Signature of Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi – The Holy Rashash.

Signature of Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi – The Holy Rashash.

Sefer Shiva Enayim: the Ramban's innovations on Perek Zeh Borer and Tractate Makos, Sefer HaZchus on Hasagos HaRavad on the Rif (Tractate Yevamos, Ktubos, Gittin) and Shut Mahari Abohav, Mahari de Leon, Rabbeinu NissiM Benvinisti and Rabbeinu Yitzchak ben Zaiat.

Livorno, [1745]. Avraham Mildola Press.First edition.

Page 2 with the signature of Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi – The Holy Rashash "שלום מזרחי שרעבי ה"י".

Sometimes afterwards someone scribbled a few lines around his signature, but it's clearly his holy signature. The signature has also been verified by R. Yosef Avivi.

Other antique Sephardic signatures.

The Holy Kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Mizrachi Sharabi, the Rashash (1720-1777) was born in Sharab, Yemen and lived in Sana’a. From his youth, he was proficient in Torah and kabbalistic knowledge and was a modest hidden tsaddik. He prevailed in a great trial he encountered and vowed to move to Jerusalem. He left Yemen and sailed to Bombay, India and from there to Baghdad where he resided for a number of years. Afterward, he traveled to Damascus and thereafter moved to Jerusalem. Upon reaching Jerusalem, he worked as a servant in the house of Rabbi Gedaliah Chayun, head of the Kabbalist Beit El Yeshiva, concealing his true stature. He would serve the yeshiva sages and quietly listen to their study. When they encountered questions for which they did not find answers, R. Sharabi would secretly write the response and place it in the Beit HaMidrash. After R. Gedaliah Chayun discovered this, he realized the wisdom and magnitude of R. Sharabi's knowledge and gave him the hand of his daughter Chana. In 1752, after the death of R. Gedaliah, he was appointed his successor as head of the Beit El Yeshiva of kabbalists and Chassidim.

After this appointment, he established a holy group of kabbalists, called the Ahavat Shalom society. The kabbalists joined one another with "engagement bills", in which they accepted upon themselves manners of conduct, regulations and mutual responsibility. The Chida, R. Yom Tov Algazi, R. Gershon of Kuty [brother-in-law of the Ba'al Shem Tov] were among the disciples who joined this select holy group. His disciple the Chida writes: "One holy person in our times, an amazing kabbalist, knows practically the entire Etz Chaim by heart... and with his great knowledge and wisdom, he arranged the kavanot of the Arizal in their proper form. He wrote a large work named Rechovot HaNahar to explain and clarify the Hakdamot. He had all the Arizal's kavanot… as written by the Arizal in Sha'ar Ru'ach HaKodesh" (Shem HaGedolim, Ma'arechet Gedolim, Ot Shin). Among his works is a siddur with kavanot, known as the Siddur HaRashash which contains kabbalistic secrets and kavanot of prayer according to the Arizal. From the time it was written, it has become the primary source for kabbalistic kavanot of prayer.

4, 68 Leaves. 22.2 Cm.

Overall Great condition, few stains, some small marginal worming, worming slightly affecting text on last couple pages of sefer, new later binding.