First independant edition. 8 ff., octavo, 160:100 mm., light age staining, wide margins. A very good copy in later bound as issued.

Confession as described by R. Hayyim Joseph David Azulai (known by his Hebrew acronym HIDA, 1724–1806), halakhist, kabbalist, emissary, and bibliographer. The Hida was born in Jerusalem; he was descended on his father's side from a prominent family of rabbis and kabbalists from Spain while his mother was a daughter of Joseph Bialer who had gone to Erez Israel with R. Judah Hasid in 1770. He studied under some of the outstanding Jewish scholars of his age including R. Jonah Navon, R. Isaac ha-Kohen Rapoport, and R. Hayyim ibn Attar. R. Azulai attained early eminence in Jewish studies and was regarded by the Jewry of the Ottoman Empire and of Italy as the leading scholar of his generation. He was highly esteemed, too, by the Jews of Germany, especially after the publication of his works. Possessed of great intellectual powers and many-faceted talents, he combined a religious and mystical ardor with an insatiable intellectual curiosity. Added to these were critical ability, a facile pen, and a boundless capacity for work. He spent most of his active years traveling abroad as an emissary of the communities of Erez Israel for the collection of funds for the upkeep of the academies and scholars. He ended his mission in 1778 in Leghorn, where he spent the rest of his life. Many stories are related of the wonders and miracles he performed. Pilgrimages were made to his tomb at Leghorn until 1960, thereafter in Jerusalem where his remains were reinterred.

Hebrew Description

מתוקן לאומרו בהכנעה ... חדי"א דארמותא... להתודות עליו ועל ביתו ועל כל אשר הוא עושה ... בגלגול זה וגלגולים אחרים ...

כל הספר (כולל נוסח השער) הוא לשון ר' חיים יוסף דוד אזולאי בספרו כף אחת, סעיף יט. שמו נרמז בראשי התיבות חיד"א.
נוסח רחב של הוידוי "אשמנו בגדנו". לא מנוקד.

Bibliography of the Hebrew Book 1470-1960 #000200354; EJ