Manuscript, Tiklal Etz Chaim Siddur – Two Volumes – Yemen, 18th Century

Manuscript, Tiklal Etz Chaim siddur, with commentary and halachot by the Maharitz – R. Yichya Tzalach (son of R. Yosef son of

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Manuscript, Tiklal Etz Chaim Siddur – Two Volumes – Yemen, 18th Century

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Auction 100 – Important Hebrew Manuscripts and Books from the Victor (Avigdor) Klagsbald Collection

Jan 21, 2025

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Manuscript, Tiklal Etz Chaim Siddur – Two Volumes – Yemen, 18th Century

Opening: $2,000

Estimate: $3,000 - $8,000

Sold for: $5,750

Including buyer's premium

Manuscript, Tiklal Etz Chaim siddur, with commentary and halachot by the Maharitz – R. Yichya Tzalach (son of R. Yosef son of R. Tzalach). [Yemen, ca. 1780s]. With additions and supplements on additional leaves from later periods [Yemen, ca. 1886]. Two volumes.

Neat writing. The main text in the interior is vocalized, while the commentary is written around it in smaller letters. Apparently, most of the manuscript was copied during the lifetime of the author R. Yichya Tzalach, the leading rabbi of Yemen (d. 1805).

The first volume contains: Prayers and blessings for weekdays and Shabbat, tikun for Rosh Chodesh and Chanukah, order of blessings over meals, laws of mitzvot, blessings for circumcisions and weddings, calendrical calculations, and formulae for halachic documents. At the beginning and end of the volume are additions by various writers, from different time periods: a story involving Yehoshua bin Nun and the king of Armenia; hashkavah prayers and hakafot for the deceased; calendar of seasons from 1886; havdalah prayers; mnemonics for seasons and constellations; "Atzat Achitofel, which is a book of Goralot" [written ca. 1880s].

The second volume contains: Festival and high holiday prayers – Pesach tikun and Haggadah; prayers and Azharot for Shavuot; order of five fast days; lamentations for Tishah BeAv (which mention the year 1777 – see p. 69a; apparently this date is copied from another author, and not the date of writing of this siddur); Ashmurot; Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayers, with Avodah and Keter Malchut; prayers for Sukkot, with Hoshanot, prayer for rain for Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah prayers; selichot for Yom Kippur and piyyutim for Rachamim prayers. At the beginning and end of the volume are additions by various writers, from different time periods, including: prayers "for the beating of the willow", for Sukkot evening kiddush and shaking of the lulav; Zevach Pesach by R. Suleiman son of R. Yosef Tzalach; Pitron Chalomot by R. Hai Gaon, and other prayers and piyyutim.

The Tiklal with the Etz Chaim commentary authored by the Maharitz is known as the "long commentary". It contains comments and novellae according to the simple meaning, the esoteric meaning and halachah, as well as comments and instructions copied from earlier Tiklal siddurim, including comments by R. Yitzchak (Mahari) Wanneh, author of Paamon Zahav, and others. The Haggadah begins with the Maharitz's famous introduction retracting his earlier rulings in his Aggadta DePischa: "In the days of my youth, about eighteen years ago, when I painstakingly authored the order of the Aggadta DePischa with all the comments and laws relevant to the nighttime seder… I now see that this is not the correct way for some of the laws given there, since some of the laws were given in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch and later authorities, not according to the custom practiced by our most ancient fathers based on books and scholars, the Rambam and Geonim. And now I retract my earlier position, and I went back to clarify the laws based on the early custom…".

On the margins of both volumes are added glosses by various writers. The piyyut Keter Malchut (p. 156b) contains a lengthy marginal note, signed at the end by "I who roll in the dust at the feet of the sages, Yosef son of Saadia".

The end of the first volume (p. 213b) contains a chart listing the day to begin reciting VeTen Tal UMatar (the sixtieth day of fall), starting from Kislev 1781. The main part of this manuscript apparently dates to this time period. The same volume (leaves 203-208) also contains bound leaves in another, later hand with a chart of intercalated years, starting from the year 5646 (1885-1886), and leaves 219-228 contain additional mnemonics for the seasons and the book Atzat Achitofel, by the same writer. The beginning of the second volume contains bound leaves by the same writer dating to ca. the 1880s, with various prayers, and a copying of Zevach Pesach.

Several ownership inscriptions to first and last leaves (the original endpaper), some deleted.

Two volumes. [230] leaves; [228] leaves. Approx. 22 cm. Thick, high-quality paper. Overall good condition. Stains and many signs of use. Wear and tears. Light worming. New bindings (uniform).

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Manuscripts – Yemenite Jewry

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