Decorated manuscript, Passover Haggadah and Passover Arvit prayer, with Shir HaShirim and Pirkei Avot with Judeo-Arabic translation, by R. Moshe [son of] Yosef Avraham Somekh. Baghdad, 1883.
Particularly impressive manuscript, masterfully scribed and decorated – over two hundred pages bearing colorful decorations (decorations on every page). Semi-cursive and square Oriental script. Decorated heading and initial word panels (enlarged characters, scribed in color, with floral decorations); LaMenatze'ach Menorahs before the Haggadah and Shir HaShirim.
Each page of text is framed in a border and divided into two columns (usually separated with a floral ornament). In most of the manuscript, the Hebrew text occupies the right column while the left column contains the Judeo-Arabic translation.
The writer signed his name in several places throughout the manuscript within the borders and ornaments. The name was later deleted with black ink, yet can still be discerned in several places, such as in the initial word "Min HaMetzar" (p. 8b): "Moshe Yosef Avraham Somekh"; and at the end of the Passover Haggadah: "I completed it on 26th Adar I, Moshe Yosef Avraham Somekh".
Scribed in the border surrounding the LaMenatze'ach Menorah preceding the Haggadah: "Passover Haggadah, original text and sharh [Judeo-Arabic translation]", "I begin writing the Passover Haggadah, original text and sharh – Judeo-Arabic translation…", "The writer and copyist… [name deleted], in 1883".
Scribed in the headpiece of Shir HaShirim: "I begin writing Shir HaShirim, original text and sharh following the Sephardic rite, here in Baghdad… 1883", "Shir HaShirim, original text and translation, I began on Tuesday, Rosh Chodesh Adar I 1883, in the Beit Midrash of Tzalach Nissim Eliya Aboudi".
Moshe [son of] Yosef Avraham Somekh is presumably the brother of Shaul [son of] Yosef Avraham Somekh, who scribed and decorated another manuscript in this catalog – see previous item.

[112] leaves. 14 cm. Good condition. Stains, including ink stains to a few leaves, slightly affecting text. Name of writer deleted in black ink in several places, affecting text. Tears to several leaves. Original leather binding, with minor defects.

Reference:
• Yohanan Fried and Yoel Rappel (eds.), Siddur Klal Israel, Jerusalem: Mesora Laam, 1991, p. 228.
• Barbara Rush, Passover Splendor: Cherished Objects for the Seder Table. New York, 2004, p. 8.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, IQ.011.007.

Decorated manuscript, Tefillot Yesharot – kabbalistic siddur, with kavanot of the Arizal and kabbalistic practices – for weekdays, Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim. [Turkey or another place in the region], 1734.
Complete, particularly beautiful and impressive manuscript, in a design reminiscent of Islamic prayer books. The title page is decorated with cartouches and floral ornaments in green, blue and gold. Each page of the manuscript is framed in a rectangular, gilt border, and contains the text of the prayers scribed in cursive Oriental script, with initial words and certain words in square script. Headings and other notes outside the border. Floral and foliate ornaments in several places. Original, leather covered binding, with gilt and red ornaments, also typical of Islamic prayer books. Several blank leaves interspersed in the manuscript, for inserting additional prayers.
Folded plate before the title page, with a gilt illustration of a LaMenatze'ach Menorah, including notes of its segulot. Inscription on verso: "This was the form of the menorah". A prayer to be recited "after the Menorah" is inscribed on the preceding page.
The illustrated title page states the title of the book, and the date of its completion: 11th Av 1734.
The text of the siddur includes many kabbalistic kavanot, prayers and practices, occasionally inserted by the writer in "windows" within the text.
See Hebrew description for partial list of contents of the manuscript.
Statement of the completion of the manuscript on the final page. Familial inscriptions in Ladino on the back endpaper, dated 1911-1925.

[225] leaves. Approx. 16 cm. Good condition. High-quality paper. Stains. Minor wear. Marginal ink stains (not affecting text). Original gilt-decorated binding, with minor blemishes; spine repaired.

Provenance:
1. Sotheby's Tel Aviv, 5 October 1984, lot 170.
2. The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, OT.011.010.

