Auction 57 - Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
Rav Alfas - Sabbionetta, 1554 - Many Glosses - Copy Belonging to Rabbi Shlomo Hirschel, Rabbi of London - Birth Inscription of the Wife of Rebbe Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov
Opening: $1,500
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Sefer Hilchot Rav Alfas, first part (Tractates Berachot, Halachot Ketanot and Seder Moed), with all the commentaries. Sabbionetta: Tobias Foa, 1554.
Many glosses by different authors from different time periods. This copy belonged to R. Shlomo Hirschel-Berlin, rabbi of London. Signature of R. Yitzchak Zelig Frankel (of Zgierz), with birth registry in his handwriting of his daughter Yocheved in 1839, later wife of R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov, and mother of R. Yitzchak Zelig of Sokolov.
* Additions and emendations to the Sefer Mordechai in ancient Ashkenazi handwriting. Some of these glosses were printed in the Vilna edition of the Talmud under the title "Glosses from an old Mordechai", and some have never been printed. Some of the glosses are originally from the Sefer "Mordechai of Austria" that was recently printed in the Machon Yerushalayim edition (on p. 319a).
* Handwritten owner's signature [ca. 18th century]: "Meir ben R. Isaac". Additional handwritten glosses from several authors. Many learned glosses in Ashkenazic handwriting, (ca. turn of the 18th-19th century), that may have been written by R. Shlomo Hirschel, rabbi of London, who owned the volume. [There are almost no extant examples of R. Hirschel's handwriting for comparison].
* The first pages include signatures and inscriptions of R. David Tebeli Berlin, who writes that the volume belongs to his father, R. Shlomo Hirschel, rabbi of London: "Belongs to my father, the renowned Arugat Habosem…", "David Tebeli son of the renowned R. Shlomo, rabbi of London", "David Solomon Hirschel".
R. Shlomo [Solomon] Hirschel Berlin (1761-1842), rabbi of Prenzlau (Poland) and London, was the son of R. Tzvi Hirsch, rabbi of Berlin, and great-grandson of R. Tzvi Hirsch Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi. He succeeded his father as rabbi of the Ashkenazic community of London and England from 1802 until his death in 1842. All his children married into eminent European Jewish families, and returned to live in Poland on his express instructions (Klilat Yofi, pp. 134-135).
* Ownership signatures on the first pages: "The small Yitzchak Zelig Frankel of Lutomiersk" (written in Hebrew and German). R. Yitzchak Zelig Frankel of Lutomiersk and Zgierz (died 1862), was an ardent follower of R. Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, and father-in-law of R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov (grandson of R. Menachem Mendel). R. Menachem Mendel would say that "Zelig has a beautiful personality", and R. Yitzchak Meir Alter, the Chiddushei Harim, said "Zelig is learned, wise and good-hearted".
On the blank page before p. 265 R. Zelig lists the births of his daughters: Zlata in 1836 and Yocheved in 1838. Yocheved married R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov. Although she died young, her four sons became renowned Chassidic Rebbes in Poland: R. Moshe Mordechai of Pilov, author of "Medrash Moshe", R. Tzvi Hirsch of Lukov, author of "Ateret Tzvi", R. Yitzchak Zelig of Sokolov, author of "She'erit Yitzchak", and R. Avraham Yosef of Kotzk.
Zlata married R. Avraham Hirsch Gliksman, (see Sefer "Tiferet Adam" for his biography). A further entry notes the birth of another Yocheved in the (extended) Frankel family in 1889.
98, 97-170, [1], 170-225, [1], 225-229, [1], 227-267, [1], 265-410 leaves. Faulty pagination. 39 cm. Good-fair condition. Dampstains and slight mold stains. Wear and tears. Repairs with paper on the first pages. Several of the glosses are slightly trimmed. Many glosses erased (by a line drawn through them) by their author. Ancient decorated leather binding. Damage to the spine.
This edition of Rav Alfas was printed during the decrees banning the Talmud in Italy, which began with the burning of the Talmud in Rome on Rosh Hashanah 1553. The decreed forbade the printing and studying of the Talmud, but Rav Alfas was permitted. It became the mainstay of Torah study in Italy during that time period, and was used to reconstruct passages of the (forbidden) Talmud. This edition therefore became one of the most important in its time. (For further information regarding the banning of the Talmud, see: Introduction to Chiddushei R. Moshe Kazes, Machon Yerushalayim, 1988; A. Yaari, The Burning of the Talmud in Italy; M. Benayahu, Hebrew Printing in Cremona, and others).
