Sifra D'Tzeniuta with the commentary of the Gaon of Vilna. [Vilna and Grodno, 1820]. First edition of the commentary of the Gaon of Vilna on Sifra D'Tzeniuta. Copy lacking title page.
Signature of R. "Zundel of Salant" in the heading of leaf 7. A (trimmed) dedication in early handwriting on the first leaf: "Donated by the woman Rachel, in memory of the soul [---] R. Yosef Zundel Salant", and stamps of a synagogue in Petach Tikva.
R. Yosef Zundel of Salant (1787-1866) was a foremost disciple of R. Chaim of Volozhin, disciple of the Gaon of Vilna. He was the prime teacher of R. Yisrael of Salant, who cleaved to him in his youth in Salant, and under his directives began studying mussar intensely and disseminating the mussar approach to the multitudes. As the teacher of R. Yisrael of Salant, and the one who transmitted to him the teachings of the Gaon of Vilna, R. Yosef Zundel is considered the father of the mussar movement. R. Zundel studied in the Volozhin yeshiva, and was attached to the yeshiva dean, R. Chaim of Volozhin, who recognized his great stature and admitted him into the circle of his closest disciples, to whom he transmitted all the teachings of his great teacher the Gaon of Vilna, in revealed and hidden realms of the Torah. R. Zundel considered R. Chaim as his prime teacher and he refers to him in all his writings as "my master and teacher", whilst he quotes the Gaon of Vilna as "the great rabbi". His writings contain numerous excerpts and notes from their teachings and ways. Parts of his writings were published in the book HaTzaddik R. Yosef Zundel MiSalant VeRabbotav (Jerusalem, 1927), which includes his biography, his writings and the writings of his teachers R. Chaim of Volozhin and the Gaon of Vilna, of which he was the main transmitter.
This book is indispensable in understanding the Gra's approach to Kabbalah. The Chazon Ish was accustomed to praising the holiness and special segulah of this edition, which was printed by G-d-fearing Jews. He would tell the story of a dybbuk-stricken person that was brought before one of the great tzaddikim of the previous generation. The residents of the town gathered to see the proceedings and the tzaddik told the onlookers: "Let me show you a wondrous thing!". He presented the person with two identical books - the first edition of Sifra D'Tzeniuta printed in the previous generation and the second edition printed in his generation (Vilna, 1882). He handed them both to him, first wrapping them in paper, so that he could not distinguish between them. The dybbuk-stricken person took the second edition of the book and embraced it lovingly; however, he recoiled from the other book saying that he is unable to touch it. The tzaddik revealed the reason: the impure dybbuk could not hold the edition published by G-d-fearing Jews due to its great holiness and was able to hold the second edition since it was printed in a printing press which employed Jews who were lured by the Enlightenment Movement (Maase Ish, V, p. 122, in the name of R. Shemaryahu Greineman who heard the story from the Chazon Ish; Shimush Chachamim, p. 266).
A similar story was told by R. Shmuel David HaKohen Munk (rabbi of the Charedi community of Haifa), in the name of a Sephardic Jerusalem kabbalist. A person with a dybbuk was brought before the kabbalist, who placed a second edition volume of the Vilna Gaon's commentary on Sifra D'Tzeniuta on the man to no avail. Then he used a first edition and the man was cured (Zechor LeDavid, II, p. 159). R. Munk also quotes R. Eliezer Gordon of Telz, who reported that when a volume of the first edition was placed in the hands of a dybbuk, he shook and screamed in terror: "The Vilner! The Vilner!", but did not show the same agitation upon similar exposure to a second edition (ibid).
Copy lacking title page and first two leaves: [3], 59, [3] leaves (originally: [6], 59, [3] leaves). 20.5 cm. High-quality, thick, light-colored paper. Wide margins. Good-fair condition. Stains. Worming to inner margins of several leaves. Library stamps. New leather binding.
The order of the forewords in this copy concurs with the variant listed in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, no. 177999, in which the foreword of R. Chaim of Volozhin precedes the foreword of R. Yaakov Moshe of Slonim, the Vilna Gaon's grandson.
Vinograd, Otzar Sifrei HaGra, no. 696; Stefansky Classics, no. 334.