Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Sudilkov and other eastern european imprints

       Sudilkov is a town located in the Ukraine in Kamenets-Podolski region. Is is near Polnnoye. Sudilkov was a lesser brother in printing in the area to the Slavita printers. Several of the impressions below were issued by D. Madpis, the most prolific of Sudilkov printers. The Sudilkov press was strong on the reissue of classics and essential works. One of the main products of Jewish Sudilkov was Talesim. Also included below are a few items from Warsaw, Vilna and Polnnoye.
       This is the last of our posts of older Hebrew imprints for now. 

Abraham ben Jehiel Michal Danzig. Sefer Zikhru Torat Mosheh : kolel kol hilkhot Shabat be-kitsur nimrats : ... ve-hu kitsur mi-Sefer haredim kolel kol minyan ha-mitsvot asher tsivah Mosheh ... [Vilna], 1820/1. 16mo, marbled paper covered boards, significant loss to the head and foot of the spine, minor edgewear, 96 pp.  Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. First edition of this work published in the year of the author's death. Danzig was the great codifyer of the Halakhah that appeared after Joseph Karo's Shulkhan Arukh. This work was a smaller extract from his larger works. It discusses the labors prohibited on the Sabbath. Danzig's works were reissued frequently in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (83539)     $125.00

Ashkenazi, Zevi Hirsch ben Jacob . Sefer She'elot u-teshuvot Hakham Tsevi: ve-hidushim u-ve'urim me-hiburav shel Tsevi Ashkenazi ... ben Ya'akov. [Sudylkow], Aleksandr Pavelvitsh, [1825]. Quarto, quarter leather worn through in many places and chipped at the spine ends, printed paper covered boards with wear at the corners, 112 pp. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. (83553)     $95.00

Bacharach, Jair Hayyim ben Moses Samson. Sefer She'elot u-teshuvot Havot Ya'ir : teshuvot ... Sudylkov, Yitshak ben Eliezer, 1834. Quarto, hand-painted paper covered boards, 104, 104 pp. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83554)     $95.00

Horowitz, Abraham ben Shabbetai Sheftel. Sefer Emek berakhah: dinim u-te'amim al birkat ha-nehenin u-virkat ha-tefilot... Sudilkov, R. Yitshak Madpis, 1834. Octavo, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, 120, 130 pp., minor soiling to a few pages, cut down in the rebinding process with minor loss at the open edge in the first part of the volume. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. "Emek Berakhah ... is mainly a halakhic exposition of the benedictions for enjoyments, prayers and prayer ritual.," Encyclopedia Judaica. (83521)     $60.00

ibn Abi Zimra, David ben Solomon. Shut ha-Radbaz. Helek Shevi'i. Warsaw, Mordekhai Kalinberg, 1882. Small quarto, black cloth spine with the remnants of paper labels, marbled-paper covered boards, 54 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Zimra was born in Spain but lived much of his life in Safed. He published many works of Hebrew literature and Kabbalah but his Halakhah was very important. It was all published after his lifetime and the first complete edition didn't appear until the first half of the nineteenth-century. (83789)

Isserles, Moses ben Israel. Sefer Sh. u-t. Rama. Sudilkov, R. Yitsshak Madpis, 1835. Quarto, black leather with gold lettering, with wear at the base of the spine and minor wear and a few scuffs to the boards, marbled endpapers, 41, 21-36, 29-44 leaves. A blue paper edition though the tint is faded more or less in part of the run. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Pagination is confusing. The work is edited for publication by Solomon ben Jehiel Luria; Aryeh Loeb Loewenstamm and Shemaryah ben Ya'akov. (83525)     $125.00

Isserles, Moses ben Israel. Sefer Minhat Ya'akov: ve-zot Torat ha-hatat veha-minhah veha-shelamim: hu perush nehmad ve-harif ... al sefer "Torat hatat she-hiber Mosheh Iserles mi-Kraka. Bound with Sefer Minhat Shelamim: Helek Sheni." Polnnoye, 1805. Folio, brown leather spine with a red label near the top, leather worn at the ends, splitting from the boards without having separated from them, edgeworn patterned paper covered boards, 118, 60 pp. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. "Sefer Minhat Shelamim: Helek Sheni," has a second title-page. (83544)     $125.00

Judah, ha-Levi [Yehudah Halevi]. Sefer ha- kuzari: yasado ha-hakham ha-haver Rabi Yitshak Sangari z. l. ... Sudilkov, Nidpas etsel R. Yitshak Madfis, 1833. Royal octavo, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards with new endpapers laid-in, i, 164 leaves [ii, 328 pp.], title and place are printed in red ink, paper is a faint green that might be the trace of this having been a blue paper edition. Hardbound. Good. Translated into Hebrew by Yehudah ibn Tibon. Yitshak Sangari is the probably legendary figure responsible for the conversion of the Khazars described in the Kuzari. (83565)     $250.00

[Luria, Isaac] Kalmankes-Jaffe, Abraham ben Aryeh Loeb. Ma-ayan ha-hakhmah: mi-kitve Yitshak Lurya. Includes a second work (as published) "Sefer Shever Yosef," by Israel Sarug. Korzek, Drukeray fun Yohn Anton Kriger, 1784. Octavo, rebacked in marbled paper covers, lacking the title page, 38 leaves (72 pp.) Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Kalmankes-Jaffe was "born at Uman about 1640; died at Frankfort-on-the-Oder after 1702." This is a small work editing Isaac Luria words. Sarug was a "Cabalist of the sixteenth century. A pupil of Isaac Luria, he devoted himself at the death of his master to the propagation of the latter's cabalistic system, for which he gained many adherents in various parts of Italy." Encyclopedia Judaica. (83540)     $395.00

Markus, Mordecai Zebi ben Benjamin . Sefer Mafteah ha-agadot mi-kol ha-Shas. Vilna, Almanah veha-Ahim Rom, 1880. Duodecimo, black cloth spine with wear, worn marbled apper covered boards, 200, 24 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Including an additional shorter work, "Igeret le-kets ha-yamin : kol mevaser ve-omer: derush matai yathil kabalat ha-Shabat ... u-vi'at Meshihenu,"  Hayyim ben Joseph Vital; Ya'akov Goldzweig, Pieterkov, Bi-defus A. Vizengarten, 1905. (83793)     $50.00  

Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia Judaica

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book. Jerusalem, The Institute for Computerized Bibliography, 1993. 