Manuscript, large anthology comprising a variety of works – halachot, zodiacs, goralot (lots), amulets, segulot, cures, and more. [Kurdistan?], 1792.
Neat semi-cursive Oriental script; with additions by various writers. Decorated title page. Ornamented initial words and borders, illustrations, tables and round charts – including a volvelle (movable wheel-chart) for calculating tekufot.
Decorated title page on p. 9a (preceded by several leaves with additions and tables of contents). The title page states: "Gelilei Zahav, a compilation… laws of shechitah… segulot… regarding plagues… moladot and Goral HaChol… sick people, and some other topics from Midrash Talpiot and segulot… begun in 1792…". The name "Zakai Chagai son of Chacham Mordechai" is inscribed within the hollow letters at the top of the title page. On verso of the title page, decorated page with the continuation of the title page text, stating the name of the writer of the manuscript – Zakai Chagai son of R. Mordechai (the name "Zakai Chagai" is written in small characters between the lines).
Each page of the manuscript is enclosed in a border, and divided into two columns: a wide column on the inside of each page, containing the text of various works, and a narrower column on the outside of the page. The narrow column contains occasional inscriptions, glosses and various additions, some inserted by the scribe of this manuscript, and some by later writers. Illustrations, diagrams, round charts and tables in several places. Including: illustrations clarifying the laws of shemittah; illustration of a palm of a hand for calculating tekufot (from the book Levush HaChur, section 428; adapted to the years 1790-1792 – the time of writing of the manuscript); on p. 61, paper volvelle for calculating years (sewn to the leaf at the center); on p. 98a, protection for a child with the figure of Lilith bound in chains; illustrations of amulets, angelic script, and more.
Ownership inscriptions, signatures and death records of various figures from different periods, including: "Date my brother was killed… Thursday, 7th Av 1799" (p. 9b, in the lower part of the title page border). Other inscriptions, apparently relating to the writer or owners of the manuscript: "Passing of my father Chacham Chagai… Elul 1829", "Passing… of Chacham Zakai… Rosh Chodesh Adar 1868…", "Passing of my mother… 1868", "Zakai son of R. Chagai".
There was a Kurdistani Chacham named R. Chagai; a wondrous story is retold of the Kiddush Hashem he caused when he promised the local ruler that rain would fall in the month of Nissan in a drought year (see: Yitzchak Tz. Mizrachi, R. Chagai Sanctifies G-d's Name, in Hed HaMizrach, year II, issue X, Cheshvan 1943). This may be Chacham Chagai mentioned here, or one of his relatives.
The anthology includes many segulot and cures, protections, hashbaot and amulet texts (some with illustrations and kabbalistic diagrams). See Hebrew description for examples. It comprises a wide range of works and topics, including: text of ordination for a shochet and laws of shechitah, texts of various legal documents dated 1792; annulling a ban; the angels who rule over the various days of the week and the 12 months; various works on the laws of shechitah and terefot (mentioning on p. 36a: "…my teacher and brother R. Shmuel Barzani" – prominent rabbi in Kurdistan) and many other works (see Hebrew description).

[157] leaves (including several blank leaves). Appears to be lacking several leaves. Approx. 20 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains and wear. Open tears to many leaves, affecting text. Leaves professionally restored with paper. Two detached leaves. New leather binding.

A similarly designed and ornamented manuscript, presumably by the same scribe, appears in the catalog The Jews of Kurdistan (curator: Ora Schwartz-Be'eri; Israel Museum, Jerusalem 2000) p. 211, from the Israel Museum collection (no. 180/86). There, the scribe was identified as "Meir son of Mordechai Yehuda", yet there was presumably a mistake in interpreting the calligraphic signature, and it should be read "Chagai son of the late R. Mordechai".
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, KU.011.019.

