Auction 83 - Part I - Rare and Important Items
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The present volume comprises several parts. It begins with a homily on the Four Cups by Abraham Miguel Cardozo, with an addendum to the homily concluding with a kabbalistic diagram.
This is followed by a work entitled "Questions and Answers on Derush HaNimtza'im", written in the form of a dialogue between two figures: Abraham Miguel Cardozo and Uriel. This part is presumably lacking the end.
The next part, which forms the majority of the manuscript, is entitled Derush HaNimtza'im.
Several marginal glosses.
Stamp on first page: "Yitzchak Gagin of Jerusalem".
Abraham Miguel Cardozo was a leader of the Sabbatian movement and one of its most prominent propagandists. Born in 1627 to a family of Marranos in the Iberian Peninsula, he was raised as a Christian. At the age of 21, he escaped (together with his older brother) to Italy, where he embraced Judaism. He began studying Torah under the rabbis of Venice, and later also studied kabbalah. He was a physician by profession, and traveled extensively through the cities of Italy and around the Mediterranean Basin: Venice, Livorno, Verona, Cairo, Tripoli, Tunis, Izmir, Constantinople, and others. Throughout his travels, he disseminated the teachings of the Sabbatian movement, and was expelled from several cities (Livorno, Constantinople, Tunis and others) after being excommunicated for his Sabbatian views. During his stay in Tripoli, he was appointed personal physician of Osman Pasha and Rejeb Bey, and earned the esteem of the local rabbis, who testified to his loyalty to Torah and mitzvot observance. From Tripoli, Cardozo moved to Tunis, yet was expelled from there too after the rabbis of Izmir battling Sabbatianism wrote to the rabbis of Tunis and instructed them to excommunicate him. In 1689, Cardozo reached Constantinople after hearing that Esther, widow of Shabbatai Zvi (who died in 1676), was offering to marry him. Cardozo became one of the main "prophets" of the Sabbatian movement (amongst the Dönmeh sect, Cardozo was regarded as a saint, equal in stature to Shabbatai Zvi and Nathan of Gaza). In this position, he was involved in fierce polemics with various figures, both members of the Sabbatian movement and rabbis and community leaders who opposed Sabbatianism. He composed many kabbalistic essays and homilies on the conception of G-d and the topic of Redemption, in which he constructs an entire theory of Sabbatian theology. He met fierce opposition from R. Yaakov Sasportas and R. Moshe Hagiz (who accused him amongst others of "signing as Messiah ben Efraim"; part of the polemic and the rabbinic opposition to Cardozo occurred in the framework of the battle against the Sabbatian Nechemia Hiya Hayyun). One of the books directed against Cardozo (which serves as an important source of his biography) is the book Merivat Kodesh by R. Eliyahu HaKohen of Izmir (published in Inyanei Shabbatai Zvi, by Aharon Freiman, Berlin 1913). In 1703, Cardozo wished to settle in Eretz Israel, yet the rabbis of Safed prevented him from entering the country and instead he settled in Egypt, where he was assassinated by his nephew during a dispute over money matters.
The present homilies, just like most of Cardozo's homilies, were never printed. Dr. Nissim Yosha conducted an important study on Cardozo and his teachings, and prepared Cardozo's works for print. Part of the research – on the biography and teachings of Cardozo – was published in the book Anus BeChavlei Mashiach (Yad Ben Zvi, Jerusalem 2016); the homilies were not printed.
[69] leaves. 19.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Tears and worming, affecting text in some places. Some leaves and gatherings detached. Old leather binding, damaged, without spine, detached.
![Samaritan manuscript, Five Books of the Torah (codex). Nablus, [19th century].
Particularly beautiful manuscript, on high-q](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/92_1.JPG "Five Books of the Torah (Codex) – Samaritan Manuscript – From the Coll")
![Samaritan manuscript, Five Books of the Torah (codex). Nablus, [19th century].
Particularly beautiful manuscript, on high-q](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/92_2.JPG "Five Books of the Torah (Codex) – Samaritan Manuscript – From the Coll")
Particularly beautiful manuscript, on high-quality paper, with wide-margins. Copied by the priest Shlomo son of Amram son of Shlomo son of Toviah HaLevi ("from the Kehat family"). Colophon at the end of each Book.