Hungarian and Romanian Hebrew imprints

     Hungary was one of the most culturally diverse Jewish communities in Europe before the holocaust and one of the largest. Romania also had the diverse area of Transnistria as well as the many small Jewish towns on the Carpathian mountains. Our selections from Hungary and Romania are later than those of the other list of Hebrew imprints. However, these communities certainly had their own flavor and they continued on with consistency until the last moment.

Banet, Mordecai ben Abraham. Sefer She'elot u-teshuvot Parashat Mordekhay ... al 'arba'ah helke ha-sh''a. M.-Sziget, Ba-defus shel M. Vider, 1889. Quarto, rebacked in half calf and with marbled paper covered boards, new endpapers, 270 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. This is the first publication of this volume appearing sixty years after Banet's death. I have not seen him called an illui, but his talents were realized when he was quite young. At his Bar Mitzvah his tutor revealed that Banet had already written three commentaries. He was later appointed chief Rabbi of Nicholsburg and Moravia. Sziget became a prominent location for Hebrew printing starting in the 1870s. The community divided into traditional Orthodox and Hasidic elements. This older work would have been of interest to the traditionalist community. (83522)   $95.00

Broda, Abraham ben Solomon Zalman. Sefer Halikhot olam ... dinim fun Shulhan Arukh ... Budapest, Verlag fun M.E. Löwy's Sohn Buchhandlung, 1881. Fierte Bedaytend Ferbesserte Oyflage. Small octavo, soiled blue cloth with gold lettering, fraying at the spine ends, viii, 322 pp. , with a large hand-written note pasted down to the front endpaper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Yiddish. OCLC Number: 163814766. Uncommon in all editions. The second edition with a very similar title page was published in Ungvar, by Karl Jager in 1866. Broda was a student in the Yeshiva of Rabbi Moses Sofer in Pressburg. He later lived in Kleinwardein. He served the community as a rabbi in Nagyberezna. He died in 1882 certainly making this the last edition of this work published in his lifetime. (83517)     $95.00

Deutsch, David ben Menahem Mendel. Sefer Ohel David: hidushim al masekhtot shonot. Ungvar, Palanka [Gedruckt bei K. Jäger's Wittwe], 1867. Quarto, purple cloth spine, maroon paper covered boards with a gold stamped emblem of an Aron Ha-Kodesh on the front board, 128 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Deutsch published a three part work with this title in 1822. This is a posthumous publication of additional material put out by the author's grandson. (83549)     $75.00

Deutsch, Hirsh. Sefer Menahem Tsevi: kolel yoter me-me'ah derushim. Breslau, Hirsh Zultsbakh, 1843. Octavo, marbled paper covers with soiling, no back-strip and slight chipping, 40 pp., repairs at the top open corners with some loss of text to the last half-dozen or so leaves, water-staining, 42 pp., a few torn pages. Softbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. Uncommon (83551)     $35.00

Ganzfried, Solomon ben Joseph and Margolioth, Ephraim Zalman ben Menahem Mannes. Sefer Ohale shem: ... be-shem Shem Yosef and Kuntres Aharon. Ungvar, Nidpas a. y. yorshe Carl Jäger, 1878. Quarto, brown cloth spine with a red label and with mildly worn marbled paper covered boards, boards are completely off, 252 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. The name Ungvar gave way to Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod in the early 20th century. Ganzfried is another genius. He lived his most of his life in Ungvar. He is, of course, best known for the Kitsur Shulkhan Orekh, one of the most enduring works of 19th century Jewry. (83552)     $30.00

Gintsler, Ze'ev Volf. Sefer Toldot Yisra'el: al Sefer Be-reshit: kolel derushim u-filpulim. Kleynvardeyn, A.Y. ben H. Ts. Klain, 1937. Quarto, black cloth spine with traces of a paper label, black paper covered boards, ii, 108 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Uncommon. Gintsler was from a Hasidic rabbinic family. Kleinvardin/ Kisvarda is in the sphere of influence of the Satmar Hasidic dynasty.  (83543)     $75.00

Glazner, Akiva [Glasner, Akiba]. Sefer Dor Dorim: Helek Rishon. Kolel be'ur ... harbeh halakhot ve-sugyot ha-Shas. Cluj, Romania, Tipografia Weinstein & Friedmann, 1934. Quarto, rebacked in green hand-painted paper covered boards, newer endpapers, 223 pp., chip to the final leaf with no loss of text. Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Hebrew. Cluj was a very successful Jewish community in Transylvania. It grew from under a thousand people to over thirteen thousand before the Second World War. Jewish education was very strong within the Orthodox and Neolog communites and there was also a Tarbut school. Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger was the last chief rabbi. (83526)      $75.00

