[1], 210, 188 pp., quarto, 250:195 mm., usual light age staining, wide margins. A very good copy bound in contemporary boards, rubbed.

Sifra is a midrash halakhah from the school of R. Akiva on the Book of Leviticus. The Aramaic word sifra means "book" or "The Book." This name was commonly used in Babylonia, and most likely attests to the centrality and importance of this Midrash. In the Land of Israel this Midrash was called Torat Kohanim, corresponding to the name given to the Pentateuchal book.

R. Elijah ben Solomon Zalman of Vilna (Vilna Gaon, Gra, 1720-97). The Vilna Gaon, among his many accomplishments, was his mastery of kabbalistic literature. Heikelot ha-Zohar is his explication of the above mentioned parashat as explained in the Zohar. There are two title pages and a dedication to Meshulam ben Issachar Dovbaer Vilner, a descendant of the gaon, introductory letters (approbations) from R. Jacob Zevi ben Gamliel Mecklonber, R. Abraham Simhah ben Nahman, and R. Jehiel Heller.The text is comprised of Heikelot ha-Zohar at the top of the page in two columns divided between Bereishit and Pekudei, both in square letters, and below, be’ur ha-Gra in rabbinic letters. At the end of the volume is Likkutei ha-Gra on aggadah, and errata.

R. Elijah ben Solomon Zalman of Vilna (Vilna Gaon, Gra) is a dominant figure in Jewish intellectual thought, his importance and prestige undiminished, as great today, if not greater, than in his own time. The Vilna Gaon’s extraordinary intelligence, expressed by his expertise in Torah at the age of three, outdistancing his tutors while a young child, his incredible proficiency over the entire expanse of the written and Oral Torah by nine, by which time he was already studying Kabbalah, accompanied by complete piety, are attested to by numerous reputable sources. More than seventy works, encompassing Bible, halakhah, Talmud, and Kabbalah, are attributed to the Vilna Gaon.

R. Israel Meir Ha-Kohen (Hafez Hayyim, 1838–1933) is one of the most saintly figures in modern Judaism. Of humble origin, he was taught until the age of ten by his parents and then went to Vilna where he continued his studies. His surname Poupko is hardly known to even those who revere him; he is always referred to as Hafez Hayyim after the Sefer Hafez Hayyim, his first book. Hafez Hayyim’s personality, piety, humility of conduct, integrity of thought and action, together with his books, exercised a tremendous influence on religious leaders, and fascinated the general Jewish public, to whom he became a much beloved leader and moral guide. Hundreds of sayings full of practical wisdom are attributed to him, and hundreds of stories both factual and legendary, all rich in morals, are reported about his life.

Hebrew Description

עם פירוש חדש ... המלוקט מן פירוש הראב"ד [ר' אברהם ב"ר דוד] והר"ש [ר' שמשון] משאנץ [מיוחס לו] והקרבן אהרן [לר' אהרן אבן חיים, ויניציאה שס"ט-שע"א] (והזית רענן... על הילקוט [שמעוני, לר' אברהם אבלי גומבינר, דעסויא תס"ד] ומהספר עזרת כהנים [לר' צבי הירש ראפאפורט, ווילנא-זיטאמיר-פשעמישל תר"ה-תרס"ז] והגהות רי"ד [ר' יעקב דוד בידערמאן, ווארשא תרכ"ו]) ויתר ספרים... וגם נלוה אליו... הגהות ... ר' אליהו ז"ל מווילנא >אשר היה בכת"י...< ...ביארתי אותם (ודברי הקפתי במוקף)... כל אלה חוברו ע"י... ישראל מאיר ב"ר ארי' זאב הכהן מעיר ראדין... חלק א-ב.

EJ; Bibliography of the Hebrew Book 1470-1960 #000155010