22 pp., quarto, 228:165 mm., usual age staining. A good copy bound in contemporary boards, rubbed.

Ealy edition printed and distributed by the Hafez Hayyim.

Modern classic by the acclaimed sage and zaddik R. Israel Meir Ha-Kohen (Hafez Hayyim). Hafez Hayyim, published anonymously when the author was only thirty five, is designed to teach the laws of lashon hara (forbidden speech). The title page begins with the verse, “’Who is the man who desires life (hafez hayyim)’ etc. ‘Keep your tongue from evil’” (Psalms 34 121, 14). It informs that the book is on the prohibition of slander and tale bearing and explains both the general concepts and all the details of the laws on the subject. There are approbations and an introduction followed by the text which is comprised of Mekor Hayyim and and detailed glosses Ba’er Mayyim Hayyim.

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

חומת הדת ... בו יבואר שצריך כל איש ישראל להתחזק בעצמו ולחזק אחרים ללימוד התורה ולקיום המצות. ושימצא בכל עיר חבורות אנשים מפקחין ע"ז [על זה]... נעשה... ע"י... ישראל מאיר ב"ר ארי’ זאב הכהן... ‬פיעטרקוב,

BE Het 1085; EJ; Bibliography of the Hebrew Book