Grünwald, Judah. Sefer Yavo Hayim: derashot al ha-Torah u-filpul ve-agadah ...  Two parts in one. Veitzen, Tel Talpiyot, 1917. Quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, 124, 120 pp.  Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Sate-Mare was always a Hasidic center, but it had moved in that direction under Grünwald's predecessor there. "In 1897, after the death of chief rabbi Benjamin Farkas Mandelbaum, who had founded the community and held it together since 1849, the community split up. Juda Grünwald, a supporter of the Hasidic movement, was elected chief rabbi. As a result, the opposition split off from the Orthodox community and founded a Status Quo (neither Orthodox nor Neolog) community." YIVO encyclopedia. (83518)      $95.00

Haas, Solomon ben Jekuthiel. Sefer kerem Shelomoh: al Even ha-ezer ... Pressburg, Gedrukt bay Frants Edlen fon Shmid und Ya'akov Bosh, 1846. Wide octavo, worn brown leather spine with small handmade paper label with the title types, shelf-worn and edgeworn paper covered boards, 58 leaves (116 pp.). with a poem on the subject at the end, "Shir al Even Ha-Ezer." Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. This was the third of the four parts of Shulkhah Aruch that Haas published commentaries on. "Moravian rabbi of the first half of the nineteenth century. Haas was successively dayyan at Holleschau and rabbi of Strassnitz, Moravia.," Jewish Encyclopedia. He died in 1847. (83556)      $80.00

Hertsel, Avraham Ab. Sefer Sifte hakhamim al masekhet Megilah. Bound with "Sefer Sifte hakhamim al masekhet Berakhot." Bratislava (Pressburg)., Bi-Defus A. Alkalai, 1920/1. Quarto, half black cloth, marbled paper covered boards, 76, 73 leaves [152, 146 pp.] yellowed paper, not perfectly bound in but solid enough. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83572)     $50.00

Ibn Ezra, Abraham ben Meir. Sefat yeter ... le-hazil rabenu Saadiah gaon be-perusav min ha-hasagot she-hisig alav r. Adonim ha-Levi .../ Sephat Jether: Beleutung dunkler Bibelstellen und R. Saasia's Erklärenungen vertheidigend gegen R. Adonim Levitas von Abraham Aben-Esra dem Spanier. (Aus einer seltenen Handschrift zum ersten Mal gedruckt.). Pressburg, Anton Schmid, 1838. 16mo, rebacked in half soiled black cloth with a hand-written paper label, pink paper covered boards, 47 pp. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Introduction by Meir Letteris. (83784)     $75.00

Kittsee, Hayyim ben Isaac. Sefer Otsar Hayim: sh.u-t. al Shu.a. O.h. ve-Yo.d. Maramarashsiget,, Bi-defus A. Koifman, 1913. Quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards with new endpapers, 248 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Edited by Zakaria´s Schvartz. Kittsee, originally Schlesinger, was an accomplished and prolific Talmudist and a partisan of the traditional wing of the traditional community. (83542)      $75.00

Klein, Yehudah. Minhat Yehuda: kolel hidushe Torah al ha-parshiyot ... Kiskoros, Defus Yitshak Leyb Shvarts, 1940. Octavo, patterned blue cloth with gold lettering, decorative endpapers, title-page printed in blue and gold, 104 pp., photo of the author's gravestone. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew.    A short film on the history of Jewish Kiskoros can be found here: http://www.greatsynagogue.hu/blog/?page_id=601 (83520)     $95.00

Loew, Eleazar. Pekudat Elazar: al sugyot ha-Shas u-shu"t. Satmar, Ba-defus shel M.L. Hirsh, 1931. Quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, 196 leaves [392 pp.] Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew.  A later edition. Loew was active in the late 18th and early 19th century and was recommended for the position of Rabbi of Trest by Banet, the author of the first item above. (83795)     $95.00

Manoah, of Narbonne; Simeon Sidon. Sefer ha-Menuhah: perushim ve-hidushim al ha-Rambam, al hilkhot Hamets u-matsah, u-Shofar, u-Shevitat ha-asor, ve-Sukah ve-lulav. Pressburg, Bi-defus David Levi ve-Avraham Alkala'i, 1879. Quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, 77 leaves [154 pp.], yellowed paper. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Manoah is an obscure Medieval Provencal scholar. This work was first published in Constantinople in 1718. This edition with the commentary of Sidon is the first such. Sidon edited Manoah's work for publication. This volume was published during Sidon's lifetime. (83796)     $95.00

Miller, Gavri'el ben Hayim. Sefer Shi'ure mitsvot: kolel kol ha-shi'urin, midot, mishkalot, matbe'ot, sha'ot u-zemanim ha-ketuvim ba-Shas u-foski. Pressburg, David Levi ve-shutafo Avraham Alkalai, 1879/80. Octavo, black cloth with the remnants of a red paper label, 35 leaves [70 pp.], yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83568)      $60.00

Sapir, Yehuda Leibush. Sefer Sha'ar Yehudah asher be-ezrat ha-khonen le-Adam Da'at. M.-Sziget, R. Moshe Tsvi Zikhermann, 1877. Quarto, rebacked in half calf and with marbled paper covered boards, new endpapers, title page professional repaired, xxiv, 172, 36 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. An uncommon work. (83523)     $95.00

Sofer, [Schreiber] Abraham Samuel Benjamin Wolf. Hidushe ketav sofer al masekhet Gitin. Munkacs, Blayer & Korn, 1896. Quarto, rebacked in half calf and with marbled paper covered boards, new endpapers, iv, 126 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Abraham Samuel Benjamin was the son of the Chasam Sofer and succeeded him as the Rabbi of Pressberg. He died in 1871. Though published posthumously this was the first edition. The work has been republished many times since. (83524)     $95.00

Vezel, Kalev Faivel.  Sefer Kiryat sefer: al hamishah humshe Torah: kolel hidushim be-ve'ure mikra'ot u-midreshe Hazal. Helek Rishon: Sefer Bereshit. Helek Sheni: Sefer Shemot. Des, Ya'akov Goldshtain, 1904. Octavo, soiled mauve cloth spine with a worn hand-written paper spine label, black cloth covered boards, 206, 207-491 pp., yellowed paper. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83519)     $50.00

Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia Judaica

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book. Jerusalem, The Institute for Computerized Bibliography, 1993. 

