Sefer Kodesh Beit Aharon - First Edition Variant of the First Edition. Brody, 1875. A variant of a ...

Sefer Kodesh Beit Aharon - First Edition Variant of the First Edition. Brody, 1875. A variant of a foundational Chassidic sefer, among the few surviving copies in the world.

Interpretations and discourses on the Torah, festivals, & Avodat Hashem. Collections, customs, and letters, daily schedules, and holy admonitions. Written by the Rebbe, the holy Rebbi Aharon Perlow of Karlin. This collection includes teachings, letters, and customs of the Rebbes of Karlin-Stolin: Rebbi Aharon "the Great, " son of Rebbi Yaakov of Karlin, his son Rabbi Asher (the first), his son Rebbi Aharon (the second, "the Elder"), and his son Rebbi Asher (the second, "the Younger"). The primary content is from Rebbi Aharon "the Elder."

Brody, 1875. Printed in the distinguished press of Rabbi Moshe Leib Harmelin.

At the beginning of thesefer is printed the famous Shabbat hymn "Yah Echsof, "composed by Rebbi Aharon the Great of Karlin. There are variations between the version printed here and the versions found in common Shabbat zemirot.

This is a variant, the original printing of the first edition, of which only a few copies survive in the world:

The current copy is not only the first edition but the initial version of the first edition, of which only a few copies remain. In this initial version, there are significant differences from other copies of the first edition, including changes to the title page.

Among the differences are omissions of certain sections, likely to prevent criticism from the *mitnagdim* (opponents of Chassidism). These differences would not have been discovered had there not been a few surviving copies of this initial version before us [For more on the stages of the book's printing and various corrections made during the process (which led to differences between copies of the book), see: Avraham Avish Shor, "On the Writing and Printing Methods of the Sefer Kodesh *Beit Aharon*, " *Beit Aharon V'Yisrael, * Year 6, Issue 1 (31), pp. 139-147].

Some of the changes in this initial version of the first edition include:

1. The title page is missing the line: "Also wonderful and exalted words from his son, the mouth that produces pearls..."

2. On the recto of the title page, it is stated: "To make known and reveal that we have approvals from the great ones of the generation and the holy ones of the land and also from the rabbis of Sepharad who are alive, not to print this Sefer Kodesh, but we did not present them here out of respect for matters of precedence." In other copies of the first edition, a longer apology is printed, and the reason given for not printing the approvals is different - "out of respect, etc."

3. The publisher's notes within the sefer, marked with a star and mentioned in the aforementioned article, are present in this copy.

4. On page 147, there is a sharp passage that was omitted from other copies of the first edition. Apparently, the publishers feared that this passage could be used by the mitnagdim to defame the Chassidim.

Stefansky, Chassidut 82.

The Author, The holy Rebbi Aharon Perlow of Karlin [1802-1872]: The fourth Rebbe of the Karlin Chassidic dynasty. He is named after his sefer, Beit Aharon. He was considered the greatest Rebbe in the Lithuanian region during his time, and his influence reached even Volhynia. Born to Rebbi Asher of Stolin (the first), the son of Rebbi Aharon the Great of Karlin, the founder of the Chassidic movement. He married Chava, the daughter of Rebbi Mordechai of Kremenets, who was the son of Rebbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotshov. In 1827, at the age of 25, he was appointed Rebbe in Karlin, succeeding his father. In 1864, he moved to the nearby town of Stolin.

During his 45 years of leadership, the influence of the Karlin Chassidic movement grew significantly. Entire towns joined the movement, and thousands would come to his court on festivals. Like his father, he supported the Chassidic settlement in the Land of Israel, which also had a representation of Karlin Chassidim. Among other things, he worked to renew the synagogue of Rebbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk in Tiberias. A small group of his Chassidim also lived in Jerusalem, including Rebbi David Tzvi Shlomo Biederman, the Rebbe of Lelov.