Siddur Tefillat Yisrael, Sephardic rite, with laws, piyyutim and supplications. Jerusalem: R. Yisrael Bak, 1842. The first siddur to be printed in Jerusalem.
The title page lauds the virtue and sanctity of the book, which was printed in Jerusalem in absolute holiness, and "all those involved in this holy production were Jewish".
Many approbations from Sephardi Torah scholars of Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias and Hebron, and from Ashkenazi Torah scholars of Jerusalem (Rebbe Aharon Moshe of Brody, R. Yeshayah Bardaki son-in-law of R. Yisrael of Shklow, and R. Moshe Rivlin "Doresh LeTzion" – the Maggid of Shklow). The "approbation" by the Jerusalem rabbis printed on the verso of the title page is actually an authorization from Tevet 1841 granting R. Yisrael Bak the exclusive rights to print books in Jerusalem. Additional approbation from the rabbis of Jerusalem (dated Iyar 1842) on leaf 3.
In his introduction, the printer recounts the ordeals he underwent in Safed: "After all the travails that befell me – pestilence, sword and hunger… a great earthquake… I was compelled to ascend to the mountain, and I have established my dwelling here… Jerusalem". He thanks Yosef Amzalag "who assisted me in printing the siddur".

The renowned printer R. Yisrael Bak (1797-1874), a disciple of the Chassidic masters Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. Born in Berditchev, he was involved in the printing profession already in his youth, and in 1815, he established the (second) printing press in Berditchev, where he printed some 26 books before immigrating to Eretz Israel. Reputedly, he designed the Slavita typeface. Following his immigration to Eretz Israel, ca. 1831, he settled in Safed, where he established a printing press which operated for a short while, until the great 1837 earthquake which completely destroyed the town. In 1840 he established a printing press in Jerusalem – the first printing press in Jerusalem to print Hebrew books and the only press in the city until the 1860s.
For more information about R. Yisrael Bak and his printing press in Safed and Jerusalem, see: Shoshana Halevy, Sifrei Yerushalayim HaRishonim, Jerusalem 1976, pp. 15-27; Meir Benayahu, R. Yisrael Bak's Printing Press in Safed and the Beginning of Printing in Jerusalem, Areshet, IV, Jerusalem 1966, pp. 271-295 (Hebrew).
Signature on title page: "Yaakov de Pinto" (a Torah scholar and a leading member of the Jewish community of The Hague in the 19th century).

152 leaves. Leaves 22-23 bound out of sequence. 14 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Light wear and signs of use. Small open tear to one leaf, affecting text, and other light tears and damage, slightly affecting text. Inner margins of title page and several other leaves repaired with paper filling. Close trimming, affecting text of some leaves. New binding.

The third Hebrew book printed in Jerusalem, and first siddur printed in Jerusalem. Sh. Halevy, no. 4 (apart from the two books which preceded it, Halevy lists another publication: a broadside for righteous women in Eretz Israel and abroad, ibid. no. 2; see lot 61 in the present catalogue).

Printed poster for a sukkah, with Ushpizin service, prayers for entering and leaving the sukkah, blessings over the sukkah and the four species, and many illustrations. Jerusalem: Yisrael Bak, [ca. 1850s].
Printed poster to display in a sukkah. At the top of the poster is printed a prayer for entering the sukkah, with the Ushpizin service below it. At the center of the poster is an illustration of a sukkah, and below it the festival Kiddush, as well as blessings over the sukkah and the four species. The poster is decorated with several illustrations. At the top of the poster appear illustrations of the two tablets and the twelve tribes, the Western Wall and the site of the Temple, and houses in Jerusalem. At the bottom appear illustrations of the tomb of Rachel and the Cave of Machpelah. In the center, a Lamnatzeach menorah and an illustration of the Temple table of showbread appear on opposite sides, with two trees next to each of them, alongside the frame around the poster.

39X32 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including large stains. Folding marks. Tears, including open tears to folding marks and margins of leaf, affecting illustrations and text. The entire leaf is mounted on paper for reinforcement.

Exceptionally rare poster, to the best of our knowledge and research, it is unknown. Not documented by Sh. Halevy (who documented a different Ushpizin poster printed by Yisrael Bak in 1847, no. 37), nor in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, and does not appear in the NLI catalogue.

Booklet in lithographic print, "Calendar of attributes of all the days of the year", including times of dawn and sunrise on Jerusalem's horizon, according to the calculations of R. Yehosef Schwarz – "on lithographic stone", by Azriel Aharon Yaffe of Courland. Jerusalem: Michel HaKohen and Yoel Moshe [Salomon], [1862]. Fine lithographic print of handwriting. Some words on title page, as well as title frame, printed in gilt ink.
One of the first lithographic prints in Jerusalem (the famous Shoshanta with illustrations of sites in Eretz Israel in lithographic print was printed that year by Salomon's new press; in 1847 Mishpat LeElokei Yaakov was lithographically printed from manuscript, Sh. Halevy no. 43).
The times detailed in the booklet refer to the "horizon of Jerusalem" and are based on the calculations of R. Yehosef Schwarz, author of Divrei Yosef and Tevuot HaAretz. The entire booklet was written in the handwriting of R. Yehosef Schwarz's son-in-law R. Azriel Aharon Yaffe and printed lithographically.
In the introduction on the verso of the title page, the copyist R. Azriel mentions his father-in-law R. Yehosef Schwarz's statement, in his introduction to Divrei Yosef, that his calculations were based on over 4000 measurements of the moment of sunrise, to assure that he would not err. The last three pages contain "principles" for calculating halachic times, as well as a short discussion of calculations for other cities in Eretz Israel (such as Hebron, Safed, Tiberias and others) and various cities across Europe and the United States.