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Eighteen and Nineteenth Century Hebrew imprints from the German Lands

             Printing began in Germany, but Hebrew printing did not begin in Germany until the late 17th century. Prague preceded German territories in printing within the German speaking world. The chaos in Jewish eastern Europe pushed some of the Jewish population westward. The first Hebrew presses in Germany were actually established by Christians. The patchwork quilt of principalities also made in more difficult for those Jews wishing to engage in Hebrew printing to get the license of the various princes. However, ultimately, Jewish printers had a better understanding of the larger market for Jewish books - Jews.

Avraham ben Barukh. Be-derekh Alshukh: al Torah ve-Nevi'im u-Khetuvim ... [Dyhernfurt], 1727. Small octavo, brown leather spine, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards, 59 leaves, title page with decorative sha'ar cut down at the edges with some loss of text to the verso, some of the internal matter also cut down with possible loss though not significant. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83535)      $195.00 

Ashkenazi, Bezalel ben Abraham. Shitah mekubetset ve-hu Asefat zekenim ... hidushim al masekhet Betsah. Ofen, Gedrukt in der kenigl ungr. Uniferzitets bukhdrukeriya, 1820. Large quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, new endpapers, 30, 13 leaves [60, 26 pp.] Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. With "Sefer Avodat Ha-Kodesh," also by Ashkenazi from the same publisher on the same date. This is a later edition of work from the 1600s. "To posterity Ashkenazi is known principally as the author of the Shitah Mekubezet, (trans. Gathered Interpretation). This work, as its title indicates, is a collection of glosses on the greater part of the Talmud, after the fashion of the Tosafot; and in it Ashkenazi combined much original and foreign material. The great value of the Shitah lies principally in the fact that Ashkenazi gives therein numerous excerpts from Talmudic commentaries which have not otherwise been preserved." Encyclopedia Judaica. A large paper edition. (83570)      $75.00

Buxtorf, Johannis and Abarbanel, Isaac. Dissertationes philologico-theologicae : I. de linguae Hebraeae origine & antiquitate, II. de ejus confussione & plurimum linguarum origines, III. de illius conservatione & propagatione, IV. de literarum Hebraicarum genuina antiquitate, V. de nominibus Dei Hebraicis, VI. de Coenae Dominicae primae ritibus & forma, VII. vindiciae praecedentis dissertationis, VIII. de lotione manuum Judaica ante & post cibum. Accesserent, R. Isaaci Abarbanelis, Hispani, aliquot elegantes & erudititae Disserationes; I. De Long & vitate primorum Patrum; II. De Statu & Jure Regio: III. De JUDICUM & REGUM in V.T. convenientiis & differentiis: IV De miraculosa statione Solis tempore Josue: V. De Peccato Davidis, numerantis populum: VI. De Nomine Mosis: VII. De Idololatri & speciebus, quarum in SS. Literis mentio: VIII. De Liborum Biblicorum Divisione; Ab codem ex Hebraea in Latinam Linguam versae: Cum Indice Locrum Scritura explicatorum & illustratorum.
Cum Privilegio. Basil, Jon. Jacobi Derkeri, Acad. Typographi, 1662. Octavo, full vellum a few stained spots, paper labels on the spine with the lettering worn away, ii, viii, 500 pp., foxed throughout. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Latin. The contribution from Abarbanel takes up the last sixth of the book. Marvin Heller doesn't consider these sorts of items interesting in a Jewish context, but they have historically been included within the field of Jewish book-collecting. Christian Hebraism has always been motivated by internal interests. Those interests may or may not have served Jewish interests in the long run. Luther turned against the Jews. However, a knowledge of Jewish texts outside of the Jewish community has ultimately been beneficial. Christian Hebraism was the sharp edge of the wedge that offered the non-Jewish world an alternative to over a millenium's blind prejudice. (83547)      $600.00

Dukes, Leopold. [A Palimpsest beginning with] Salomo ben Gabirol aus Malaga und die ethischen Werke desselben. Mit einer Uebersicht der meisten ethischen Werke der Araber. Ein Beitrag zur Literaturgeschicht der Araber und Juden des Mittelalters. Erstes Heft. Hannover, Druck der Telgener'schen Hofbuchdruckerei, 1860. Octavo, black cloth with worn gold lettering, minor fraying at the top of the spine, marbled paper covered boards, 124, 84, 64, 36, 32, 58, 26, 40, 41 pp. Paper quality various from work to work. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in German.
Additional works are 1) Joel, M., dargestellt von, "Don Hasdai Creskas' religiosphilosophische Lehren in ihrem geschichtlichen Einflusse," Breslau, Schletter'sche Buchhandlung, 1866. 2) Geiger, Abraham, "Leon da Modena, Rabbiner zu Venedig (1571-1648), und seine Stellung zur Kabbalah, zum Thalmud und zum Cristenthume," Breslau, Verlag von Joh. Urban Kern, 1856. With a section at the rear in Hebrew. 3) "Dr. Israel Hildesheimer: Eine biographische Skizze. Der Keinertrag dieser Schrift ist für die nothseidenden Juden in Westrussland bestimmt. Zweite Auflage." Frankfurt am Main, J. Kauffmann's Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1870. 4)  Nascher,Simon. "Moises Nascher (Oberrabbiner von Baja): eine exegetische Monographie."  Berlin SW : Friedrich Stahn, 1879. Lacking the portrait of Moises Nascher. 5) Ben Jechiel. "Kritische Streiflichter auf das Berliner Judenthum." Berlin, In Commission bei J.M. Späth, 1866. 6) Manheimer, Veit Friedrich, "Rabbiner Abraham Kohn, ein Märtyrer seiner Zeit: eine biographische Skizze." Stettin, Verlag von Friedrich Nagel, 1856. 7) Geiger, Abraham, "Die letzten zwei Jahre: Sendschreiben an einen befreundeten Rabbiner." Breslau,  M. Friedländer, 1840.
A compilation of short works by various authors engaged in the Wissenschaft des Judentums enterprise. (83548)     $180.00

