Auction 98 Early Printed Books, Chassidut and Kabbalah, Books Printed in Jerusalem, Letters and Manuscripts, Jewish Ceremonial Art
Prayer Book for the Entire Year / Book of Psalms and Seder Ma'amadot by the Shelah – Amsterdam, 1740-1742 – First Edition of Seder HaMa'amadot with Additions by the Holy Shelah
Siddur "for the entire year, beautiful and elegant, arranged according to the Ashkenazi and Polish rite", with prayers and supplications, and compilation of laws, edited by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman London. Amsterdam: Orphans of Shlomo Proops, [1742].
Bound with:
* Book of Psalms, arranged according to the days of the week and month, with short and long commentaries. Amsterdam: Proops, [1740].
* Seder Ma'amadot, arranged according to the days of the week, by Rabbi Yeshaya Halevi Horowitz, the Holy Shelah. Amsterdam: Proops, [1742].
Book of Psalms with a fine illustrated title page. Small format, "in a small volume to ease the burden for travelers, of utmost beauty, both in letters and in paper and ink" (from the text on the title page). The two commentaries were first printed with the "Sha'ar HaShamayim" prayer book by the Shelah, (Amsterdam, 1717), edited by the Shelah's great-grandson R. Avraham Horowitz. At the beginning of this volume appear the words of R. Avraham Horowitz: "How to conduct oneself in reciting Psalms".
The extensive commentary is by R. Moshe ben Israel de Mercado from his "Commentary on Ecclesiastes and Psalms" (Amsterdam, 1653), which was inserted into the 1717 edition with changes (see: Rabbi Yitzchak Yeshaya Weiss, On the Editions of the 'Shelah Siddur' and its Commentaries, Tzefunot, 17, 1993, pp. 28-31). The author of the short commentary may be Rabbi Avraham Horowitz.
This Psalms is bound with "Seder Ma'amadot" arranged by the Shelah, as stated on the title page: "As arranged by the great Gaon, the divine Kabbalist Rabbi Yeshaya Horowitz Segal...", with "sufficient commentary" (by Rabbi Avraham Saraval). On the verso of the title page is stated that "the first printer [in the Amsterdam, 1717 edition, appended to the "Sha'ar HaShamayim" prayer book] did not manage" to print the Ma'amadot with the additions of the Shelah, and here they were integrated for the first time.
Siddur: [8], 184; 186 leaves. Psalms and Ma'amadot: 88; 60 leaves. Approx. 16 cm. Gilt and decorated fore-edges. Most leaves in good condition. Stains. Minor wear and signs of use to some leaves. Tears, including small open tears to margins of title page and several other leaves, partially repaired with paper, not affecting text. New leather binding, incorporating parts of the original leather binding (on spine and back binding board). With metal clasps.
PLEASE NOTE: Some lot descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to the Hebrew text.