Auction 105 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Esther Scrolls and Jewish Ceremonial Art
Divrei Nechemiah – Nechemiah Hayyun – Berlin, 1713
Opening: $250
Sold for: $575
Including buyer's premium
Divrei Nechemiah, novellae on the Torah according to the homiletical and kabbalistic approaches, by Nechemiah Chiya Hayyun. Berlin: Baruch Buchbinder, 1713. Only edition.
On title page, the word "Amsterdam" is emphasized.
At beginning of book, approbations from R. David Oppenheim of Prague, R. Gavriel Leib [Eskeles] Rabbi of Nikolsburg, R. Aharon Rabbi of Berlin and R. Yehudah Leib son of R. Moshe of Glogów.
Nechemiah Chiya Hayyun (ca. 1655-1730) was a Sabbatean Torah scholar and kabbalist, the most prominent Sabbatean after the death of Shabtai Tzvi. When Hayyun's books were brought to the Chacham Tzvi during his tenure as Rabbi of Amsterdam, he found them to contain heretical and Sabbatean material and issued a ban against them and their author, and began a fierce battle against him.
The Chacham Tzvi was joined by R. Moshe Chagiz in his battle against Hayyun, and both suffered the persecution of Hayyun's supporters in Amsterdam. Hayyun extracted the approbations to his book by fraud and deceit. The approbation Hayyun received for this book from R. David Oppenheim was reused for his Sabbatean-kabbalistic Oz LElohim, along with an approbation he had received from R. Naftali Katz. Both later retracted their approbations, but Hayyun refused to return them; they both published their retraction in Milchamah LaShem Cherev LaShem by R. Moshe Chagiz (Amsterdam, 1714).
[2], 86, [1] leaves. 19 cm. Partially dark paper. Good condition. Stains. Early parchment binding, front side partially detached, with defects and light worming.
Sabbateanism and Polemics
Sabbateanism and Polemics