Eybeschuetz, Jonathan. Ve-natati el hoshen ha-mishpat et ha-urim ve-et ha-tumim, Helek Rishon. Karlsruhe, Ernst Lebrecht Schniebes, 1775. Quarto, full brown leather, chips at the spine ends and minor cracking, with old and very soiled cloth ribbon ties on the open edge, i, 204 leaves [ii, 408 pp.], long note in an old rabbinic hand on the free front endpaper, mild soiling. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. The first of two volumes published in the same year. This work, like almost all of Eybeschuetz's output was published posthumously. A commentary on the Hoshen Mishpat section of Joseph Karo's 'Shulkhan Aruch." (83583)     $250.00 

Hagiz, Moses. Sefer Shete ha-lehem: minhah hidushah. Bound with an additional work, "Sefer Mishnat hakhamim helek rishon ve-gam sheni she-be-rishon melaket ha-k.M.H. [ha-katan Mosheh Hagiz], zeh yatsa rishonah le-havin imre binah; de-shanu hakhamim bi-leshon ha-Mishnah ... be-geder ma'alat ... arba'im u-shemonah ma'alot li-keniyat ha-Torah ... ; Kodesh la-H. zo nishmat hasidim; de shanu kan hakhamim .... Wandsbek, Be-vet ha-madpis Yisra'el bar Avraham, 1732/3. Squarish octavo, brown leather with wear to the spine at the ends and with lesser wear to the boards primarily at the edges, 59 leaves (118 pp), 138 leaves (276 pp.), foxing throughout. Hardbound. Good. Texts are in Hebrew/ The second work is also from the same place, publisher and year (roughly) as the first. The first of the two works is an ethical study. The second is responsa. Wandsbek, now a borough of Hamburg was in Hagiz's time one of the three small cities that comprised the "Drei Gemeinde," a union of small Jewish communities of Altona, Hamburg and Wandsbek. Hagiz became the official censor for Hebrew books in 1726. Between two and three dozen Hebrew books were published in the short period when he served as censor. Many were Hagiz's. Though a scholar of accomplishment, Hagiz is best known for his continuing battle with the Sabbatean heresy in the Land of Israel and Amsterdam as well as elsewhere. (83560)      $395.00 

Horowitz, Isaiah. Sefer Kitsur Shene luhot ha-berit ... Offenbach, Isra'el ben Moshe Shlit, 1724. Octavo, rebacked in brown cloth, stubs of a few blank pages inserted by the binder have been roughly torn out, soiled endpaper, 82 leaves (164 pp.), some foxing particularly to the last few pages. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew. Horowitz's son Shabtai published the first edition in 1648. Jehiel Michal ben Abraham Epstein, ha-Levi edited and abridged the work for publication first in 1693. It became a very popular work in the teens and twenties of the eighteenth century. This one of many editions published in that period. (83545)      $250.00

Margolioth, Moses ben Judah Löb. Sefer Hakirat ha-gemul: bo be'arti inyan sekhar ve-onesh ... be-'ikvot Hazal. Ofen, 1829. Duodecimo, half black cloth with remnants of spine labels, marbled paper covers, lacking the free front endpaper, 71 pp., list of subscribers, errata list. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83792)      $150.00 

Muenz, Jacob. Sefer Peri Ya'akov: ve-hu hidushim al sugyot shonot ba-Shas ... [im] ezeh he'arot ... Helek Rishon/ Pri Jakob; ein commentar auf mehrere stellen im Talmud. Ofen, Gedrukt in der Keniglikhen Ungarishen Uniferzitets-Bekhdrukeray, 1830. Quarto, rebacked in hand-painted paper covered boards, new endpapers, 23 leaves, [46 pp.] Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83571)   
Ofen is here a place name most specific to the Hebrew imagination. It is generally referred to as Alt-Ofen and is now part of the larger Budapest area.   $75.00

Naftali Hirsh ben Yeshayah, mi-yalde k.k. Firda. Sefer Naftali ayalah sheluhah: ve-hu hibur ... al hokhmot ha-mispar she-khorin bi-l. A. Tsifur  melukat ... be-kitsur nimrats ... : she-yukhal kol adam li-lemod me-atsmo ... Furth, Tsevi Hirsh ben Yosef Segal, 1698/9. Octavo, blue cloth spine, marbled paper covered boards, remnants of paper labels, soiled and mildly repaired title-page, 14 leaves. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83534)  Fuerth, along with Wilhelmsdorf and Sulzbach were part of a larger market emanating from Prague. The community, like all of the Bavarian Jewish communities, was never very large. At its peak it never exceeded four thousand. However, the market for Fuerth printings probably included all of Bavaria, from the other cities as well as the many small farm towns. Printing in Fuerth began in 1689 and about ten titles appeared a year in the 1690s. The pace of printing picked up in the 18th century and continued but with lessor production into the mid-19th century.    $350.00

