Complete set in new, handsome bindings of the Sefer HaLevush, Prague 1609-24. Copy owned by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov ...

Complete set in new, handsome bindings of the Sefer HaLevush, Prague 1609-24. Copy owned by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov and Rabbi Gershon Chayut of Nikolsburg/Mikulov.
All four sections of the Sefer HaLevush, the work by the gaon Rabbi Mordechai Yafeh on the Arba Turim. The author lived in the 15th century and named them after the verse from toward the end of Megillat Esther: “And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in [b’levush] royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.” Each section is named after one of Mordechai’s pieces of blothing, and the work has become a foundational halachic source until today.

Printed by Rabbi Moshe ben Betzalel Katz of Prague. The first volume was printed during the author’s lifetime and belongs to a different set printed in 1609, while three additional volumes are from the set printed in 1623-24. Rebound in handsome, pretty bindings. All are catalogued by the NLI in the Rare Books collection.

Volume 1: Levush HaTechelet (v’HaChur), first [and second] sections on the Tur Orech Chaim. Printed 1609. 82, 83-247 leaves. In this copy, we were not able to check for sure due to the rarity of the copy, which does not appear in the various libraries. see at the Hebrew translation.

Volume 2: Levush Ateret Zahav on Tur Yoreh De’ah, “the third Levush”. Printed in 1624. 174 leaves.

Volume 3: Levush HaButz v’HaArgaman on the Even HaEzer, “the fourth Levush”. Printed 1623. 108 leaves.

Volume 4: Levush Ir Shushan on Choshen Mishpat, “the fifth Levush”. Printd 1624. 192 leaves.

New, handsome bindings, professionally repaired title pages, tape and repairs to many leaves—often hiding some text—tears and signs of use, stains, a few bits of worming damage, overall good condition.

The title page of the first volume has a note testifying that the copy was owned by the gaon Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, one of the Gra’s youngest students, rabbi of the Prushim community in Jerusalem (it may even be handwritten). Additional antique note: “I bought with my money Zeev Wolff ben HaRav Gavriel shlita of Furth”—not checked thoroughly. Blurred stamps with the name “Yisrael ben Yitzhak Zvi Rubinstein Americaner”—there is a gravestone on the Mt. of Olives with a name matching this one.

The title page also has a signature written in artistic sofer script: “Zvi Sofer”—in the halachot of tefillin at the beginning of halachot “diktuk in writing them and the taam of the letters based in kabbalah” there appears an interesting note which opens with: “I the worthless Zvi Sofer stam ben HaRav Shalom Shechna Magiya of Skidel”, in which he writes that the shape of the letters in the book are not exact and thus alongside each letter which appears in print he adds by hand the ‘proper’ shape “according to kabbalah” (his words, see picture). This is Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Sofer Yelin of Skidel, son of Rabbi Shalom Shechna. He was later appointed over the Horodna Kollel in Jerusalem, was father-in-law of Rabbi Akiva Parush, forefather of the Glickman-Parush family and brother of the Gaon Yafeh Einayim on Shas. Additional notes on these pages may also be his.

Apart from this, a number of notes with corrections and additional proofs in the margins of the sheet in several types of writing and over several periods, some of them significant. One has the name “Gra”z Kalisher”—we have been unable to tell who this is.

The title page of the second volume has a note: “I bought for Hashem Aharon ben Mohari”. The back of the title page has notes of births and deaths dated between 1633-1652. Signature: Nahum Zvi ben a”a Yisrael shlita—not checked thoroughly.

The back of the third volume’s title page has an antique note testifying that the book was owned by Rabbi Gershon Chayut, Av Beit Din of Nikolsburg and Moravia. He was a gadol of his generation, successor to the gaon Admor Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg. He notes here that the latter, before his death, ordered that his books be brought to the library for use by all.

Volume 4: the body of the work has many corrections and short antique notes in the margins. They are clearly from a talmid chacham of the highest variety. Not checked thoroughly.