This volume is from the collection of Chacham Yitzchak Binyamin Yechezkel Yehudah (1863-1941), educator, translator, bookseller and Orientalist who studied the history of the Jewish people and Arabic culture. In the early 20th century Chacham Yehudah lived in Darmstadt, Germany, where he traded in books and manuscripts in Hebrew and Oriental languages. In 1906, he immigrated to Cairo, where he opened a bookshop for classical and religious Arabic texts near the al-Azhar mosque. He was renowned as the premier expert on Arabic literature in the region, and he often assisted Muslim scholars as well as Orientalists residing in Cairo. He published a number of books including "The Western Wall"(Jerusalem, 1929), "Fables of the East" (3 volumes, Jerusalem, 1932-1990), and others. In addition to Hebrew and Arabic, Chacham Yehuda was fluent in Ladino, Persian, Yiddish, German, Turkish, English and French. His son-in-law, Prof. Yosef Yoel Rivlin attested that he was "amazingly proficient in Oriental studies and literature, and one of the greatest Jewish researchers".
This volume is stamped with the stamp of Chacham Yehuda's bookshop in Cairo, and bears his signature (from Jerusalem). At the end of the volume, Chacham Yehudah bound a leaf in his own handwriting, quoting several verses introduced by an interesting, unique comment about the custom of Sephardi Jews (and later the Rashash) of reciting these verses whenever three Torah scrolls are removed from the ark for the Shabbat Torah reading: "The ancient custom of Saragossa was to recite these verses whenever three Torah scrolls were removed from the ark on Shabbat or Yom Tov, and the Rashash followed this custom". Five (printed) prayer leaves from siddurim are bound before this leaf. Several handwritten glosses (in pencil) by Chacham Yehuda in the margins of the first chapter of the Book of Bereshit.
[428] pages. 15.5 cm. Good condition. Creases and stains, primarily to first and final leaves, and to endpapers. Some marginal stains. Original, contemporary dark red leather binding, with embossed decorations and leather closure. Some marginal defects to binding; tears to spine.
Rare.
Provenance: Collection of Yitzchak Binyamin Yehudah.
This letter – three pages handwritten by Moses Montefiore – deals with the condition of the "Montefiore Orchard, " the earliest Jewish orchard in Palestine, in the wake of one of the plagues of locusts that afflicted the country in the course of the 19th century.
Montefiore writes as follows: " Having now disposed of all the money placed by the Committee for the Jaffa Estate perhaps you may deem it desirable to convene a meeting to report progress… drought and locust are throwing their dark shadow before, but we must hope for the bounty of Heaven and that our next accounts may be brighter. It is indeed most benevolent that you should devote your attention which has so many… important calls upon it to the interest and general mitigations of the sufferings of our Coreligionist in the Holy Land".
It is quite possible that the above quote is specifically referring to the drought, the plague of locusts, and cholera epidemic of 1866, one of the most difficult years ever recorded in the annals of the Old "Yishuv" (Jewish community) in Palestine. These difficulties resulted in the abandonment of settlements and in the deaths of hundreds of Jews.
The letter concludes with Montefiore wishing Rabbi Adler and his wife good health, and is signed "Your faithful servant, Moses Montefiore".
The "Montefiore Orchard, " or "Montefiore Garden, " is thought to have been the earliest Jewish orchard to be cultivated in Palestine in modern times. It was first planted in 1842 by one of the leaders of the Jewish community of Jaffa, Rabbi Judah Halevy of Ragusa. In the course of his fourth visit to Palestine, in 1855, Moses Montefiore took notice of the orchard and decided to purchase it. In those years, the maintenance of an orchard demanded inexhaustible resources – to ward off hostile incursions, to construct and install agricultural equipment and machinery, and for repeated restoration following recurrent natural disasters – but in spite of it all, and notwithstanding the advice of some of his friends, including Rabbi Adler, Montefiore adamantly refused to lease or sell the property. This perseverance eventually paid off, and in the end, his hundreds of fruit trees – including oranges, lemons, citrons, pomegranates, date palms, and grapevines – continued to bear fruit till his dying day.
The bond of friendship between Sir Moses Montefiore, head of the Sephardic Jewish community of London, and Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler (1803-1890), Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, persisted for decades. This fond relationship was keenly expressed in the numerous letters exchanged between the two. The correspondence enabled joint efforts of theirs in spearheading a wide range of community projects; among other things, these included fundraising campaigns on behalf of the Jewish Community in Palestine. One of Adler's responsibilities as Chief Rabbi was to preside over United Synagogue, an umbrella organization unifying all of Great Britain's Orthodox congregations. In this capacity, he was in charge of consolidating donations from all affiliated synagogues, and entrusting Moses Montefiore's official representatives with the task of disbursing the funds among the Jews of Palestine.