Obornik, Mayer [Meir Obernik] [Meir Abernik], translated into Judeo-German by. Kitve kodesh: nidpasim me-hadash u-mehudarim be-tosafot rabot. Sefer Yermiya im targum Ashkenazi u-ve'ur me'et Meir Obernik ve-nilvah elav ha-korem ve-hu tosafot Bi'ur ve-Tikun Ha-Targum hibru Ha-Hakham Ha-Torani Ha-Mesaprim... Herts Homberg. Ve-od Nosef La-Zeh Perush Rashi. Vienna, Gedrukt bey Anton Schmid, k.k. priv. und N. Ö Landschaftsdeutsch und orientalischen Buchdrucker, 1817. Octavo, brown leather with a red label with gold lettering on the spine, wear to the spine surface and the extremities, decorative endpapers, steel-plate engraving or Obornik opposite the title page, title page sports an engraving depicting Jeremiah being raised from the pit by a team of soldier's led by Ebed-Melech the Kushite, 396 pp., errata on the final page, some foxing to a few pages, a few lines of old pen on  the early and late blanks (dated 1884 on the late blank) Hardbound. Very Good-. Text is in Hebrew and Judeo-German with the commentaries of Rashi, Bi'ur (Moses Mendelssohn, et al), and Ha-Korem (Herts Homberg). Preface by Judah Leib Ben-Ze'ev. Volume ten in a set of eighteen volumes. As traditional in appearance this volume is in many ways it is a through product of the Haskalah. Mendelssohn is the central presence of course, but the commentary by Homberg is an important Haskalah addition. Homberg was a radical education reformer in Jewish schooling in the Northern Italy and then in the Austro-Hungarian empire, first in Galicia, then Bohemia and eventually on matter affecting all of the Jews of the Empire. He allied himself strongly with the authrorities, but was considered so extreme that even they treated him with some suspicion. The preface to the volume is by Ben-Ze'ev who was another important Haskalah figure. He received a traditional upbringing but he proved to be a more academically oriented mind that a spiritual heart. His main areas of study were grammar and lexicography. After various struggles to find a place in the world he was able to find employment with Anton von. Schmid.  Obernik appear as one of the toleratd Jews in Vienna - as long as he remiained in the employ of von Schmid. Ben-Ze'ev who arrived after the 1804 list of tolerated Jews was promulgated was probably added to the list in the same capacity. It appears that Schmid was able to gain this protection for his workers. This was probably as result of the type of materials that were published and their use to the Imperial authorities. (83555)      $75.00 

Reischer, Jacob ben Joseph. Sefer Hok Ya'akov: ve-hu ... pilpula harifa ... be-hilkhot Pesah. Bruna, Be-vet uve-defus almanah Frantsis´ka Naimanin, 1764. Octavo, half-brown cloth with wearto the spine cracking along the spine edges, marbled paper covers, ii, 138 pp., some foxing, strong graphic design of the title page using large woodcut letters, three pages bear attractive printers devices.  Hardbound. Good-. Text is in Hebrew.
Brunn could be a variety of different places. It is not Brno because the Jews were excluded from Brno in long before and after the year that this item was published. This is an enigma for a greater scholar than myself. (83561)     $250.00

Rubin, Shemu'el ben Azri'el mi-Lanzburg. Amude Olam : ... be-agadeta uvi-shemaateta ... Berlin, Bi-defus Aharon ben Mosheh Rofe, 1741. Octavo, brown leather spine with minor wear, marbled paper covered boards a little shorter than the text block on the open side, 48 leaves, (96 pp.), boards are thin. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83563)     $195.00

Yehudah Aryeh, of Carpentras. Sefer ohole Yehudah ... ve-hineh ha-mehaber ... ha-rav ... Yehudah Aryeh me-k.k. Karpentrats ... ben ... ha-rav ... Tsevi Hirsh ... me-k.k. Krotoshin. Yesnits, Y. Avraham, 1718/9. Octavo, lacking the backstrip, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards (old but possibly not contemporary), no free endpapers, 57 leaves [114 pp.], water-staining throughout. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. "A Hebrew dictionary, in which special attention is paid to proper names,' including their etymology," Encyclopedia Judaica. (83569)     $195.00

Seder selihot: ha-makdimin la-amod le-ashmoret ha-boker le-khol roshe shanim: ke-minhag medinot Mehrrin, Piheym, Ungarin, Shleziya kefi she-nidpesu me-shanim kadmoniyot. Brünn, Gedruckt ben Joseph Karl Neumann, 1784. Octavo, traces of the brown leather spine on the boards, lacking the backstrip, edgeworn marbled paper covered boards with significant loss to the marbled paper on the front board and minor loss on the rear board at the edges,  87 leaves [174 pp.], 30 leaves [60 pp.] , title and lead words are printed from woodcuts rather than lead type. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew in large letters (otiyot gedolot). Rare. (83541)      $195.00

Masekhet Zevahim im Perush Rashi ve-Tosafot u-Piske  Tosafot u-Perush Ha-Mishnayot Meha-rambam z"l. With Masekhet Menahot and Masekhet Bekhorot. The eighth of ten volumes which include thirty-three individual tractates and were published between 1720 and 1722. Frankfurt am Main, Yohan Kelner, 1721. Folio, full leather over wooden boards with raised bands, blind stamping on the boards and spine, possibly contemporary paper label on the spine, scuffing at the spine ends and edges, wood exposed at the corners, with remnants where the bolts of from the support of two metal clasps otherwise absent, foxed endpapers, with some worn spots to the free front endpaper, i, 126, 115, 73 leaves. Individual title pages for each of the tractates.  Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Vinograd Frankfurt am Main # 398, 405 and 397. The set appears as twelve volumes in some recent auction listings but is cataloged at a ten volume set in Worldcat. The tractates appear to have been printed individually. They could easily have been bound in varying groupings. (83843)     $195.00
Sources

Jewish Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia Judaica

Heller, Marvin. Studies in the Making of the Early Hebrew Book. Leiden, Brill, 2008.

