Raziel HaMalach. Segulah Book. First Edition of Hagahot HaMaggid MiKozhnitz

Raziel HaMalach. Segulah Book. First Edition of Hagahot HaMaggid MiKozhnitz

"The magnitude of its virtues and segulah and intense powers and great successes are known to all ... One who looks at the serpent and lives, Hashem will maintain endless blessing for him ..." (from the Maggid of Kozhnitz's approbation to this edition)

Raziel HaMalach is an early Kabbalistic book, attributed to the angel Raziel, that was given to Adam. Before us is the first edition with proofreading notes and elucidations by the Maggid of Kozhnitz, who initiated and encouraged its printing and even crowned the book with a lengthy and glowing approbation. Warsaw, 1812.

Printed in the title page: "I was hastened by the G-dly Kabbalist, wonder of the generation ... the true pious and renowned Maggid of Kozhnitz ... and he treated me kindly in that he sent me the proofreading notes and some additional elucidations ... that can be found on sides of the sheets of this book, written in his very own hand, and as elucidated in his approbation written in his hand ..." This is followed by the Maggid of Kozhnitz's approbation, which was printed on an entire page (without other approbations) in which the maggid tells of the book's virtues and its segulah value.

The book Raziel HaMalach deals with scholarly and practical Kabbalah. It is the first book known as a segulah book, as appears on the title page of its first edition (Amsterdam, 1701): "And for the entire Jewish people it is an effective segulah for seeing wise and understanding descendants, and for success and blessing, and to extinguish fires in one's home and that no demon nor damager live in his home; for one who has this awesome and honorable book hidden with his gold and silver in his safe, and in his illness and time of distress, it will be a quick salvation, and he will attest to this and tell all Torah followers."

Unfortunately, over the years, and due to the lack of printers' familiarity and knowledge of Names that fill this book from beginning to end, many errors and terrible mistakes occurred in the Holy Names, and these mistakes blemished the book's wondrous segulah powers. Until the Maggid of Kozhnitz, who was famous in his generation as a tremendous expert in Kabbalistic wisdom (as is known, there are many glosses by him about the Ar"i's intentions for shofar blowing, as were printed at the end of Siddur R' Shabbetai MiRashkov). In this edition before us, he revised and corrected the book and returned it to its proper place and crowned it with his proofreading and novellae and he returned the segulah status of this book to its former glory. This edition understandably became so in-demand that in many editions of Raziel HaMalach printed afterwards, the printers wrote on the title page that the book includes the Maggid of Kozhnitz's corrections, despite their being printed without the Maggid of Kozhnitz's corrections.

As such, before us is the first and true edition with the Maggid of Kozhnitz's proofreading, the significant segulah book Raziel HaMalach. This edition was printed from his manuscript (as stated in the introduction) and especially blessed by him (as stated in the approbation). All the segulahs (spiritual satisfaction, success, protection from fires, protecting safes, healing and salvation in times of distress) attributed to this book will certainly do their required work through the possession of this proofread copy.

51 leaves (mispaginated). 20 cm. Stefansky, Chassidut 536. Many Kabbalistic diagrams. Lengthy inscription on the flyleaf.

Fine condition: Aging stains. Minimal worming perforations. Slight tears in the margins of the title page and the first and last leaves, without damage to text. Magnificent new leather binding.