[1] f., folded in half (three handwritten pages), 21 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Fold lines and creases. Tears, including open tears to edges and to lengths of fold lines (with minor damage to text).
![Memorandum [of understanding] transferring copyright privileges for one of Felix Mendelssohn's works – his musical score to P](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/94.jpg "Memorandum Signed by Felix Mendelssohn – Copyright for Musical Score t")
Official form, printed and filled in handwriting, declaring that Felix Mendelssohn has received from the music publisher Joseph Alfred Novello the sum of fifteen guineas (British currency in the form of gold coins, removed from circulation in the early 19th century, but remaining in use as a unit of account for "aristocratic" purchases, i.e., works of art, objects of value, horses, land) as payment for the copyright privileges to the melody Mendelssohn composed for Psalms 114. Signed "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy".
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847), composer, grandson of the German Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, among the greatest composers of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn composed seven musical scores for chapters of Psalms. Though raised and educated as a Christian – and despite the fact he had composed no shortage of music with themes and styles characteristic of Christian Europe – his melodies for Psalms were regarded as "Jewish" in nature. That is especially true of the present work, with respect to which the musicologist George Grove (author and editor of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians) states that "the Jewish blood of Mendelssohn must surely for once have beat fiercely over this picture of the great triumph of his forefathers" (George Grove, "Dictionary of Music and Musicians, " London, 1890, Vol. II, p. 304).
Joseph Alfred Novello (1810-1896), eldest child of the composer and organist Vincent Novello. Among the foremost printers and publishers of musical scores in the 19th century. Under his guiding hand, the publishing company established by his father, Novello & Co., developed into a predominant power in the music world of that period; it was the first to introduce affordable sheet music and to depart from the method of publishing by subscription. Conducted a longstanding correspondence with Felix Mendelssohn, and printed musical scores to his works.
[1] f. (sheet folded in half), 33.5 cm. Good condition. Fold lines. Minor tears to fold lines. Minor stains. In new binding with gilt title imprinted on spine, and with new endpapers of high-quality paper. Minor blemishes to binding.
!["L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola. Paris: C. Marpon et E. Flammarion, [1878]. French. First illustrated edition. A](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/95_1.JPG "Memento from the Dreyfus Affair – Copy of the Novel \"L'Assommoir\" by É")
!["L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola. Paris: C. Marpon et E. Flammarion, [1878]. French. First illustrated edition. A](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/95_2.JPG "Memento from the Dreyfus Affair – Copy of the Novel \"L'Assommoir\" by É")
!["L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola. Paris: C. Marpon et E. Flammarion, [1878]. French. First illustrated edition. A](https://files.kedem-auctions.com/files/Sale83a-public/95_3.JPG "Memento from the Dreyfus Affair – Copy of the Novel \"L'Assommoir\" by É")
The book "L'Assommoir" represented the first major literary success by the French author Émile Zola. The novel – a story of the downfall of a struggling working-class couple – became immensely popular in France, and earned its creator a reputation as one of the greatest authors of his generation. Less than two years after its earliest publication, the C. Marpon et E. Flammarion publishing company decided to print an illustrated edition of the book, featuring dozens of works by the greatest of French painters and illustrators of that period, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, André Gill, Georges Clairin, and others.
This particular copy of the first illustrated edition was, in all likelihood, prepared by one of Zola's admirers in the course of the Dreyfus affair. At the very beginning of the book, pasted to the front inside binding, is the original newspaper article "J'Accuse" ["I Accuse"] which appeared on the front page of the January 13, 1898 issue of the newspaper "L'Aurore"; it is an open letter to the President of the French Republic, in which Zola accuses the heads of the French army, the War Department, and the Military Tribunal of a gross miscarriage of justice. Pasted onto the following pages are dozens of other newspaper clippings – headlines and news items from the French news media – documenting the tempestuous reactions ignited by Zola's open letter, developments in Zola's personal life in the wake of the letter's publication, and the sequence of events in the unfolding affair, up to and including Dreyfus's acquittal: • News items regarding Zola's loss in his lawsuit for libel against French nationalist Ernest Judet (November 1898). • News item regarding Zola's ouster from the French Legion of Honor (undated). • News brief: A representative of the judicial court pays a visit to Emile Zola's residence to demand payment for the fine he owes, but fails to find him at home (November 1898). • Collection of headlines and news items regarding the annulment of the original sentence and the order for a retrial. • Announcement of the verdict on Dreyfus in the retrial, and the announcement of the issuing of a pardon by French President Emile Loube ten days after this verdict (September 1899). • News item regarding the arrest of General Armand du Paty de Clam, one of the most villainous figures listed in Zola's "J'Accuse" letter. • News item regarding the decision by the French Senate to reinter Emile Zola's remains in the Pantheon (1905). • Additional articles.
