88 ff., octavo, 186:118 mm., light age and damp staining. A very good copy bound in contemporary boards. Does not have the [8] ff printed after publication.

 

Gate "Five", Sha'ar ha-Mitzvot, sets out the reasons for the mitzvot according to the order of the sections of the Torah. An exposition of Lurianic Kabbalah by R. Hayyim b. Joseph Vital (1542–1620), one of the greatest kabbalists, and the leading disciple of R. Isaac Ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534–1572, ha-Ari).

R. Hayyim Ben Joseph Vital was born in Safed and studied in yeshivot there, especially under R. Moses Alshekh, his teacher in exoteric subjects. In 1564 he began to study Kabbalah, at first according to the system R. Moses Cordovero, and, after R. Isaac Luria’s (Ari) arrival in Safed, under the latter, becoming the Ari’s principal disciple. After the Ari’s death, R. Vital began to arrange the Ari’s teachings in written form, elaborating on them according to his own understanding, becoming the primary transmitter of the Ari’s teachings. R. Vital later moved to Jerusalem, serving as rabbi and head of a yeshivah from late 1577 to late 1585, where he wrote the last version of his presentation of the Lurianic system. In 1586 he returned to Safed, remaining there until 1592. In 1590 R. Vital was “ordained” as rabbi by his teacher R. Moses Alshekh, and then returned to Jerusalem in 1593 remaining several years, occasionally returning to Safed. His last move was to Damascus where he died. R. Vital was a prolific writer, his works encompassing Talmud, response, homilies, and even astronomy. R. Vital assembled his major writings into two vast works Ez ha-Hayyim and Ez ha-Da’at. The former is the inclusive name for all those writings in which he elaborated on the teaching of Isaac Luria. These works went through several versions and adaptations, for Vital began to arrange what he had heard from Luria immediately after his death, remained absorbed in this task for more than 20 years.

 

Hebrew Description

 ... ואנכי המדפיס ... יגעתי להוציא הספר הלז לאור עולם ... בהגהה מדוייקת ע"י אנשי מקובלים והגהות מהר"מ [ר’ מאיר] פאפיראס [פופרש] ... (ומהרש"ש [ר’ שלום שרעבי]) ומשאר ספרי המקובלים ...

בשער: שנת כי שם צוה ה’ את’ ה’ב’ר’כ’ה’ [תרל"ב]. דף פח, ב: כי שם ציוה ה’ א’ת’ ה’ב’ר’כ’ה’ [תרל"ג].

מעבר לשער: "הוגה כל אלו ההגהות מס’ המצוות כ"י של מוהרש"ש ע"י חד מן חברייא של קהלת בית אל ... אהרן רפאל חיים משה ב’ יצחק פירירא ... אשר טרח ויגע ... על זה ועל מפתחות הס’ הזה".

ף פד,ב-פח,א: מפתחות שער המצות. בסופם שיר, מאת ר’ שמואל ויטאל. בשולי הקדמת רש"ו למפתחות: "טרחתי והעתקתי אותם מכ"י מוהרש"ו ... המפתחות ... נמצאו פה ירושלם ... בקהל חסידים ... בית אל ... אהרן רפאל חיים משה פירירא ... והב’ בקודש אשר טרח ויגע להגיה כל ההגהות ... ר’ אבא אשכנזי". המפתחות והשיר נדפסו תחילה בספר הכונות, שאלוניקי תרי"ב.