Broadside from the Proops brothers, the printers of Amsterdam, announcing the resolution of the dispute with R. Zalman, the printer of Sulzbach. Amsterdam, Tamuz 1765.

Leaf printed on one side. On the top of the leaf is a letter of the Amsterdam printers with a handwritten signature (apparently of one of the brothers, who also signed for his brother): "Yosef Yaakov and Avraham sons of the late R. Shlomo Proops Katz". After the brothers' letter is printed (in Rashi script) a confirmation by the Amsterdam community trustees, followed by the confirmation by the Amsterdam Beit Din.

The Proops brothers announce that following a compromise and the decision of R. Lipman, son of R. Zalman of Sulzbach, to remunerate them, the printer of Sulzbach has been granted permission to complete his edition of the Talmud, without affecting their right to print their edition.

The Sulzbach edition of the Talmud (1755-1763) was the focus of a dispute between printers which engendered a controversy between rabbis. Shortly after the beginning of printing, the Proops brothers of Amsterdam appealed to the rabbis of Vaad Arba Aratzot with the contention that the printing of the Sulzbach edition infringed their printing rights. The printers in Amsterdam were at the time publishing their own Talmud edition, and had received rabbinic approbations granting them exclusive rights to print the Talmud for a period of twenty-five years. The Vaad Arba Aratzot and other rabbis hastened to ban the Sulzbach Talmud, prohibiting studying from that edition of the Talmud and ruling that the volumes should be burnt (!) or at least buried. The dispute persisted, however, as the rabbis of Fürth, led by R. David Strauss, backed R. Zalman, the printer from Sulzbach. In 1764 R. Zalman announced a reprint of his edition, leading the dispute to erupt once again. The dispute continued for a long while and eventually drew the attention of leading rabbis of that time, such as the Noda BiYehudah who intervened to mediate between the printers.

[1] leaf. 36.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folds.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.