Manuscript, Siddur Kavanot HaAri, with kabbalistic commentaries and kavanot, based on the redaction of R. Meir Poppers; including: prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, festivals and the High Holidays; daily conduct; kavanot for ritual immersion; order of study and Tikkun Chatzot; Passover Haggadah; counting of the Omer and order of Hakafot; kavanot for marriage, Brit Milah and other mitzvot; and more. Zaloshitz (Działoszyce, Poland), 1746.
Neat Ashkenazic square and cursive script. Decorated title page in color. Illustrations and diagrams, some colored (in several places, the Name of G-d is written within a diagram of circles and lines, colored in yellow and red; on p. 96b, diagrams of kavanot for the Shabbat meals in various colors; and more).
On p. 5b, LaMenatze'ach Menorah (base colored in green and yellow); another LaMenatze'ach Menorah on p. 36a; on leaves 80-81 a LaMenatze'ach Menorah and a menorah comprised of the initials of Psalm 91 (starting with Psalms 90:17 – Viyhi Noam), as a segulah against plagues (as part of the "Pitum HaKetoret order for times of plague" which begins on p. 79b).
The decorated title page states: "Siddur with prayer kavanot based on kabbalah, secrets and combinations of Holy Names by R. Yitzchak Luria, 1746, here Zaloshitz".
Writer's colophon on p. 168b, indicating that the writing was completed on Sunday 12th Tevet 1746, by Yehuda Leib son of R. Yeshaya Katzenellenbogen of Żabno. The writer apologizes for any errors, explaining that he has no understanding of kabbalah, and that this manuscript was simply copied letter by letter from a manuscript produced by R. Yitzchak son of R. Alexander Siskind of Ir Chadash.
Ownership inscriptions on the blank pages at the beginning of the manuscript: "This holy siddur of the Ari Luria belongs to my father-in-law, copied by my father-in-law's grandfather, following Sefardi rite, the rite of R. Chaim Vital"; "The siddur of the Arizal was written and copied by my grandfather R. Yehuda Leibush Katzenellenbogen and belongs to me, Chaim Shlomo[?]… 18th Kislev 1841, Zaloshitz".
Emendations and glosses in several places.
On p. 6b: "What R. Yehuda Chassid would recite each weekday at the end of the Amidah prayer of Shacharit and Arvit before Yihyu LeRatzon".
Sections from the teachings of the Shelah on Tikkun Leil Shavuot were integrated on leaf 166.
On the verso of the title page, copying from the book Emek HaMelech.

[169] leaves. 18 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains (dark stains affecting text in several places). Worming, affecting text, repaired in part with tape. On leaf 6, tears due to ink erosion, slightly affecting text on verso. Tiny marginal tears, not affecting text. On leaf 8, open tear affecting text, repaired with paper. Upper margin of many leaves trimmed, with damage to original leaf numbers. New binding (with a bound bookmark).

Provenance:
1. Collection of Dr. Israel Mehlman, Jerusalem, no. 8.
2. The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EE.011.027.

Manuscripts of Siddur HaAri from Ashkenazi Countries in the Gross Family Collection
One of the works which assumed a unique style in Ashkenazi countries was the siddur with kavanot of the Arizal. This siddur was brought to print, and the editions issued by Chassidic kabbalists gained special prominence: Siddur HaAri, Zhovkva 1781 – printed by the Torah scholars of the Brody Kloiz; Siddur R. Asher Margaliot – printed in Lviv 1788; Siddur R. Shabtai of Rashkov – printed in Korets 1794; and others.
There is an interesting difference between the printed siddurim and the manuscript siddurim known to us (our acknowledgments to R. Yosef Avivi who raised this distinction): the printed siddurim all follow the version of the Zhovkva 1781 edition, which is the text from Mishnat Chassidim. In contrast, the manuscript siddurim comprise the text with the redaction of R. Meir Poppers from the Siddur Or Penei Melech, compiled in 1654. This siddur is actually the prototype of Ashkenazi Arizal siddurim in manuscript form.
Despite their similarities, there are differences between the various manuscripts of Siddur Kavanot HaAri, and occasionally significant ones. These differences are seen in the various additions which the writer – a kabbalist in his own rite in most cases – chose to include, and sometimes in the glosses which were added over the course of the years, and obviously also in the layout, the illustrations and the like.
Presented here is an impressive collection of 18th-century manuscript siddurim with kavanot of the Arizal, from the Gross Family Collection. These manuscripts were scribed in the geographic region and during the era of the advent of Chassidut, and serve as prominent and impressive exemplars of the Ashkenazi Arizal siddurim copied in manuscript at the time.

