A Rare Polemical Book Against the Kabbalah: "Eitz Hada'at", with several annotations by the author in the margins. ...

A Rare Polemical Book Against the Kabbalah: "Eitz Hada'at", with several annotations by the author in the margins. Venice, 1704. First Edition.

Commentary on the book "Bechinat Olam" by Rabbi Yedaya Hapenini, the Bedersi, by Rabbi Shimshon Morpurgo of Mantua, author of "Shemesh Tzedakah."

The purpose of the book was to strengthen the standing and power of Jewish philosophy, favoring it over Kabbalah, which had spread in Italy at that time.

The book is printed with an alias for the author's name, but it has been proven that the author is Rabbi Shimshon Morpurgo. His name is also hinted in a clever manner in the commendatory letters (similar to approbations) written by friends of the author.

At the end of the book, the poem "Ashrei HaGoy Bachar Lo Yah" by the poet Yaakov Fransich is printed, against the study of Kabbalah.

In the book "Emunat Chachamim" by Rabbi Aviad Shar Shalom Bazila, he extensively writes against the poem and its author: "The author of that poem was a merchant who was never crowned with the crown of rabbinate or even the crown of companionship... and he never believed at all in the hidden aspects of the Torah... and because of these opinions, the rabbis and those sitting in Beit Din in this city of Mantua despised him..."

For an in-depth review of this book, see M. Benaya's article, "Sefer Eitz Hada'at by Rabbi Shimshon Morpurgo, " in: Ali Sefer, 6-7, pp. 129-144.

Between the book's pages, there are several small Italian handwritten additions and deletions. All the additions are on the explanation of 'Eitz Hada'at.' According to the content of the text, it appears that they were written by the author himself. M. Benaya, in his aforementioned article, mentions that in some copies there are handwritten annotations, "probably by the author himself" (Benaya also writes that the author in his letter [printed in the article mentioned] complains about errors in pages such as pages 21-24. Since there are no corrections in these pages in the copies we have, it is evident that they were rearranged).

Rabbi Shimshon Morpurgo (1681-1740): One of the great rabbis of Italy, the rabbi of Ancona, and the author of the book "Shemesh Tzedakah."

Venice, 1704. First edition.

38 leaves. 26 cm. Very good condition. An exceptionally nice copy: wide margins, bright and high-quality paper, attractive binding.

A beautiful copy of a rare polemical book against the wisdom of Kabbalah, written by one of the great scholars of Italy and printed with the author's alias.