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.

Vinograd, Yeshayahu. Thesaurus of the Hebrew Book. Jerusalem, The Institute for Computerized Bibliography, 1993. 

Lemberg/ Lvov Hebrew Imprints

Lvov/ Lemberg Imprints

              In 1772 the commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania lost its independence and was partitioned into territories of the Russian, Prussian and Austrian empires. Galicia became a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In order to consolidate their censorship regime they consolidated publishing. Zolkiew's publishers were forced to move their operations to Lvov. Despite this benefit to the Hebrew publishing business the partition otherwise was not particularly helpful for the general business climate. Things did improve in time. 
             Lvov did not attract any of the leaders of the Hasidic movement for more than a few short stays. The movement did not catch on until the 1830s.The Maskilim made inroads into the tradtional community in that same period, though Zeev Gries sees the limited number of editions of the Maskilic titles as evidence of slim interest in their project. A Reform Temple opened in 1844. The government supported the Reform movement, but resistance was fierce and unpleasant. 
            Printers active in Lemberg in the late 18th and early 19th centuries include W. Letteris, H.D. Madpis, M.H. Grossman and Madpis's granddaughter Judith Mann-Rosanes. Nevertheless, Anton Schmid's highly successful Vienna based Hebrew publishing house put a ceiling on the success of the Lvov printers.

Bahya ben Asher ben Hlava. Sefer Rabenu Bahya: Beur a´l ha-Torah. Lemberg, Naftali Hirts Grosman, 1811/2. Duodecimo, re-backed in hand-painted paper covered boards, 209 leaves [418 pp.], water-staining at the bottom edge of the last few leaves, some nineteenth-century pen on the front endpaper and title-page. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83788)     $125.00

Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf ben Shemu'el Romaner. Sefer Ir Binyamin: asher banah homat ha-ir u-migdaleha ve-amudim pesah le-bayit bet Yisra'el helek  sheni ... Binyamin Ze'ev Wolf ben Shemu'el Romaner; Gottschalk, Michael (Frankfurt a.O.). Frankfurt an der Oder , 1698. Quarto, vellum spine with remnants of a paper label, marbled paper covered boards with major loss to the paper covers, lacking the free front endpaper, strongly illustrated Tur [title-page], 60 leaves [120 pp.], lacking the rear endpaper, some soiling to the pastedown endpapers. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. (83794)     $295.00

Bloch, Samson , ha-Levi. Zahav she-bah: ve-hu helek shelishi me-sefer Shevile 'olam; kolel mehkere erets Portugal ve-Shpanya u-tekhunat adamatah ve-korotah ... Lvov/ Lemberg, Gedruckt bei F. Grosman, 1855. Duodecimo, olive cloth spine with minor wear at the spine ends, worn paper label on the spine with title in hand-writing, mildly edgeworn marbled paper covers, iv, 104, 16, 48 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. This is as it states in the title, the third part of "Shevile Olam," meant to be a compendium of geography. "In 1822 appeared the first volume of his important work, "Shebile 'Olam" (Paths of the World), a description of the geography and the nations of Asia (Zolkiev). It still has a literary if not a scientific value on account of its incomparable style and of the attacks on the folly and superstition of the Eastern nations contained therein, which were really intended for fools and deluded people nearer home. The second volume (Africa) is even better than the first, and is interspersed with biographies of Alfasi, Maimonides, and other famous Jews who were born or lived in Africa (Zolkiev, 1827)." Jewish Encyclopedia. This third work is the only part of a larger project on Europe that the author planned and was a posthumous publication. A Haskalah work. (83562)      $195.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Lemberg, Bi-defus Aharon beha-manoah Hayim David Segal, 1828. Octavo, dried out brown leather spine with cracking and loss to the leather at the spine ends, edgeworn dull purplish paper covered boards, 135 leaves (270 pp.),  a completely new reset edition from preceding editions.  Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. The first [posthumous publication of this first of two volumes of sermons published by the author. Edil was a student of the Vilna Gaon. He had a talent for homiletics and this collection has been reprinted a number of times since the author's death in 1827. The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that the second volume of Sermons was not published, but this is incorrect. (83558)     $95.00

Edil, Yehudah Leyb, ha-Levi. Sefer Afike Yehudah, ve-hu shem ha-kolel el ha-derushim asher be-zot ha-mahberet ... Lemberg, Bi-defus Aharon beha-manoah Hayim David Segal, 1828. Octavo, brown leather spine with cracking to the leather at the spine edges, most of hand-written paper label on the spine, edgeworn dull decorative paper covered boards, 135 leaves (270 pp.),  a completely new reset edition from preceding editions.  Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. The first [posthumous publication of this first of two volumes of sermons published by the author. Edil was a student of the Vilna Gaon. He had a talent for homiletics and this collection has been reprinted a number of times since the author's death in 1827. The Jewish Encyclopedia claims that the second volume of Sermons was not published, but this is incorrect. (83782)     $150.00