The news items and articles are attached at the beginning and end of the book, to the endpapers, flyleaves and half-title. Most are dated in the margins, in handwriting. Pasted alongside the newspaper clippings are a number of handwritten pages with a chronological list of events and developments relevant to the affair as it unfolds (French). The list is accompanied by the dates of the corresponding news items and the names of the newspapers in which they were published. At the very end of the book is a brief handwritten biography of Emile Zola.
Book: [1] f., 466 pp. (including 62 pls.), approx. 27 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor blemishes. Fine binding with leather spine and gilt lettering, slightly worn.
The article "J'Accuse": [1] f. (out of two ff. printed in the issue), approx. 58 cm. Stains. Trimmed edges, with minor damage to text. Folded. Blemishes, minor tears, and small holes to edges and to length of fold lines (with minor damage to text).
The present letter was written in 1936, when Albert Einstein was already residing in the United States, in Princeton, New Jersey, a scant few years following the Nazi rise to power and Einstein's decision to refrain from returning to Germany. In his letter, Einstein offers advice to his friend – the Austrian Jewish pianist Bruno Eisner – with regard to settling in the United States and the difficulties a Jewish immigrant with no connections should expect. (In fact, Eisner had already arrived at the US shortly beforehand, and was staying in New York with another of Einstein's friends, the ophthalmologist Max Talmey.)
Einstein writes: "You are unfortunately relying on a false assumption. I am very lonely here, and I am not in touch with anyone, least of all with any musicians. The assignment of positions is completely disorganized, so you find out about vacancies in any given place only through personal connections... There exists here a tremendous [degree of] anti-Semitism, especially in academia (though also in industry and banking). Mind you, this [anti-Semitism] never takes the form of brutal speech or action, but rather, it brews, all the more intensely, under the surface. It is, so to speak, an omnipresent enemy, one that's impossible to see, [whose presence] you only perceive." As an example, Einstein cites the case of his own assistant, who, as a last resort, was forced to leave the United States and accept a job position in Russia.
Further on in the letter, Einstein qualifies the above warnings, and points out that in fact it is not entirely impossible to find a job in the United States, "though not necessarily in one of the larger cities, where everyone seems to end up." He encourages Eisner to establish personal connections in musical circles and make an effort to gain admittance to an appropriate professional association. He also advises Eisner to contact and request assistance from another one of his musician-friends, the renowned pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky.
Toward the end of the letter, Einstein states that "I am happy that you are staying with such fine, good-hearted people; I've known Mr. Talmey since childhood (he was a student back then)." In his days as a student of ophthalmology, Max Talmey (originally Max Talmud; 1869-1941) would regularly come to visit the Einstein home in Munich for lunch. As a token of gratitude, he tutored the 10-year-old Albert in algebra and supplied him with science texts, including books belonging to the popular series "Naturwissenschaftliche Volksbücher" ("Popular Books on Natural Science") by Aaron Bernstein – an author who had a profound impact on the young Einstein's intellectual development.
At the very end, Einstein sends regards from his wife, Elsa Einstein, who was seriously (and terminally) ill at the time. "She suffers greatly, bedridden, trouble breathing, diabetes..." (Elsa passed away roughly three months later.)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955), among the most influential of physicists of the 20th century, gave rise to the theory of relativity and helped lay the foundations for the theory of quantum mechanics. Nobel Laureate in Physics. Born in Ulm in southern Germany, studied in Switzerland, and served as professor at a number of different universities, including Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (today Humboldt University) in Berlin.
