Sefer Or Hachamah, an elucidation on the Zohar. Part 1 on Sefer Bereshis, by Rabbi Avraham Azulai (the first), author of “Chessed LeAvraham” and the Chida’s great-great-grandfather. Jerusalem, 1876. The Sefer was published by Rabbi Shneur Zalman Shneerson, author of the “Nimukei shezavni” and great-grandson of the Alter Rebbe, the Ba’al HaTanya. On the title page is a nice handwritten dedication from the publisher, Rabbi Shneerson, to the renowned Chabad Gaon Rabbi Yosef Tomarkin, Av Beis Din of Kremenchuk, and from the Tzemach Tzedek’s close people. With stamps of the publisher and the recipient.
The Chabad Gaon
Rabbi Yosef Tomarkin (1813-1874) was one of the leading disciples of C”K Admor the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch and merited great closeness from his Rebbe. Served as Rabbi of Kremenchuk. He was famous throughout Russia as one of the leaders and Geonim of the generation. The book “Beis Rebbi” describes him thus: “and many of the Rabbonim of the generation would send their questions to him, and his responses were very deep; they exist as manuscripts by his descendants, who are of a mind to publish them in the near future.”
Although most of his manuscripts have been lost, a few remnants of them wound up in the Chabad-lubavitch Library in NY.
Besides for his greatness in Torah, he was an ardent Chassid of a lofty soul and was one of the Chassidim of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, who asked his opinion on Halachic matters several times. The Gedolim of his generation, amongst whom was Admor Rabbi Yisrael Noach of Nizhyn OBM, would send him questions on practical Halachic issues.
Together with the other renowned Chassidic Gedolim of his generation – Rabbi Peretz Chen and Rabbi Shneur Zalman, author of “Toras Chesed” of Lublin, he gave an approbation for the printing of “Likutei Torah” of the Alter Rebbe.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman Shneerson, the great-grandson of the Alter Rebbe, the Ba’al HaTanya, was one of the leaders of the Chabad Chassidim in Yerushalayim, and author of “Nimukei Shezavni” (Jerusalem, 1877). Born in Lubavitch, and immigrated to Chevron in 1844, together with the Rebbetzin Menucha Rachel Slonim and the two daughters of Rabbi Moshe, son of the Alter Rebbe, and their families.
Was a Chossid of the Tzemach Tzedek, and was listed as one of the leaders of Chabad in Yerushalayim. Served as a charity collector and as manager of Collel Chabad. In addition to being a Torah scholar and a learned man, he was known as an bibliophile and collector of manuscripts. In due time he purchased the Chida’s library, and published several significant compositions from in it.
Author of “Nimukei Shezvani”, “Hagahot Ve’He’arot” on the Rif, Responsa “Chemda Genuza” of the Geonim, and more.
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