adler left Frankfurt for Boskowitz (Boskovice), Moravia. His disciple R. Moshe Sofer (the Chatam Sofer) remained with him, accompanying him to Boskowitz where he continued studying under him. R. Nathan Adler served as rabbi for only two years in Boskowitz, the only time he held a rabbinic position. In ca. 1785, he returned to his home and Beit Midrash in Frankfurt.

[2], 60 leaves. 19.5 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Some wear and tears. Worming to several leaves, affecting text. Several detached leaves. Without binding.

Marcheshet, responsa and novellae by R. Chanoch Henoch Eigis, a rabbi of Vilna, Part I, on Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah, with sections on the topics of Hazamah (refuting witnesses) and Ye'ush (despair). Bilgoraj: Notte Kronenberg, 1931. First edition.
Copy of the Chazon Ish, with glosses in his handwriting. The book contains nine scholarly glosses, some or all of them handwritten by R. Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, the Chazon Ish (some of the glosses may have been written by another member of his household, or written by him while lying in bed or another position that made writing difficult; in any case, the contents and style of glosses are typical of the Chazon Ish's study method).

R. Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz (1879-1953), author of the Chazon Ish, a foremost scholar in Halachah and Jewish thought in our times. A preeminent Torah scholar and hidden righteous man, his first book Chazon Ish was published in 1911 anonymously, since then he has been known by the name of his book. In his great modesty, he would sign his name with his initials only: "Ish". After World War I, during which he fled to Belarus, he returned in 1920 to Lithuania and lived for several years in Vilna. He immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1933, where he became recognized as the leading Torah authority, and stood at the helm of the renaissance of the Torah world in our generation. He authored and published numerous volumes of Chazon Ish, which were written with great toil and in-depth study, covering nearly all Talmudic topics.
During the time the Chazon Ish lived in Vilna, he was a close associate of the rabbis of the city, R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinski and R. Chanoch Eigis, author of the Marcheshet, who would discuss Torah with him and held him in high esteem (Pe'er HaDor, a biography of the Chazon Ish (I, p. 340), describes the departure of the Chazon Ish for Eretz Israel on Motza'ei Shabbat 7 Tammuz 1933 – heading the crowd of well-wishers on the platform of the Vilna train station were R. Chaim Ozer and R. Chanoch Eiges).

[3], 3-124, [1] leaves + [2] leaves – front and back printed wrappers. 34 cm. High-quality paper. Good condition. Stains and wear. Original binding (with new spine), with minor damage.

Deck log book of the illegal immigrant ship "Atzma’ut". 1947-1948. English and Italian.
Ship’s deck log book – an official document filled out daily by the ship’s captain – regarded as the official documentation of the voyage. Such log books are managed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and are considered to bear both legal and historical significance. Once registered, changes or modifications of any kind are prohibited, and the recordings remain permanently preserved.

The present document is the deck log book of the ship "Atzma’ut", largest of the illegal immigrant vessels, which, at the time, had some 7,500 immigrants on board. The log book is filled out in handwriting by the ship’s captain, Yitzhak "Ike" Ahronovitch, previously captain of the "Exodus". The log covers a particularly long period, from September 1947 through May 1948; this span of time includes the seagoing voyages, months of detention in Cyprus, and finally the journey to Palestine under the flag of the State of Israel.
Each page contains a detailed entry indicating the ship’s location, data regarding the voyage, and details of any noteworthy incidents that occurred that day, including negotiations with the British authorities on the high seas; the landing of passengers on the shores of Cyprus, where they were to be held in detention centers; the appointment of a military guard force and the decommissioning of the ship; revocation of the seizure order against the ship on the day of the State of Israel’s Declaration of Independence; the redesignation of the ship’s home port from Panama to Haifa; exchanging the ship’s flag for the flag of the State of Israel; and more.
The margins of the leaves bear the inked stamps of the Consulate of Panama in New York, because the ship’s flag of convenience (FOC) was Panamanian. The deck log book’s first entries are in a different handwriting, and in Italian; these entries were probably made by a crew member who skippered the vessel at the start of its voyage, from the United States to Europe.
The "Atzma’ut" and "Kibutz Galuyot" were the largest seagoing vessels to take part in the "Ha’apalah" (illegal immigration) campaign that smuggled tens of thousands of Jews into Mandatory Palestine. The ships were purchased in the United States in 1947 by the so-called "Mossad LeAliyah Bet" (the original names of the ships were the SS "Pan Crescent" and the SS "Pan York"). Thanks to their unusually large size and thanks to their ventilation systems, they could carry roughly 7,500 immigrants each. Between them, the two vessels transported about 20 percent of the illegal immigrants that eventually arrived on the shores of Palestine.
In 1947, the two ships set sail for the Port of Venice under the Panamanian flag. From there, they sailed to the port of Constanța, Romania, where they were refitted and converted from freight ships into ships suited for carrying immigrant passengers. For several months, the leadership of the Jewish "Yishuv" in Palestine refused to authorize their embarkation, mostly out of fear that the arrival of illegal ships would undermine the case for a Jewish state in the upcoming vote at the United Nations, scheduled for November 29 of that year. In the end, in December 1947 the two vessels set out for Palestine of their own volition and with no formal authorization. David Ben-Gurion chose Hebrew names for the two ships – "Atzma’ut" and "Kibutz Galuyot" – while they were still at sea. The British found out about the intended arrival of the ships shortly after their departure, and they dispatched destroyers to intercept them. Out of fear for the safety of the passengers, the commanders of the ships were instructed to obey the orders of the British authorities, and the crew therefore yielded and allowed the ships to be diverted to Cyprus, with no resistance. Once there, the ships were decommissioned. According to the terms of surrender, the ship’s commanders – accompanied by a handful of crew members – remained on board the vessels for the months-long duration of the detention. Throughout that time, they looked after the ships’ maintenance and ensured their seaworthiness, and Captain Yitzhak Ahronovitch of the "Atzma’ut" continued updating his ship’s log book on a daily basis.
On the day the independence of the State of Israel was declared – May 14, 1948 – festive ceremonies were held on board both the "Atzma’ut" and "Kibutz Galuyot". Soon afterward, the Panamanian flags were taken down, flags of Israel were hoisted, and the two ships set sail for the Port of Haifa. In the months after the establishment of the State of Israel, the "Atzma’ut" and "Kibutz Galuyot" transported tens of thousands of new immigrants – now fully legal – from Cyprus, Italy, Marseilles, and North Africa to their new home in the newborn state.
Enclosed: Handwritten note listing the entries relating to significant events appearing in the deck log book. This "legend" was presumably handwritten by Captain Yitzhak Ahronovitch himself.

[62] leaves, approx. 34.5 cm. Good condition. Few stains. Creases, stains, and tears to edges of cover. Strip of cloth, with tears and blemishes, glued to length of spine. Inked stamps on each and every leaf.