When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, there was a gradual move to isolate Jews and remove them from positions of influence in German society. Among the earliest anti-Semitic edicts were laws preventing Jews from holding public office, and this included university posts. The persecutions targeted Jewish physicists in particular; among other things, Einstein's theory of relativity was dismissed as "Jewish Physics." At the time of Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Einstein coincidentally happened to be on a lecture tour outside Germany. In light of the situation in his native land, Einstein decided to renounce his German citizenship, and after a brief period of wandering, ended up settling in the United States, where he was offered a position at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University in New Jersey. Einstein remained at Princeton until his death on April 18, 1955.
Bruno Eisner (1884-1978), Jewish pianist, native of Vienna. Studied music in Vienna, appeared throughout Europe as a concert pianist, and served as an instructor at various musical academies in Germany. Held concerts in Palestine in 1929 and 1936. Following the Nazi takeover in Germany, immigrated to the United States with the support of Albert Einstein, whom he first met in 1928. Einstein provided Eisner with an affidavit that assisted him in acquiring an entry visa. He also helped him find an available room at the home of Max Talmey in New York, and even paid his rent for the first month. The present letter's recipient address was apparently this residence. In spite of the rising tide of anti-Semitism that characterized those years – influenced by the spread of Nazism throughout Europe, anti-Jewish demagoguery, and conspiracy theories associated with the New Deal, all in the shadow of the Great Depression – Eisner managed to quickly find a niche in the American classical music scene. He nurtured a career as a concert pianist and professor of music at universities and music academies across the land, and passed away at a ripe old age in New York.
[1] f. (written on both sides), approx. 28 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Fold lines and minor creases. Few small tears to edges, and punch holes (not affecting text).
Provenance: Christie's, Auction No. 9364, Printed Books and Manuscripts including Americana (New York, May 19, 2000), Item No. 204.
Collection includes:
• Ten letters by Cecil Roth (handwritten or typewritten, with his signature) and over 60 letters by his wife Irene (half of them mailed after his death). Letters addressed to their friend in Jerusalem, the collector and researcher Ezra Gorodetzky, most of them dealing with personal matters.
• "Mahzor" (prayer book) for Yom Kippur (New York, 1939), bearing Cecil Roth’s signature in Hebrew and English.
• Siddur (prayer book) for Sabbath and Festivals (New York, 1960), inscribed by the editor and translator Rabbi David de Sola Pool (1885-1970), rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel of New York City.
• Roughly a hundred booklets and offprints of articles written or edited by Cecil Roth, as well as newspaper clippings and journal issues with articles written by him, mostly dealing with the history of the Jewish people, including "The Jew as a European" (with a signed dedication); "Handlist of Hebrew manuscripts... in the collection of Cecil Roth" (1950); four issues of "The Jewish Woman's Review" with articles by Roth (London, 1950); "The Cecil Roth Oxford Haggadah" (New York, 1963); "Haggadah of the Chinese Jews" (New York, 1967); "Memorial Booklet to the Community of Frankfurt am Main" (Hebrew, Jerusalem, 1965); and more.
• Cecil Roth’s bookplate, "MiSifrei Bezalel Min Ha’Adumim Ex Libris Cecil Roth, " designed by the German-born Jewish artist Hermann Fechenbach. Seven copies.
• Photograph of Cecil Roth in his study at the University of Oxford, framed along with his business card, bearing his signature in Hebrew and English.
• Letter from Cecil Roth (printed; signed by hand) regarding a collection of "ketubot" (marriage contracts), Esther scrolls, and other items of Judaica, addressed to Rabbi Stuart Rosenberg (1922-1990), rabbi of the Beth Tzedec Congregation of Toronto, Canada. Jerusalem, July 1966.
• Cecil Roth’s business card, bearing his address on Balfour St. in Jerusalem.
• Invitation to the home of Cecil and Irene Roth in Jerusalem, to view a portrait painting of the "Ba’al-Shem of London" (the kabbalist Rabbi Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk, 1708-1782) by the English painter John Singleton Copley. Printed in Hebrew and English, with an addendum handwritten by Roth in English.
• Prayer booklet ("A Memorial Service") in memory of Cecil Roth, published by London’s (Spanish-Portuguese) Bevis Marks Synagogue (1970).
• A biography of Cecil Roth entitled "Cecil Roth, Historian Without Tears: A Memoir" by Irene Roth (New York, 1982). Inscribed by Irene Roth on title page.
• Notes handwritten by Cecil Roth, in addition to envelopes, cards, newspaper clippings, and numerous other items.
Also enclosed: • Cecil Roth’s personal document holder (made of leather, imprinted with his name in gilt letters in the bottom right corner. • Roughly 30 letters from Ezra Gorodetzky, addressed to Cecil and Irene Roth. • Additional ephemera.
