"BY THE GRACE OF G-D, I HAVE ACQUIRED THIS ELEVATED SHA’AR; [SIGNED] THE YOUNG CHAIM YOSEF DAVID AZULAI [CHIDA]."
Rare Manuscript: Original Sha’ar Hapsukim by Rabbi Chaim Vital with Glosses from Rabbi Nissim Eini and Signature of the Chida
Rare Kabbalistic manuscript titled Sha’ar Hapsukim dating back to the 17th century, authored by Rabbi Chaim Vital and in his original format.
This very manuscript was used by the Chida to study Lurenic Kabbalah.
Rabbi Chaim Vital organized the homilies of the holy Ar"i and divided them into eight
she’arim [gates]. Each
sha’ar was arranged first with homilies heard by himself, directly from the Ar"I, followed by homilies heard by his fellow scholars.
These eight
she’arim were later reedited and reorganized by Rabbi Chaim’s son who combined everything and did not differentiate between what had been heard by his father and what had been heard by other disciples. Sha’ar Hapsukim was then published as per his new format.
This manuscript, however, maintains Rabbi Chaim Vital’s original format. It was compiled in the late seventeenth century by Rabbi Chaim HaLevi of Egypt.
The Chida signs the manuscript on the last page: "
By the grace of G-d, I have acquired from Hashem this elevated sha’ar
; words of the young Chaim Yosef David Azulai."
It seems that the Chida purchased this manuscript during his tenure as rabbi of Egypt (1764 – 1769).
The content of this edition is as follows:
Homilies of the Ar”i heard by Rabbi Chaim on Torah: 2 – 116a
Homilies of the Ar”i heard by other disciples on Torah: 116b – 130b
Homilies of the Ar”i heard by Rabbi Chaim on Nevi’im and Ksuvim: 130a – 143a
Homilies of the Ar”i heard by other disciples on Nevi’im and Ksuvim: 144a – 150a
Glosses of the great Kabbalist Rabbi Nissim Eini:
The manuscript was later owned by the famed Kabbalist, Rabbi Nissim Eini. Rabbi Nissim edited the title page at the beginning of the manuscript and copied over Rabbi Shmuel Vital’s introduction.
There are many glosses and edits handwritten by him throughout the leaves of the manuscript, and his signature appears as well in several places. Rabbi Nissim explains the nature of his glosses in the title page.
Rabbi Nissim Eini was a prominent scholar and tremendous Kabbalist. He was a disciple of the great Rabbi Abdallah Somech and a childhood friend of Rabbi Eliyahu Manny, Av Beis Din of Chevron, with whom he studied Kabbalah. He immigrated to Eretz Yisrael in 1857 becoming one of the great Kabbalists of the Bet El yeshiva. He prepared the
sefer Divrei Shalom of the Rashash’s grandson for print, edited the prestigious
siddur Chukas Olam (six parts) and authored glosses on many Kabbalistic
sefarim. He passed away in 1900.
[1], 2-150, [2] Leaves | 21 x 16 cm | Various Oriental scripts (leaves 2 – 124 written by one hand; leaves 125-150 written by a different hand) | Original leather handwriting engraved with Rabbi Nissim Eini’s name and various embellishments
