Sefer Segulah: Magen Dovid by Rabbi Dovid of Tolna.
First Edition. Wide Margins!
Shapira Press. Zhitomir, 1852
Sefer ‘Magen Dovid’ authored by the Admor Rabbi Dovid Twersky of Tolna, son of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl. It is “a collection of delightful drashos, words of mussar, and wondrous allusions to awaken the hearts of the holy nation”.
Unlike many Chassidic compilations, this sefer was brought to print by the author himself, published so that those who could not travel and hear his Torah in person would be able learn the sefer and become inspired in their service of Hashem.
This is an important Sefer Segulah:
The author himself writes in the introduction to the third edition (Lvov, 1880):
"I hereby declare that any man of wise heart who acquires this sefer and studies it, I hope it will serve as a healing for his body and soul, both spiritually and physically, in this world and the next, and that he will succeed with both temporal and eternal success."
A beautiful copy from the renowned Shapira press in Zhitomir, printed on high-quality paper with wide margins!
The margins are so broad that the original holes used in the printing process to fix the sheets in place have been preserved in the top corners of the leaves and were not trimmed off by bookbinders (see below).
Rabbi Dovid of Tolna (1808-1882) was renowned as a miracle worker who possessed ruach hakodesh. The son of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl, he was named after his maternal grandfather Harav Dovid Leikes of Bar, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. In his youth, he was recognized for his phenomenal mind and wisdom. When he came of age, he married the daughter of Rabbi Yisrael Avraham of Czarny Ostrów, son of the legendary Reb Zusha of Anipoli. With the passing of his father in 1837, he assumed spiritual leadership of his flock, first in Vosylkov, but eventually he moved his Holy Court to Tolna which grew to become one of the most prominent centers of Chassidus in Ukraine.
Zhitomir 1852. First edition. The author’s first sefer.
Page Count: 120, [1] leaves.
Size: 27.2 cm.
Condition: Restored blemish on the title page, paper restoration to the margin of the final leaf. Stains on some leaves. Aside from that – good condition. New binding.
Two title pages; the second is partially printed in red ink—found only in some copies. The final leaf, containing the errata (a page listing printing errors and their corrections), also appears only in select copies.
Bibliography: Stefansky Chassidus, no. 334.
Additions and supplements to this sefer were later published in the author’s third and final sefer, which is also listed in this catalog: Koheles Dovid, Lublin 1882.
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On the Holes Found in the Corners of Sefarim with Wide Margins
Historical accounts describe how, during the printing process, sheets were affixed to the press using nails that pierced the leaf, to prevent movement during printing. (Similar holes have been observed in sefarim from the presses of Slavita and Zhitomir; see also these kinds of holes in the sefer Nefesh HaChaim printed in Vilna, Genazym Auction 13, Item 92.)
Not all copies of sefarim were originally printed with wide margins. Even among those that were, most had their margins trimmed by bookbinders over the years, as owners preferred not to pay extra for a larger binding. Preserving the margins was not considered a priority.
These rare holes were preserved in only a very small number of sefarim throughout the entire history of Hebrew printing!
Their presence in this copy testifies that the copy is exactly as it emerged from the press, and was never cut by the bookbinders!
