Auction 94 Part 2 Rare and Important Items
Five Books of the Torah and Haftarot – Chumash with English translation. London: Alexander son of Yehudah Leib and his son Yehudah Leib, 1785. Hebrew and English.
The present volume is the first edition of the Five Books of the Torah, printed with a Jewish translation into English (alongside the Biblical text in Hebrew). The text and translation appear in facing columns.
Thick volume. Fine illustrated title page, with portraits of Moses and Aaron, an illustration of a person reading the Torah, and an illustration of a person lifting up a Torah scroll. Detailed English title page to the book of Bereshit. Shortened title pages were printed for the other books (in English only).
[133]; [116]; [86]; [98]; [88] leaves. 20.5 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Light wear to some leaves. Tears to several leaves, including an open tear to margin, not affecting text. Paper repair to second leaf. Restored early leather binding, with a new spine. Damage to binding.
In some copies the illustrated general title page is bound in additional places in the book (the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book records a copy in which the title page also appears before the books Shemot and Vayikra; and there is known to be a copy in which the title page is bound at the beginning of each of the five books). In the present copy, the illustrated title page appears only at the beginning of the volume.
Bible, Five Books of the Torah, Neviim Rishonim, Neviim Acharonim and Ketuvim. Amsterdam: Josephi Athias, 1666-1667.
Second edition of the Bible edited by Johannes Leusden, who added a foreword in Latin. This edition was corrected according to early editions, and was considered for many years to be the most precise edition of the Bible. The proofreaders wrote in the Hebrew foreword: "We checked several editions… to correct every distortion that crept in… G-d granted us two Bible manuscripts from ancient times, without any imperfections… We owe our gratitude… to Yosef [Athias]… because after each leaf was printed… he sent it to Utrecht, to a wise man… named Johannes Leusden… he, his friends and his disciples examined it letter by letter and point by point".
The present edition was used by the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, who would read the haftarah from it on Shabbat.
A copy of the 1666-1667 Amsterdam Bible – this very edition – previously owned by the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, is found in the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad. The Tzemach Tzedek used that bible on a regular basis. He would read the haftarah from it on Shabbat and recite Tehillim from it. Its margins bear many handwritten glosses by the Tzemach Tzedek. In addition, on the first leaf of the aforementioned book, the Tzemach Tzedek's grandson, Rebbe Rashab of Lubavitch, wrote, quoting the Siftei Yeshenim: "Precise Bible, closely proofread by quite a number of Jewish sages and Christian scholars, not a single mistake was found… very beautiful print, Amsterdam 1667". A sticker inside the front board of that copy, with a note from his son, the Rebbe Rayatz of Lubavitch reads: "From the library of my grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek, and he would use it to recite the haftarah".
Rabbi Shalom DovBer Levine, in his book MiBeis HaGenozim, divides the Tzemach Tzedek's glosses in that copy into three categories: 1. The haftarah reading, in cases where there are different customs. 2. The places where the second, third, etc. aliyot begin (where they were not marked). 3. Printing errors and notes on the Masoretic text. R. Levine concludes from this: "Aside from reciting the haftarah from this Tanach, he [the Tzemach Tzedek] also used it to listen to the Torah readings, and would study from it extensively. The well-used leaves in the Sefer Tehillim also indicate that he would use it to recite Tehillim".
Four parts in one volume; each part opens with a fine engraved title page. Part I (Five Books of the Torah): [19], 178 leaves; Part II (Neviim Rishonim): [1], 2-155 leaves; Part III (Neviim Acharonim): [156]-316 leaves; Part IV (Ketuvim): [317]-508, [2] leaves. Approx. 20 cm. Good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Wear. Marginal tears and open tears to several leaves, slightly affecting text. Old handwritten glosses, signatures and inscriptions (in Latin characters) on verso of title pages, in margins and between lines (primarily in Sefer Tehillim), at foot of first title page and inside front board. Early, decorated, leather over wooden boards, with clasp remnants (Elector of Saxony, presumably Augustus I [1526-1586], portrayed on one board, and a coat of arms, faded, on other board). Damage and minor wear to binding and spine.
Siddur Nehora HaShalem, year-round prayers, laws and customs, with corrections to the prayer texts and blessings by the Gaon of Vilna. Vilna and Horodna: R. Menachem Mann son of R. Baruch and R. Simcha Zissel son of R. Menachem Nachum, 1827. Fourth edition.
Two title pages. Heading on leaf [5]: "Corrections to the texts of the prayers and blessings by Rabbenu Eliyahu".
The Nehora HaShalem siddur is a prominent siddur, comprising commentaries, selections and kavanot, with essays on the importance of prayer and more. The authors and compilers are R. Yechiel Michel son of R. Akatriel HaLevy and his son R. Aharon HaLevy of Mikhalishok. The siddur was widely accepted, and received approbations by prominent Torah leaders, including Chassidic leaders. It was therefore printed in several places, including Berditchev and Slavita. The editor, R. Aharon HaLevy, later sold the rights to this siddur to the printer R. Menachem Mann son of R. Baruch of Vilna (see the sale contract printed in the Avodat HaLev edition of Siddur Nehora, Vilna and Horodna, 1819).
This edition was proofread by R. Tzemach Segal Landau of Vilna, who added his commentary Iyun Tefillah. The siddur includes many additions, including: Tikkunei Shabbat, Passover Haggadah with commentaries, and the priestly blessing (on final two leaves).
[21], 2-315, 9, [3] leaves. 17.5 cm. Mostly printed on fine, light-colored greenish paper. Good condition. Stains, including large dark stains to some leaves. New leather binding (incorporating parts of original leather binding).
Rivkind maintains that the siddur was printed in Aziory, a town near Horodna, where the press of the partners from Vilna and Horodna operated for some time. Yaari however rejects his claim. See: Y. Rivkind, Regarding the Aziory Printing Press, Kiryat Sefer, IX, 1932-1933, pp. 523-526; Ch. Lieberman, Regarding the Tefillat Nehora HaShalem Siddur, Ohel Rachel, I, New York, 1980, p. 366-368; A. Yaari, HaDfus HaIvri BeBerditchev, Kiryat Sefer, XXI, 1944-1945, p. 109; Y. Yudlov, HaDfus HaIvri BeOstroh – Additions and Corrections, Alei Sefer, III, 1977, p. 131.
Vinograd, Thesaurus of the Books of the Vilna Gaon, no. 478. This edition is not listed in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book.
Provenance: Collection of Yeshaya Vinograd, Jerusalem. The present siddur is among the few extant copies of the 1827 edition, it was offered at Kedem, auction 76, Books of the Gaon of Vilna and His Disciples, item no. 155.