Sefer Chareidim. Venice, 1601. First Edition, Including the First Publication of the Well-Known Song Yedid Nefesh

Sefer Chareidim. Venice, 1601. First Edition, Including the First Publication of the Well-Known Song Yedid Nefesh

"He authored a sacred sefer entitled Sefer HaChareidim ... and we heard of his sanctity and the wonders that happened to him in Constantinople"(the Chid"a, in Shem HaGedolim)

Sefer Chareidim by the sacred Kabbalist Rabbi Elazar Azikri known by the title of this sefer, as "Ba'al Sefer Chareidim." He was one of the leaders in the generation of giants in which he lived, a contemporary of the Ar"i, the Beit Yosef and the Rama"k. Daniel Zanetti Press.

The sacred author Rabbi Elazar Azikri composed the renowned Kabbalistic hymn "Yedid Nefesh" which is based on an acrostic of the Tetragrammaton, and printed here for the first time in this edition. It is interesting to note that over the generations, several words were changed from the original. In this original version here, the second stanza, which starts with the words Higaleh na, concludes with the words az titchazek v'titrapeh v'haytah lach shifchat olam but the widespread version in siddurim is ...v'haytah lach simchat olam - which has a completely different meaning. In addition, there are another four chilling less-known hymns similar in style to "Yedid Nefesh."

Aside from the "Yedid Nefesh" hymn printed here for the first time, this edition is a primary source of various historic documentation, such as the Ramba"m's letter following his ascent to the Land of Israel. There are also several citations from Sefer HaMiddot, which Moshe Chalamish identified with Orchot Tzaddikim.

Refer to the Hebrew catalog text for a brief biography of  the sacred Kabbalist, Rabbi Elazar Azikri.

74 [should be 82] leaf. 19 cm.

Very fine condition. Minimal aging stains. Leather binding.