Many glosses by different authors from different time periods. This copy belonged to R. Shlomo Hirschel-Berlin, rabbi of London. Signature of R. Yitzchak Zelig Frankel (of Zgierz), with birth registry in his handwriting of his daughter Yocheved in 1839, later wife of R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov, and mother of R. Yitzchak Zelig of Sokolov.
* Additions and emendations to the Sefer Mordechai in ancient Ashkenazi handwriting. Some of these glosses were printed in the Vilna edition of the Talmud under the title "Glosses from an old Mordechai", and some have never been printed. Some of the glosses are originally from the Sefer "Mordechai of Austria" that was recently printed in the Machon Yerushalayim edition (on p. 319a).
* Handwritten owner's signature [ca. 18th century]: "Meir ben R. Isaac". Additional handwritten glosses from several authors. Many learned glosses in Ashkenazic handwriting, (ca. turn of the 18th-19th century), that may have been written by R. Shlomo Hirschel, rabbi of London, who owned the volume. [There are almost no extant examples of R. Hirschel's handwriting for comparison].
* The first pages include signatures and inscriptions of R. David Tebeli Berlin, who writes that the volume belongs to his father, R. Shlomo Hirschel, rabbi of London: "Belongs to my father, the renowned Arugat Habosem…", "David Tebeli son of the renowned R. Shlomo, rabbi of London", "David Solomon Hirschel".
R. Shlomo [Solomon] Hirschel Berlin (1761-1842), rabbi of Prenzlau (Poland) and London, was the son of R. Tzvi Hirsch, rabbi of Berlin, and great-grandson of R. Tzvi Hirsch Ashkenazi, the Chacham Tzvi. He succeeded his father as rabbi of the Ashkenazic community of London and England from 1802 until his death in 1842. All his children married into eminent European Jewish families, and returned to live in Poland on his express instructions (Klilat Yofi, pp. 134-135).
* Ownership signatures on the first pages: "The small Yitzchak Zelig Frankel of Lutomiersk" (written in Hebrew and German). R. Yitzchak Zelig Frankel of Lutomiersk and Zgierz (died 1862), was an ardent follower of R. Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, and father-in-law of R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov (grandson of R. Menachem Mendel). R. Menachem Mendel would say that "Zelig has a beautiful personality", and R. Yitzchak Meir Alter, the Chiddushei Harim, said "Zelig is learned, wise and good-hearted".
On the blank page before p. 265 R. Zelig lists the births of his daughters: Zlata in 1836 and Yocheved in 1838. Yocheved married R. Yisrael of Kotzk-Pilov. Although she died young, her four sons became renowned Chassidic Rebbes in Poland: R. Moshe Mordechai of Pilov, author of "Medrash Moshe", R. Tzvi Hirsch of Lukov, author of "Ateret Tzvi", R. Yitzchak Zelig of Sokolov, author of "She'erit Yitzchak", and R. Avraham Yosef of Kotzk.
Zlata married R. Avraham Hirsch Gliksman, (see Sefer "Tiferet Adam" for his biography). A further entry notes the birth of another Yocheved in the (extended) Frankel family in 1889.
98, 97-170, [1], 170-225, [1], 225-229, [1], 227-267, [1], 265-410 leaves. Faulty pagination. 39 cm. Good-fair condition. Dampstains and slight mold stains. Wear and tears. Repairs with paper on the first pages. Several of the glosses are slightly trimmed. Many glosses erased (by a line drawn through them) by their author. Ancient decorated leather binding. Damage to the spine.
This edition of Rav Alfas was printed during the decrees banning the Talmud in Italy, which began with the burning of the Talmud in Rome on Rosh Hashanah 1553. The decreed forbade the printing and studying of the Talmud, but Rav Alfas was permitted. It became the mainstay of Torah study in Italy during that time period, and was used to reconstruct passages of the (forbidden) Talmud. This edition therefore became one of the most important in its time. (For further information regarding the banning of the Talmud, see: Introduction to Chiddushei R. Moshe Kazes, Machon Yerushalayim, 1988; A. Yaari, The Burning of the Talmud in Italy; M. Benayahu, Hebrew Printing in Cremona, and others).
Handwritten Glosses
Handwritten Glosses