Sefer ha-ʼor.
ספר האור.

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Yehudah ben Ḥanin.

Contributor:

Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund.

Albaz, Moses ben Maimon, active 16th century.

Toledano, Ḥayim, active 17th century, former owner.

Masʻud ben ʻAzar, former owner.

Harush, Shemuʼel Ḥayim, former owner.

אלבאז, משה בן מימון, המאה ה־16

טולדנו, חיים, חי בערך המאה ה-17, בעלים קודמים.

מסעוד בן עזאר, בעלים קודמים.

הרוש, שמואל חיים, בעלים קודמים.

Standardized Title:

ספר יצירה

Language:

Aramaic

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Morocco--Meknès.

Souss-Massa-Drâa (Morocco)--History--Sources.

Souss-Massa-Drâa (Morocco).

Cabala--Early works to 1800.

Cabala.

Hebrew language--Alphabet--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Hebrew language.

Jews--Morocco--Meknès--History--Sources.

Jews.

Morocco--Souss-Massa-Drâa.

Manuscripts, Hebrew--Morocco--Souss-Massa-Drâa--17th century--Specimens.

Manuscripts, Hebrew.

Manuscripts, Aramaic--Morocco--Souss-Massa-Drâa--17th century--Specimens.

Manuscripts, Aramaic.

Genre:

Sources.

Codices (bound manuscripts)

Manicules.

Treatises.

codices (bound manuscripts)

manicules.

treatises.

Early works.

History.

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by Ḥayim Toledano (signature on f. 38v); this may be the signature of R. Ḥayim Toledano of Meknes (called "the pious, ha-ḥasid"; circa 1627-1680), who was renowned as a scribe and copyist of numerous cabalistic and ethical works.

Former owner's inscription in Judeo-Arabic (inside the gutter, f. 38r).

Formerly owned by Masʻud ben ʻAzar, circa 1850 (two tughra signatures, f. 38v).

Formerly owned by Shemuʼel Ḥayim ibn Harush of Meknes, circa 1880 (stamp on multiple folios, for example f. 4v).

Sold by Kestenbaum & Company, sale 80 (March 28, 2019), lot 6.

The manuscript is inscribed with numerous notes in the margins, many of them signed with "P.Ṭ" (פ'ט'). The writer comments twice about a composition called "Shalhevet Yah" (שלהבת י"ה, f. 7r, 10r). This likely was a member of the Toledano family of Meknes, who held this manuscript during the 18th century.

Physical Description:

38 leaves : paper ; 190 x 145 (165 x 130) mm bound to 200 x 158 mm.

Place of Publication:

[Souss-Massa-Drâa, Morocco], [1600?-1650?]

[סוס-מסא-דרעא, מרוקו], [1600?-1650?]

Language Note:

Hebrew, with scattered words in Aramaic.

Summary:

This is a manuscript of a cabalistic work of R. Yehudah ben Yaʻaḳov ben Ḥanin, a meḳubal (cabalist) in Morocco. The work was written to explicate the mystical intention of the formation of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with additional parts on the vowels and the cantillation. The work begins with an introduction (f. 1r-2r), in which the author attributes the ideas to Rashbi (Shimʻon bar Yoḥai, 2nd century Palestine), meaning that they were taken from the Zoharic canon (aside from portions indicated at the end from the author's teacher and another divine revelation). The first section after the introduction is Shaʻar ha-ʼotiyot, or the portion on the mystical foundations of the letters, based on the teaching that the letter formations, order of the letters, and vowel structure were used to create the universe; the author writes "the wisdom of the 22 letters is the [most] Godly wisdom", and quoting the opening passage of Sefer Yeẓirah with an explanation. The work finishes with a summary and a table of the letters being divided to three groups (f. 15r-v) and a passage from the author's teacher (likely R. Moses ben Maimon Albaz (Morocco, 16th century; f. 15v-16r). The second section is Shaʻar ha-neḳudot, which explains the mystical foundations of the Hebrew vocalization, with a numbered order for the neḳudot (such as sheva, ḥolam, ḥiriḳ), and finishes with a summary (f. 26v-27r). The next work is Shaʻar ha-ṭeʻamim, which explains the central cantillation marks, with a subsection called Ḥeleḳ ha-meshartim, on the seven cantillation marks known by that name, in which the author elucidates as part of the seven branches of the Biblical Menorah; and another subsection called Ḥeleḳ ha-ḳotsim, elucidating another order of seven cantillation marks; and finally finishing with a summary of the neḳudot and ṭeʻamim (in the paragraph headed by ואשר ישא משלו ויאמר, f. 35r). The final section is called Shaʻar ha-tagin, on the letters which are crowned with tagin in safrut, or Hebrew ritual writing for scrolls. This section includes a bold heading indicating that the author will allude to divine teachings he received about the letters which carry tagin. The manuscript ends with an acrostic poem by the author and the colophon

Contents:

1. f.1r-3r: [Haḳdamah]

2. f.3r-16r: Shaʻar ha-ʼotiyot

3. f.16r-24r: Shaʻar ha-neḳudot

4. f.24v-36r: Shaʻar ha-ṭeʻamim

5. f.36v-37v: Shaʻar ha-tagin

6. f.38r: Shir neḥmad yesod ha-tsaʻir ha-meḥaber.

1. f.1r-3r: [הקדמה]

2. f.3r-16r: שער האותיות

3. f.16r-24r: שער הנקודות

4. f.24v-36r: שער הטעמים

5. f.36v-37v: שער התגין

6. f.38r: שיר נחמד יסוד הצעיר המחבר.

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title from f. 1r, an opening title statement in bold.

Collation: Paper, i (modern paper) + 38 + i (modern paper); 1¹⁴ ( -1) 2⁸ 3¹⁴, 3 singletons; modern foliation in pencil, upper left recto, 1-38.

Script: Written in a Sefardic semicursive script, with headings in bold square script.

Watermarks: Similar to Heawood nos. 3642-65 (1609-1650; Kestenbaum).

Decoration: The attribution to the author is written in red ink, possibly added after the text was completed (f. 1r). Small designs in ink (for example, f. 24r), one manicule (f. 30r), and pen trials (for example, f. 36v, 37v).

Origin: Written in Morocco during the early 17th century; possibly written in Akka, a town in the Souss-Massa region in southern Morocco, where the author lived and operated in a group studying cabala. The colophon is unsigned and the scribe's identity is not known; he wrote for a "R. Ḥovav", mentioning his wandering, poverty, and that a "wrong has been righted" with a prayer thanking God. This may be a reference to R. Ḥovav, father of R. Yehudah, a rabbinical emissary who emigrated to Akka from Jerusalem, today buried in Akka among the other members of this group of cabalists (see Ran Yosef Ḥayim Masʻud Abuḥatsera, Ḳabalat Ḥakhme Moroḳo (ʻAfulah: 2012)).

Binding: Rebound in modern gray boards with a blue leather spine, with modern gray endpapers. Spine title: כת"י ספר האור. Round white sticker with shelf mark סב (62) in blue ink on the spine.

Layout: Written in 24-26 long unruled lines with paragraph headings. For the acrostic poem, there are two columns facing each other, with the final portion of the song at the bottom in the center; for this paragraph, each stanza ends with the word "אור" (f. 38r). Quarto format

Cited as:

UPenn CAJS Rar Ms 523.

OCLC:

1126335257

Online:

The Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund Home Page