Rare Unpublished Kabbalistic Manuscript
Sefer Ha’Or by Rabbi Yehuda ben Chanin of Algiers, North Africa,
circa 1600-1630
A composition on the Hebrew letters, vowel points and cantillation marks by the holy Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda ben Chanin, student of the Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon ben Lavi, author of the liturgical poem ‘Bar Yochai’.
A rare manuscript written in North Africa between 1600-1630.
The Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Yaakov ben Chanin from Morocco and later Algiers, author of ‘Etz HaChaim’, studied Torah from the Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon ben Lavi, author of ‘Bar Yochai’ and the commentary ‘Ketem Paz’ on the Zohar. In this manuscript there is a section he brings in the name of "my teacher" with a parallel found in the sefer ‘Ketem Paz’.
Rabbi Yehudah belonged to a group of righteous kabbalists who lived in the village of Akka (southwest Morocco, Tata province, Souss-Massa region). The group studied Torah with tremendous dedication under difficult conditions. They suffered harassment from local gentiles and nomadic raiders, from plagues, and had severe difficulties in providing a livelihood. The leader of the group was Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon Albaz, author of ‘Heichal HaKodesh’.
In the introduction to Sefer ‘Mincha Chadasha’, the editor suggests that in 1595, following a plague that led to the abandonment of the village of Akka, Rabbi Yehuda ben Chanin moved to Algiers. In Sefer Mincha Chadasha he is mentioned with the blessing for the deceased, indicating that by 1619 he was no longer alive.
His work Etz HaChaim on Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos was partially printed together with Sefer Eshel Avraham by Rabbi Avraham Tuviana (Livorno 1783), where he mentions him in the same line as the great scholars of Algiers. His work ‘Minchas Yehuda’ on Yehoshua, Shoftim and Shmuel was first printed from manuscript in Jerusalem, 2017.
The Leshem quotes from him in his sefer ‘Leshem Shevo V’Achlama’ and refers to him as "the holy Rabbi."
North Africa, circa 1600-1630.
Page count: [32] leaves.
Size: 14 x 19 cm.
Condition: Tears only on margins and water stains on margins. Semi-cursive Western script, watermarks matching papers from 1608-1624.
Bibliography: Research by Mr. Shlomo Zucker, attached to the manuscript, aforementioned Yeshurun, Otzar HaSefarim Ben Yaakov, letter alef number 465.
