Ho'il Moshe Be'er, by R. Moshe Karmi (Crémieu), supercommentary on Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Torah, Part IV – Bamidbar. Aix (Aix-en-Provence, southern France): [Augustin] Pontier, 1836.
Ho'il Moshe Be'er is a thirteen-part work, in two series: the first series, in six parts, is a commentary to the year-round prayers according to the rite of the communities of the Carpentras region (Carpentras, Cavaillon, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Avignon). The second series, in seven parts, comprises a supercommentary to Ibn Ezra's commentary on the Torah, the Five Megillot and the books of Mishlei and Iyov. Five additional parts, reserved for commentaries on other works by the Ibn Ezra, were never printed, due to the passing of the author in 1837, and the manuscript has evidently been lost. The present volume, with the supercommentary to Bamidbar, is the fourth of the seven printed volumes of commentary to the Ibn Ezra.
The series is held to have been printed in twenty-five copies only, which may have been intended to be distributed to the close friends of the author, which would explain the extreme rarity of these volumes.
The author, R. Moshe Karmi (Crémieu; 1766-1837), born in Carpentras, a Torah scholar who dealt in biblical commentary and early piyyut. He presumably held an important private library in his home, comprising rare manuscripts and printed books. His father, R. Shlomo Chaim, authored a supercommentary to Rashi on the Torah named Cheshek Shlomo, and R. Moshe frequently quotes Torah insights in his name. His father-in-law and uncle, R. Mordechai Karmi, authored Maamar Mordechai and Divrei Mordechai. In 1790, R. Moshe, his father and father-in-law left Carpentras for Aix.
See: N. Ben-Menachem, BeShaarei Sefer, Jerusalem, 1967, pp. 164-172, for a detailed description of the various parts of this work, and other details regarding this work and its author.
[2], 132, [4] leaves. 18.5 cm. Good condition. Light stains. New binding.
One of the only Hebrew books ever printed in Aix.
The Bibliography of the Hebrew Book and the NLI catalogue list only [3] leaves at the end of the Bamidbar volume, while this copy features [4] leaves at the end.
Zedner, p. 193.
