MA’ASEH ROKE’ACH. AMSTERDAM 1740. FIRST EDITION. SEGULA FOR SIMCHA.

MA’ASEH ROKE’ACH. AMSTERDAM 1740. FIRST EDITION. SEGULA FOR SIMCHA.

R. Elazar ben Shmelke Rokeah

The Rebbes of the Belz chassidic dynasty, who are direct descendants of the author, have a tradition that studying this book brings simcha – joy, as stated in the approbation by the present Belzer Rebbe to the 1993 edition of this work.

Kabbalistic commentary to Mishnah by R. Elazar ben Shmelke Rokeah (Landau, 1665–1741), rabbi. R. Roke’ah was born in Cracow, and after serving as rabbi in Rakov (1705) and Tarnow (1709) he was appointed av bet din (c. 1714) and subsequently rabbi of Brody. The Jewish community of Brody flourished greatly during this period. It possessed a Klaus, which was composed of kabbalists and talmudic scholars, and during his period of office the first group of adherents of Israel Ba’al Shem Tov was established in Brody. At this time also a considerable number of scholars from Brody and the neighborhood, such as R. Abraham Gershon of Kutow and R. Perez b. Moses, immigrated to Erez Israel.

In 1735 R. Roke’ah accepted a call to Amsterdam, despite the violent controversy which had raged there since the death of the previous incumbent, R. Abraham Judah of Halberstadt. R. Roke’ah was very well received, and a medallion was even struck in his honor, which roused the antagonism of R. Jacob Emden. This was not the only dispute which surrounded him, and as a result, in 1740 he decided to immigrate to Erez Israel. He settled in Safed, where he became the head of the small Ashkenazi community, applying himself to their immediate needs to such an extent that they accorded him the title "the Nasi of Erez Israel, " which was given to those who devoted themselves to the support of the yishuv in the country.

Rokah was a determined and unwearying opponent of every sign of the Shabbatean heresy, While still in Brody he violently attacked R. Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, whom he accused of this heresy, and gave his approval to the banning of his works. In Safed he became so involved in a conflict with a group of Shabbateans there that he thought of emigrating from Erez Israel, but he died suddenly exactly a year after his arrival here. With his death the position of the Ashkenazi community deteriorated and they appealed for help to the Council of Four Lands, mentioning the great help which R. Roke’ah had obtained for them as a result of his contacts with Poland and Amsterdam. Among Rokah's works are this work, Ma’aseh Roke’ah, on the composition of the Mishnah (Amsterdam, 1740) and on the Pentateuch (Lemberg, 1850), and Arba’ah Turei Even (Lemberg, 1789).

Previous owner inscription, scholarly notations on page 25.

Extra-wide clean margins

Amsterdam 1740.