Hon Ashir – Amsterdam, 1731 – with Musical Notes by the Kabbalist Author, from which the Chabadic Tune ...

Hon Ashir – Amsterdam, 1731 – with Musical Notes by the Kabbalist Author, from which the Chabadic Tune "Le'Chatchilah Ariber" was Born
Hon Ashir', commentary and novellae on Shisha Sidrei Mishnah. With poems that were printed between the Sdarim and between the tractates. Written in Safed by the Kabbalist Rabbi Emanuel Chai Ricchi (1688-1743). Printed in Amsterdam, Proops printing press, [1731]. The book contains illustrations and sketches.
On the first two leaves of the book, poems by the author were printed. To one of the poems – about "Sabbath, Milah Ve'Tefillin Be'Kavanah" – musical notes were added. This is most likely the first Hebrew book to which musical notes of a Jewish song were added! In general, this is a unique contemporary phenomenon of a rabbi composing a tune and printing it in his book.
The musical notes were written down by Avraham Ksares of Amsterdam, a Jewish composer. Although the book was printed almost three hundred years ago, the notation of the musical notes is almost identical to the notion we use today.
The Chabadic Tune
The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that the Rebbe Maharash knew how to read musical notes and recalled that the Rebbe had read the musical notes that appear in the book 'Hon Ashir' and they inspired him to compose the tune which is today known as the "Le'Chatchilah Ariber".
[2], 168, [2] leaves. 22 cm.
Condition: Good. The title page is torn. Time stains. On the title page there is an ownership inscription and signature by Rabbi Yitzchak Oish.