1872 Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chelm KABBALAH TOLDOS ADAM

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36 1872 LEMBERG PRINTING HEBREW UNBOUND -- VERY RARE AND VERY SOUGHT AFTER BOOK, GOOD COPIES SELL FOR CRAZY PRICES. THIS BOOK IS COMPLETE, BUT UNBOUND AND A BIT BRITTLE. Elijah Ba'al Shem (d. 1583) was a Polish rabbi who studied under Rabbi Solomon Luria and later became the Chief Rabbi of Chelm. He was a co-signer of the Agunah laws and, according to legend, was able to create a Golem creature with Kabbalah.[1][2] Many legends surround his life in regards to this creation. Because of his mastery over the names of God, he was the first Rabbi to be given the Baal Shem title.[3] He was the grandfather of Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi whose son was Jacob Emden. Born Eliyahu ben Aharon Yehudah ("Elijah son of Judah Aaron"), he studied under Rabbi Solomon Luria of Lublin to attain his rabbinical ordination and became Chelm's chief rabbi, a position he would hold for the rest of his life.In 1564, he gatd with other prominent Rabbis, including his teacher, to co-author the "piske denim" (laws) which allowed an Agunah to remarry. He was an avid practitioner of Kabbalah and was said to have created a Golem using the names of God from the Sefer Yezirah. Because of his mastery over the esoteric uses of the names of God, he became the first person to be given the religious title of Baal Shem.[3] His death is closely associated with the Golem myth. One version of it states while trying to remove the name of God (which gave it life) in an attempt to destroy the raging beast, Rabbi Elijah was crushed to death under the weight of the Golem as it fell to pieces.[8] Other sources suggest his face was only scratched and that he seemingly died of natural causes years later.[9] He wrote two books during his life; the Sefer Mif’alot Elohim and the Sefer Toldot adam.[10][11] Two of Elijah's grandsons were great Halakhists: Tzvi Ashkenazi and his son Jacob Emden. They discussed the legal status of the golem: could the golem be counted in a minyan, the quorum of ten men required for prayer. Human form and modicum of understanding were not enough to make something human. Also, according to Emden, the destructive potential of the golem could destroy the world. The Golem of Chelm According to the "Jewish Life and Work in Chelm" chapter of the Commemoration Book of Chelm (Poland) (Yisker-bukh Chelm), "No one was allowed to enter the attic of the Old Synagogue. No one even knew w the key to the attic could be found. One person whispered to another the secret that in the attic t lies the golem of the famous Rabbi Elijah Ba'al Shem. It was said that Elijah Ba'al Shem created from clay a golem [by means of the Sefer Yetzirah] who would stand on market days with an ax in his hand, and as soon as he saw that a peasant was going to beat up a Jew, the golem killed the peasant. An entire week the golem served the Rabbi, the Rabbi's wife, and he performed the manual labor in the Beit Hamidrash [A Jewish house of study w the study of the Torah is undertaken].[12] When the local landowner found out about the golem's might, the Ba'al Shem led the golem to the attic, withdrew from him the ineffable name of God, and converted the golem into a heap of clay. The Ba'al Shem locked the door, took with him the key, and since then the attic remained bolted."[9] The tale about Elijah's creation of the Golem was retold in the book Israel der Gotteskampfer der Baalschem von Chelm und sein Golem ("Israel of the God's camphors of the Baal shem of Chelm and his Golem") written by Chayim Block and published in 1920 -- We have THOUSANDS of other great Jewish books, Check out our eBay Store !! -- RETURN CUSTOMERS: RETURN CUSTOMERS GET 7% OFF, THIS IS NOT DEDUCTED AUTOMATICLY, SO PLEASE REQUEST AN INVOICE AND WE'LL SEND ONE OVER ASAP. -- COMBINED SHIPPING DISCOUNTS: T IS 3 DOLLARS OFF EACH ADDITIONAL ITEM SHIPPED AND PAYED FOR TOGETHER. IF YOU PLAN ON BIDDING ON ADDITIONAL ITEMS PLEASE DON'T PAY UNTILL YOU COMPLETE YOUR PURCHASES. THIS DISCOUNT SHOULD BE DEDUCTED AUTOMATICLY, PLEASE CONTACT US IF IT DOESN'T. ----... read more

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