Professor Cecil (Bezalel) Roth (1899-1970), among the greatest of Jewish historians, and chief editor of the Encyclopaedia Judaica. Born in London; received a traditional Jewish education and upbringing. Married Irene Rosalind Davis. Studied at the University of Oxford, and completed his doctorate there in 1924. Served as professor of Jewish studies at Oxford from 1939 to 1964. During this period he published hundreds of articles and dozens of books, translated into numerous languages. His research focused on the histories of the Jewish communities of Italy and England; on the history of the Jewish people in the Middle Ages and Modern Era; and on Jewish art, bibliography, and the philosophy of history. Was a member of two British royal societies, namely the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Literature. An enthusiastic collector of Judaica, also renowned for his rich art collection. Immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem, having been invited to serve as visiting professor in the Department of Jewish History at Bar-Ilan University following his retirement from Oxford in 1964; the invitation to Bar-Ilan generated fierce opposition in religious circles, who claimed his writings were "offensive to Jewish tradition." Passed away in 1970. His funeral was attended by members of the State of Israel’s leadership, including President Zalman Shazar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi ("Rishon LeZion") Yitzhak Nissim, and other leading figures. His brother was Leon (Hayyim Judah) Roth (1896-1963), who served as a professor of philosophy first at Manchester University, and subsequently at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Approx. 250 items. Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
Collection of items – including handwritten letters, a eulogy for Salman Schocken, and a story draft – sent by S.Y. (Shmuel Yosef) Agnon to authors, editors, and various persons of note. 1930s to 1960s. Hebrew.
The collection contains handwritten letters by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, addressed to Benjamin Tammuz, David Yellin, and Rabbi Kurt Wilhelm, all written in his inimitable style of language. The letters include poetry, written in rhyme, addressed to David Yellin; indignant grievances against acts of literary plagiarism ("All those who call themselves 'Agnon’ and are not members of my family"); a request for assistance in proofreading ("Save me from errors"); and various appeals regarding literary matters. Also in the collection is a eulogy – typewritten and signed by Agnon and sent by him to the newspaper "Haaretz" – for Salman Schocken; and a draft copy of Agnon’s story for children entitled "Sippur Na'eh MiSiddur Tefilati" ("My New Prayerbook", typewritten and sent by Agnon to the author Benjamin Tammuz for copyediting).
1. Brief letter handwritten by Agnon and addressed to David Yellin. Mostly in rhyme, in elegant Hebrew block script: "To the wise one distinguished by his virtue and his manner / [and by his] Poetry of the Sacred Tongue and the Law of the Living God / Who has brought me to the Garden of Parables and Riddles / And his fruit is immeasurably sweet to my palate / For this shall I thank [and praise] his name – Agnon S.Y. [1930s?]. [1] f.
2. Letter handwritten and signed by Agnon, on his official stationery; addressed to the Chief Rabbi of Stockholm, Dr. Kurt Wilhelm (1900-1965). In this letter, Agnon points out that the author Benjamin Tammuz is planning to visit Stockholm, and suggests that in exchange for the update Tammuz will provide him regarding the goings-on in the Land of Israel, the rabbi should serve Tammuz as a "spiritual guide to Stockholm and the entire Kingdom of Sweden." 1950. [1] f. Original addressed envelope enclosed.
3-4. Draft copy of a story for children entitled "Sippur Na'eh MiSiddur Tefilati" ("My New Prayerbook"), written by Agnon (first published in the 1930s); Typewritten, with erasures, corrections, and handwritten addenda (inserted in handwriting, probably by Benjamin Tammuz).
Also enclosed is a letter from Agnon to Benjamin Tammuz (typewritten and personally signed by Agnon): "I lost myself in the midst of all the tiny letters and amongst the numerous errors, and I therefore sat down and wrote most of the text using a typewriter, with which I am unfamiliar, and you, in your goodness, you who are versed in copyediting and accustomed to bearing the burden of authors, [be so kind as to] give yourself a bit of patience for the purpose of copyediting the article and [thus] save me from [those] errors!" 1955. 10 ff. + [1] f.
5. Letter handwritten and signed by Agnon, addressed to Benjamin Tammuz. The letter deals with various literary matters. 1958. [1] f. Original addressed envelope enclosed.
