R. Israel Harif of Satanov (d. 1781) was a noted homilist and kabbalist. He was famous among his contemporaries for his deep knowledge of both halakhah and Kabbalah. R. Israel was a member of the first group of Hasidim to follow R. Israel ben Eliezer Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the movement. R. Israel wrote many works, some of which were lost and others accidentally burned. Another of R. Israel’s writings possessed by R. Abraham Yaffe, his grandson, was an interpretation of the Holy Name, a work often quoted in Tiferet Yisrael.

R. Israel was a traditional Lurianic kabbalist, whose concept of the world, redemption, and ethics were derived from the teachings of that school. His work lays great emphasis on the expectation of the redemption and gives several calculations when the Messiah will come and the process of redemption will begin; the latest date given is 1788. However, this messianic interest did not bring R. Israel into alliance with the followers of Shabbetai Zevi and Jacob Frank, his book rather containing clear polemical expressions opposing the Shabbatean movement. It is probable that Israel was closely connected with Ba'al Shem Tov, but there is no proof that his theology was influenced by the teachings of the new Hasidism.

על-פי ווארשא תרל"א. ראינו טופס בו נוסף בראש הספר שער נוסף, ובסוף נוסף דף (בלתי ממוספר) ובו "התמצלות המלבה"ד הר"ר משה שור" על עיכוב ההדפסה, ובקשה שהמתחייבים לרכוש את הספר יקיימו התחייבותם. עם ההסכמות שבהוצאת תרל"א. נוספה ההסכמה של ר' אריה ליבוש נאטאנזאהן מן ההוצאה הראשונה.