Rabbi Shimshon Chaim Nachmani (1706 – 1779) was a rabbi, author, and Kabbalist in 18th Century Italy. He published two sefarim, Toldot Shimshon (Livorno 1766), a commentary on Pirkei Avot, and Zera Shimshon (Mantua 1778), a commentary on the Torah parshiot, Haftorot, and Megillot. The study of Zera Shimshon has become popular in part due to the author’s Preface, in which he explains that he outlived his only son and has no other descendants, so he considers his books to be his descendants. He expresses his desire that those who do him the kindness of learning Zera Shimshon will see children, long life, and a good income. Many consider learning the sefer to be a segulah for having children.
Rabbi Yisrael Zilberberg and Rabbi Binyomin Paskesz have been instrumental in reawakening interest in both Toldot Shimshon and Zera Shimshon. They have republished both sefarim with a modern, easy-to-read font. They have published mevuar editions for a few sections of Zera Shimshon. They also publish a weekly newsletter in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, providing excerpts from Zera Shimshon that relate to that week’s Torah portion.