Three responsa letters on various topics, signed by the Gaon and Tzaddik, the Mekubal Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya, Rosh Yeshiva of the Kabbalist Yeshiva “Beit El” and author of responsa “Yaskil Avdi” – sent to his friend the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Yehuda Zerachia Segal, Rabbi of Kiryat Shalom.
The Mekubal whose signature rattled the heavens.
Before us are three letters of responsa on various Halachic topics. The leters are typed, with handwritten corrections made by Rav Hedaya, with his holy signature: “Ovadia son of Maharash Hedaya”.
In these signatures, Rav Hedaya signs his nae as one word – Ovadia. However, in his younger years he would sign his name as two words: “Eved Yah”. On the reason for which he stopped signing this way, is told in the preface to the new edition of responsa “Yaskil Avdi”, printed by his son:
“The Rabbi told that his grandfather, the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Levaton, author of “nochach HaShulchan”, appeared to him in his dream on one Shabbat and said to him: ‘Know that there is a tumult in the heavens, there are ninety-one amongst them’. When he awoke, he was very troubled, and could not find a resolution to this mystery. He turned to his father, the Mekubal and Tzaddik Rabbi Shalom OBM. His father thought about this for some time, and told him: ‘My son, I will tell you the meaning of your dream. The name Ovadia has a numeric value of ninety -one, which is the value of the combined names of Hashem, which must always be connected with each other. By your signing your name in two words, you create a rift between the connected parts,
which rattles the heavens’. Since then he began to sign his name Ovadia, without a split.”
The signatures here are all in one word.
Please see the Hebrew listing for biographical information on Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya.
The responsa are written on official letterheads printed with: “Rabbi Ovadia Hedaya, member of the Great Beis Din of Appeals and the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, Rosh Mesivta and manager of the Kabbalist Yeshiva “Beit El” and Yeshiva “Shlom Avdo’, author of “Yaskil Avdi” 6 vol. and more”.
[6] pp. + envelope. Varying sizes and conditions. Overall condition: good-fair.
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