6. Letter handwritten and signed by Agnon: "Dear Doctor, I hereby present to you my story for the Rosh HaShanah issue [of the newspaper]. This story was already published in Haaretz a half a generation ago... I prepared this story for [the journal] 'Molad, ’ but seeing as I have no other story available, I am sending you this one. As for you, do as you please. I shall not view myself as having been insulted if either you or Mr. Schocken return the story to me..." (this letter was apparently addressed to Dr. Jacob Horowitz, editor of the literary supplement to the newspaper "Haaretz"). 1959. [3] ff. (cut out from envelopes).
7-8. Eulogy delivered by Agnon for Schlomo Salman Schocken ("The story of his life represents a shining example of the strength of the Jewish man"), typewritten (with a number of handwritten corrections and instructions for the printer), signed in pencil by Agnon. The eulogy was sent to the offices of the "Haaretz" newspaper; also enclosed is the letter sent by Agnon to Gershom Schocken, the newspaper’s publisher and editor-in-chief and son of Schlomo Salman (typewritten and hand-signed by Agnon). 1960. [3] ff. + [1] f.
9. Letter handwritten and signed by Agnon, addressed to Benjamin Tammuz. 1962. In this letter, Agnon expresses his frustration regarding the literary plagiarism to which his book "Yamim Nora’im" ("Days of Awe") is being subjected: "I meticulously gather whatever they pilfer from my book 'Yamim Nora’im, ' and commandeer as if deriving [them] from various sources, and play [the words] on their [own] fiddles, to serve their [own] agendas..." At the end of the letter, Agnon wearily bemoans that "my archives are already filled with [the works of] wise men and authors and with entire books such as 'Sefer HaMo’adim’ and the like. May the Lord never see fit to forgive them... nor any of those who call themselves 'Agnon’ and are not [members] of my family." [1] f. Original addressed envelope enclosed.
10. Letter handwritten and signed by Agnon, addressed to Benjamin Tammuz: "I’ve spent almost a [full] year searching for the address of [the author] Margaret Benaya. A thousand folks have promised me they would find [me] her address, but as is customary among our contemporaries, not one of them has fulfilled his promise. I would have liked to write to her about her book... [but would] you [be so kind as to] write my words to her [for me] [...] for after all, my handwriting is illegible." 1964. [3] ff. Original addressed envelope enclosed.
Size and condition vary. Overall good condition.
Schlomo Salman Schocken (1877-1959), founder of the Schocken Publishing House (Schoken Verlag) and publisher of "Haaretz" newspaper. One of the most influential figures in molding the character of Jewish/Hebrew culture in Israel. Throughout his life, he generously offered his sponsorship to some of the greatest minds shaping the renewal of the Hebrew cultural landscape. This sponsorship included such personalities as Gershom Scholem and Martin Buber. But by far the most beloved of his protégés was the author S.Y. Agnon; Schocken stood by him every step of the way, took care of him financially, and published his works.
Salman Schocken labored tirelessly to familiarize the entire world with Agnon’s writings; even prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, he organized a lobby whose goal was to advance Agnon’s candidacy for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The profound impact of Agnon’s novel "Tmol Shilshom" (1945) contributed significantly to these efforts. Once it was published, Schocken managed to get Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Ehrenpreis, Chief Rabbi of Stockholm, to join the lobby. Another key figure in the campaign to promote Agnon was Rabbi Dr. Kurt Wilhelm, a member of the Schocken Library staff who went on to succeed Ehrenpreis as Stockholm’s chief rabbi following the latter’s passing. Schocken tasked Wilhelm with the job of gathering all the required material and coordinating all the necessary efforts in preparation for the submission of Agnon’s candidacy. Wilhelm also made arrangements for Agnon to visit Sweden in 1951, announced his impending arrival in the Swedish media, and arranged meetings for Agnon with Swedish cultural figures, and with the leadership of the local Jewish community, all in the hope of raising awareness of Agnon’s greatness among the general public in Sweden. This flurry of promotional activity went hand-in-hand with efforts on the part of Salman Schocken (joined later by his son Gershom) to translate and circulate Agnon’s literature throughout the world, with special emphasis placed on Germany, the United States, and Sweden.
It took a number of years for all these efforts to bear fruit, with Shai Agnon being named Laureate of the Nobel Prize for Literature (which he shared with poet Nelly Sachs) in 1966, after Kurt Wilhelm and Shlomo Zalman Schocken had both passed away.