Manuscript, Torah thoughts by R. Ze'ev Wolf of Zbaraż, son of R. Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov – Chassidic essays following the order of the Torah portions. [Sadigura, 1867].
The manuscript was gifted to Rebbe Nachum Dov Ber Friedman of Sadigura, who signed on the front endpaper: "This book belongs to Nachum Dov Ber Friedman". With two of his stamps on the title page, one with his name and a lion-emblem in the center, and the other reading "Minchat Shai".
Detailed illustrated title page (in brown and red ink): the upper part of the title page depicts two griffins bearing a medallion topped with a Torah crown. The title page text is flanked with the figures of Moses and Aaron. A cityscape – houses, towers with pointed turrets and a bridge – decorates the bottom part of the title page.
The year, which is partially deleted, presumably reads 5627 (1866-1867). Beneath the date: "Written here, Sadigura" (this appears to have been scribed over the name of a different place, which was erased).
Neat Rashi script. Colophon on final page, followed by a tailpiece in color (tree with branches and flowers, set in a frame).
R. Ze'ev Wolf (R. Velvel) of Zbaraż (1832-1862) was one of the five sons of the maggid R. Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov, who attested that his sons were equivalent to the Five Books of the Torah. The Maggid of Zlotchov regarded his son R. Ze'ev Wolf as supremely holy, comparable to the book of Vayikra, which deals with the Temple service; and considered him pious and perfect like the Olah offering.
The contents of the present manuscript were later published (with slight variations) in the book Razin DeOraita, Warsaw 1903. Sections of the manuscript were published previously in the book Tiferet Tzvi Ze'ev, Lviv 1896.
Rebbe Nachum Dov Ber Friedman of Sadigura (d. 1883), grandson of Rebbe Yisrael of Ruzhin. He was the son of R. Shalom Yosef and son-in-law of Rebbe Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura. R. Nachum Dov Ber was a prominent collector of early manuscripts and books, and possessed a large library (see: David Assaf, Derech Malchut, p. 454, footnote 34; R. Zusha Dinkeles, Library of R. Nachum Bernyu, MiBeinei Amudei, Betar 2017, pp. 419-439). R. Nachum Dov used several types of stamps in his library. Books he inherited from his father were stamped "Nachalat Avotai", books acquired with his money were stamped "Kinyan Kaspi" and books received as a gift (such as the present book) were stamped "Minchat Shai".

15 leaves. 25 cm. Good condition. Stains. Wormhole to title page. Minor blemishes to endpapers. Worming to inside boards. Early leather binding, damaged, with restored spine.

Reference: Batsheva Goldman Ida, Hasidic Art and the Kabbalah, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2018. The present manuscript is photographed on p. 69.
Provenance:
The manuscript was offered at auction in 1927 in a special sale of books and manuscripts from the library of R. Nachum Dov Ber, and is listed in the auction catalog (catalog number 9, typewritten and mimeographed), lot 15.
Formerly Library of Mossad HaRav Kook Ms. 372; listed by Naftali ben Menachem in Manuscripts from the Library of Rabbi Nahum Dov-Ber Friedman, Areshet I (1959), p. 404, no. 10.
The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EE.011.020.