Manuscript, Siddur Kavanot HaAri, with kabbalistic commentaries and kavanot, following the redaction of R. Meir Poppers; prayers for weekdays, Shabbat, festivals and High Holidays; daily conduct; kavanot for ritual immersion; order of study and Tikkun Chatzot; Passover Haggadah; counting of the Omer and order of Hakafot; kavanot for marriage, Brit Milah and other mitzvot; and more. [Europe, ca. 18th century].
Neat Ashkenazic script (square, semi-cursive and cursive). Neat copying by a skilled scribe; [14] leaves at the beginning of the manuscript were presumably added by a different scribe.
On leaf 90, two menorahs which serve as segulah against plagues (as part of the Tikkun against plagues which begins on leaf 88): a LaMenatze'ach Menorah and an additional menorah comprising the initials of Psalm 91 (starting with Psalms 90:17 – Viyhi Noam).
On p. 60b, fine geometric ornament with kavanot for the Shabbat meals (the leaf was written upside down).
On p. 55a, the scribe writes at the beginning of one paragraph: "I copied this from the siddur of the maggid of Skolye, and he heard it from the maggid R. Chaim of Tarni…". He later writes again: "From R. Chaim of Tarni…". We were not able to ascertain the identity of the Maggid of Skolye who wrote a Siddur Kavanot HaAri, yet two suggestions can be considered: the inscription may be referring to R. Shlomo Lutsker (d. 1813), close disciple of the Maggid of Mezeritch, who edited and published his teacher's book Maggid Devarav LeYaakov. He reputedly served as maggid in Skol (Sokal). In his approbation to the book Dibrat Shlomo (Zhovkva, 1848), the Chozeh of Lublin refers to him as "R. Shlomo, maggid of Skol…". A second possibility is that the inscription is referring to R. Meir of Skolye (Skole; d. 1738), a Torah scholar in the famous Brody kloiz (see: Arim VeImahot BeYisrael, VI, Jerusalem 1955, pp. 60, 74, 340).
The identity of the maggid R. Chaim of Tarni mentioned here is likewise unclear (R. Yosef Yuspa Segal in his book Noheg KaTzon Yosef, laws of Shabbat, section 23, quotes teachings he heard from R. Chaim, reprover of Tarni).
P. 55b contains a prayer to be recited at the Western Wall – the scribe mentions his teacher's practice of visiting the Western Wall every Shabbat, a practice which drew the opposition of all the Ashkenazi rabbis of Jerusalem (this prayer was only copied in some of the Ashkenazi manuscripts of Siddur HaAri).

[14] leaves; 11-145, 145-157, [1], 158-201 leaves (original foliation ends with leaf 168, rest of foliation in pencil, from a later period). Leaves marked 198-200 erroneously bound at the end, originally intended to be before leaf 162. 18.5 cm. Overall good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming. Marginal tears to some leaves, affecting text in several places, repaired in part with paper and tape. Early parchment binding, with worming and blemishes (repaired).

Reference: Batsheva Goldman Ida, Hasidic Art and the Kabbalah, Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2018. The present manuscript is photographed on pp. 47 and 50.
The manuscript is photographed in: Uri Kroizer, Yair Harel et al. (editors), 101 Sacred Hebrew Songs, All Times, Sabbath, Life Cycle, Year Cycle, Jerusalem: Snunit, [2017], p. 93.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, EE.011.032.

Manuscripts of Siddur HaAri from Ashkenazi Countries in the Gross Family Collection
One of the works which assumed a unique style in Ashkenazi countries was the siddur with kavanot of the Arizal. This siddur was brought to print, and the editions issued by Chassidic kabbalists gained special prominence: Siddur HaAri, Zhovkva 1781 – printed by the Torah scholars of the Brody Kloiz; Siddur R. Asher Margaliot – printed in Lviv 1788; Siddur R. Shabtai of Rashkov – printed in Korets 1794; and others.
There is an interesting difference between the printed siddurim and the manuscript siddurim known to us (our acknowledgments to R. Yosef Avivi who raised this distinction): the printed siddurim all follow the version of the Zhovkva 1781 edition, which is the text from Mishnat Chassidim. In contrast, the manuscript siddurim comprise the text with the redaction of R. Meir Poppers from the Siddur Or Penei Melech, compiled in 1654. This siddur is actually the prototype of Ashkenazi Arizal siddurim in manuscript form.
Despite their similarities, there are differences between the various manuscripts of Siddur Kavanot HaAri, and occasionally significant ones. These differences are seen in the various additions which the writer – a kabbalist in his own rite in most cases – chose to include, and sometimes in the glosses which were added over the course of the years, and obviously also in the layout, the illustrations and the like.
Presented here is an impressive collection of 18th-century manuscript siddurim with kavanot of the Arizal, from the Gross Family Collection. These manuscripts were scribed in the geographic region and during the era of the advent of Chassidut, and serve as prominent and impressive exemplars of the Ashkenazi Arizal siddurim copied in manuscript at the time.