Gotlib, Dov Berish ben Ya'akov. Sefer Yad ha-ketanah : ... u-ve'uro ... Minhat ani, kolel shorshe ve-ikre dine 613 mitsvot al derekh ha-Rambam ... al ha-mada ve-ahavah u-zemanim. Lemberg, 1800. Royal octavo, brown leather spine with a large chip lacking at the base of the spine and another mid-spine, very roughly worn paper covered boards, 363 leaves (726 pp.). free front endpaper soiled and covered with snatches of many Hebraic hands, lacking the rear free endpaper. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. This is the first edition and although "Helek Rishon," is stated on the title page it was the only volume published. It appeared posthumously. The work was not reprinted again until 1856 though it does reappear from time to time. A work on Teshuvah with lessons that are still regularly studied. (83559)     $125.00

ibn Aldabi, Meir ben Isaac. Shevile emunah: gevurotav mi yemalel ... Lvov, 1801. Duodecimo, remnants of the brown leather spine, boards thoroughly worn with significant loss to the front board, 143 leaves [286 pp.], b/w figures, a few rumpled pages, two partially loose signatures, some old pen lines in the margins. Hardbound. Fair. Text is in Hebrew. A serviceable aged copy of an very interesting title. "Aldabi belonged to the class of popular writers who, possessing extensive theological and scientific knowledge, commented upon the assertions of their predecessors with a clear understanding, expressing here and there their own opinions, and presenting some subjects from the standpoint of the Cabala. Aldabi was also one of those Talmudists whose conception of religion was wholly spiritual and who revered the Cabala: he can not, however, be called a true cabalist. In 1360 he wrote "Shebile Emunah" (The Paths of Faith), an exhaustive treatise on philosophical, scientific, and theological subjects. To judge from the many editions that appeared from time to time, it was for centuries a favorite book with the educated."Shebile Emunah" is divided into ten chapters, which treat respectively of: (1) The existence of God, His attributes, His immateriality, unity, and immutability, which is not affected by prayer or even by miracles—introducing in each case a cabalistic discussion of the names of the Deity; (2) the creation of the world, which does not necessitate any change in God or any plurality in His nature; an explanation of the Biblical account being given, followed by a dissertation on the seven climates or zones of the earth as then conceived, the spheres, the stars, the sun and moon and their eclipses, and on meteorology; (3) human embryology and the generative functions; (4) human anatomy, physiology, and pathology; (5) rules for health and long life; (6) the soul and its functions; (7) the exaltation of the soul, which, through the fulfillment of the Law, becomes one with the Creator—the chapter being devoted chiefly to an explanation of the ethical value of the Mosaic commandments; (8) explanatory notes on the truth of the Law and of oral tradition, elucidating some of the Haggadot on the same lines as Solomon ben Adret; (9) reward and punishment, paradise and hell, immortality of the soul and its transmigration in man; (10) the redemption of Israel, the resurrection, and the world to come after resurrection; a general résumé of the book, followed by a poem." Jewish Encyclopedia. (83573)     $95.00

Kranz, Jacob ben Wolf [Dubner Maggid]. Sefer Ohel Ya'akov: al sefer Be-reshit derushim ... Lvov, [Israel ben Jacob Kranz?], 1850/51. Octavo, roughly worn brown leather spine, marbled paper covered boards with shelfwear and some edgewear, front board re-attached, 60, 27 leaves [120, 54 pp.], notes on the text. Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Edited by Israel ben Jacob Kranz. This is the second edition of the first volume of the five that were ultimately published. By this point only Bereshit, Shemot and Vayika had had first editions. Bamidbar and Devarim appeared in 1866. (83577)     $90.00

Mohr, Abraham Menahem Mendel. Arugat ha-bosem: kolel divre hakhamim ve-hidotam, ha-mefuzarim al pene ha-Talmud Bavli vi-Yerushalmi u-midrashim, im be'ur ... Lemberg, Joseph Schnayder, 1848. Duodecimo, re-backed in hand-painted paper covered boards, 144 pp. Hardbound. Very Good. Text is in Hebrew. Mohr was a German philanthropist and civic leader. He passed away the year before this volume was published. He wrote a number of other books on travel in Europe and the Holy Land, European royalty as well as a Haggadah and a parody of Megillat Esther. (83786)      $150.00

Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi. Shenem Asar derashot. Lvov [Lemberg], Bi-defus Yehudit eshet ha-rav Tsevi Hirsh, 1797. Small octavo, half-brown leatherwith cracking and loss, marbled paper covered boards, 73 leaves [145 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. "Nissim wrote a philosophical work containing twelve homilies ("derashot"), displaying in this small volume his familiarity with philosophy, especially with that of Maimonides and Ibn Ezra." Jewish Encyclopedia. Nissim was best known for his commentaries of Alfasi. (83783)     $250.00

Rashi and Alshikh, with commentary by. Sefer tehilim: nidpas mehdash be-khol yofi be-hagahah meduyeket veba- otiyot gadolot. Lemberg, Aharon Hayim David, 1826. Duodecimo, half brown leather, rough wear to the spine, front board lacks the marbled paper that remains on the rear board, title page chipped at the top open edge and repaired near the base with some loss of text, iii, 404 pp., soiling and with some pen and pencil to the endpaper of early vintage. Hardbound. Good-. Text is in vocalized Hebrew in clear large letters, commentaries are in smaller letter in Rashi script. (83581)     $150.00

Teomim, Aharon. Sefer Bigde Aharon: helek rishon: derushim ... Frankfurt am Main, Nidpas bay Yohan Kelner, 1710. Quarto, black cloth spine with gold lettering, some cracking along the edges at the ends, marbled paper covered boards, later free endpapers yellowed and cracking, title page reattached some time ago with slight loss to the detail of the sha'ar, 40, 21, 20, 15, 11 leaves [80, 42, 40, 30, 36 pp.] Hardbound. Good. Text is in Hebrew. Gotthard Deutsch who wrote the entry on Teomim for the Jewish Encyclopedia considered Teomim a mediocrity. He has not been as widely republished as some other figures of the era, but his work continues to be of enough interest to stimulate reissues. (83790)     $395.00

Sources

The Jewish Encyclopedia

Jewish Encyclopedia

Gries, Zeev. The Book in the Jewish World 1700-1900. Oxford. The Litman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2007.

Hundert, Gershon David, edited by. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. In Two Volumes. New Haven, Conn., Prepared for publication by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Studies for Yale University Press, 2008.