"He Killed the Evil Inclination" – *Veshav HaKohen*, Livorno, 1783 – Dedication with the Holy Signature of ...

"He Killed the Evil Inclination" – *Veshav HaKohen*, Livorno, 1783 – Dedication with the Holy Signature of the Author, 'The Chassid from Amsterdam, ' Hy''d One of the only copies in the world!

Sefer Veshav HaKohen, Kabbalah, discourse and the secret of combinations, by the holy Gaon Rabbi Avraham HaKohen of Lask, 'The Chassid from Amsterdam, ' Hy''d, Livorno, 1788 – first edition.

Among the notable approbations for the sefer is that of the Gaon Rabbi Yosef Te'omim, the author of Pri Megadim, who praises the holy author and his work with exalted expressions:

"A holy man passed among us, a messenger from Heaven, from Jerusalem... who stands in his righteousness, the exalted rabbi, endowed with manifold talents... who has become known among Israel... and in this book, hidden inner matters are revealed, unseen by the eye, and I read upon him the verse: 'Apples of gold in settings of silver...'"

On the title page, the holy author's dedication:

"A gift for this great and dear man from me, the small one, Avraham HaKohen, a shadar (emissary) from Jerusalem, may it be speedily rebuilt in our days, amen. B"H and Ch'L'H within Ch'L'H... (Ch'LH is an acronym of the names of his books: VeChashav Lo HaKohen, Veshav HaKohen, and VeHe'erech HaKohen). (This is also how he signed in other places; see his deciphered signatures in *Or Yisrael*, issue 59, page 255).

The holy Gaon author likely gifted the sefer to one of the Sephardic sages (since he traveled extensively in their lands as an emissary), which is why he wrote his dedication in large, clear script, with the letter 'Bet' written in Rashi script for clarity, or possibly this was a common feature of his handwriting due to his years spent in the lands of Sephardim.

"He Killed the Evil Inclination" – A Story from Rabbi Natan of Breslov

In Chayei Moharan (section 553, paragraph 110), Rebbi Natan of Breslov wrote about what he told Rebbi Nachman of Breslov on this matter:

"Once I told him about the chassid from Amsterdam, who was famous in Brody, who traveled to the Land of Israel, and I saw him in the community of Kremenets upon his return from the Land of Israel. I told him that I heard him say that he had already killed his evil inclination. He answered me with a rebuke, saying: 'Why is there a need to speak of killing the evil inclination just because he fasted so many times?' For this chassid fasted an extraordinary number of times, as I heard from my father-in-law, of blessed memory, that he fasted 106 times from one Sabbath to the next."

The publisher added there: "...The general lesson to be drawn from these words and others like them is that our teacher, of blessed memory, wanted to instill in his followers complete faith in the sages, never doubting them, but knowing and believing that all their words are true, just, and faithful..."

The Holy Gaon Rabbi Avraham HaKohen of Lask, 'The Chassid from Amsterdam, ' Hy''d (d. 1799), was a great and holy genius, renowned across the world for his immense sanctity and extraordinary abilities. He would fast from one Sabbath to the next and study for many hours standing. It is told that when he was in Berlin, all the city's scholars and physicians came to examine the miracle of a man who could live without food from Sabbath to Sabbath (Ir Lask VeChachameha, p. 17). Many stories have been told by the great sages of the generations about his immense righteousness and sanctity, particularly regarding his ascetic practices.

As he served as a shadar (emissary of the Holy City), he traveled both to Sephardic and Ashkenazic lands. His remarkable practice of fasting from Sabbath to Sabbath is mentioned in the writings of sages from all the lands he visited, including the scholars of Tunisia, Italy, and Ashkenaz.

"He is Avraham, in his righteousness from beginning to end, as I am fit to testify, having known him when he was in the holy community of Brody, where he stayed for more than a full year, engaging in his fasts from Sabbath to Sabbath, studying while standing, not allowing his eyes rest at night, and continuing in this saintly conduct everywhere he traveled..."* (Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch of Zamość, author of Tiferet Tzvi). Upon his return to Jerusalem, he was martyred by the Turkish authorities due to communal debts, may his blood be avenged. From his holy seforim VeChashav Lo HaKohen, Veshav HaKohen, Ayin Panim LaTorah.

Good condition: 18 folios, binding glued at the margins, paper reinforced, slight wear and creases on the last page with a small text loss, worn cover with partially missing spine,   rest of the pages in very good condition.