R. Yehosef (Joseph) Schwarz (1804-1865) was an outstanding Torah scholar and kabbalist, one of the first researchers in the field of Land of Israel studies. Learning under R. Abraham Bing at the Würzburg yeshiva, he concurrently studied geography and languages at the local university. While still in Germany, he became involved in Land of Israel studies, and in 1829 he published a Hebrew-German map of Eretz Israel which came to be regarded as a reference by historians and geographers at the time. Immigrated to Jerusalem in 1837. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, he was welcomed by two colleagues from Germany, the founders of the renowned German-Dutch Kollel Hod (an acronym for "Holland-Deutschland"), R. Moses Sachs and R. Eliezer Bergman.

R. Schwarz persisted in Torah scholarship for the remainder of his life, including Kabbalah which he studied at the Beit El kabbalistic yeshiva. There he resumed his research on the history and geography of the Land of Israel, exploring the length and breadth of the country and closely studying a great number of its sites, recording place names according to local traditions and biblical and Talmudic sources. His identifications of various ancient sites are recognized to this day, and his literary works are regarded as starting points for a host of discussions regarding the history of the Land of Israel, from both halachic and academic standpoints. His series of books titled Tevuot HaAretz (named after the main work in the series) were published in Hebrew in Jerusalem.

11 pages. 21.5 cm. Bluish paper. Good-fair condition. Stains. Wear. Small marginal tears to title page and other leaves. Folding marks. Close trimming, affecting text in several places. Front paper wrapper only, partially detached, without binding.

Sh. Halevy, no. 61 (Sh. Halevy did not see this book and calls it "especially rare"; her listing is based on: N. Ben-Menachem, BeShaarei Sefer, Jerusalem 1967, p. 151).
Exceptionally Rare.

The present booklet is one of the first items printed in the lithography press established by Yoel Moshe Salomon and Michel HaKohen in Jerusalem in 1862. Until then R. Yisrael Bak was the only printer in Jerusalem, and the establishment of the new press effectively ended his monopoly over Hebrew printing in Eretz Israel. Bak then sued the partners in Beit Din, arguing that they were infringing on his recognized rights; they, however, argued that since theirs was a lithographic press, they were not encroaching on Bak's business (see: Sh. Halevy, Sifrei Yerushalayim HaRishonim, preface, pp. 25-27).

Meor Einayim, Chassidic discourses on the Torah, by Rebbe Menachem Nachum [Twersky] of Chernobyl. Slavita (Slavuta): [R. Moshe Shapira, 1798]. First edition.
Meor Einayim is a fundamental work of the Chassidic movement, and one of the first Chassidic works citing the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezeritch. The author, the maggid R. Menachem Nachum Twersky of Chernobyl (1730-1798, Encyclopedia LaChassidut, III, pp. 168-175), was a founding father of Chassidism and the progenitor of the Chernobyl dynasty. He studied directly from the Baal Shem Tov and was a close disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch. He served as maggid in Norynsk, Pohrebyshche and Chernobyl. He acceded to his disciples' entreaties to print his teachings and delegated the task to his disciple R. Eliyahu son of R. Ze'ev Wolf Katz, instructing him to publish his writings in the "fine and magnificent printing press established in Slavita…" (the printing press of R. Moshe Shapira, then in its infancy).

The book was reputedly originally eighteen times longer, but when arranging it for printing, R. Nachum of Chernobyl commanded his disciples to burn many leaves, leaving only the teachings which were divinely inspired. His writings were divided by his disciples into two parts: one part on the Torah, including selections, published under the title Meor Einayim (the present book), and a second part pertaining to Talmudic aggadot, named Yismach Lev. The two parts were printed in Slavita the same year. In later editions, the two parts were combined and printed together under the title Meor Einayim. R. Nachum of Chernobyl passed away during the course of the book's preparation for print.
Chassidic leaders ascribed great importance and holiness to the book, studying it every day and preserving it for protection. The Chozeh of Lublin and R. Yitzchak of Skver (grandson of the author) reputedly said that the book has the power to light up a person's soul, similarly to the Zohar, and R. Yitzchak Eizik of Komarno asserted: "Meor Einayim should never budge from your eyes, and all its teachings are lofty and holy".

[2], 160 leaves. 20.5 cm. Fair condition. Many stains, including dark stains. Worming, affecting text, mostly repaired with paper filling. Tears, including open tears, affecting text of several leaves, repaired with paper filling. Bottom margin of title page repaired with paper filling (several leaves may have been supplied from other copies). Stamps. Handwritten inscriptions on title page. New leather binding.
Does not include Yismach Lev, which was printed with it the same year.

Tikkun Sofrim, year-round Torah portions and Haftarot. Amsterdam: for Samuel Rodrigues Mendes, Moses Sarfati and David Gomes da Silva, 1726.
Elegant copy in original leather binding, with fine gilt ornamentation and silver clasps (one of them marked with the initials SE, apparently the silversmith's mark).
Title pages illustrated with copper engravings by Bernard Picart. Divisional title page for Haftarot. Includes table of Torah readings for the festivals, and tables in Spanish (folding leaves), with divisional title page in Hebrew and Spanish.
On the leaves at the beginning of the volume appear poems in praise of the edition, approbations, cantillation, a chart for the festival readings, corrections by the proofreader, and more.
Signature on the bottom part of the illustrated title page: "Jacob Baruch Lousada, 18 may [18]92".

[11], 3-327, [2], 329-446, [4] leaves; 9-16 pages; [3] folding leaves with charts, [2] leaves. Wide margins. Approx. 17 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Light stains. Tear affecting text to one leaf, without loss. Original leather binding. Damage to binding (tears and repairs to spine and its margins). Placed in a fine new slipcase, with leather spine.

Provenance: Valmadonna Trust Library.