Prayer book according to the Karaite custom with all of the instructions. Cairo, the Bachurei Ahavat Torah L’Yisrael HaKaraim B’Mitzrayim society, [1946-1948]. A rare set.
Specifications: Four volumes, approximately 24 cm.
[a] Weekday prayers morning and evening, and prayers of all Sabbaths of the year. 464 pages.
[b] Prayers for festivals. 312 [1] pages.
[c] Prayers for Yom Kippur and the ten days of mercy, 330 [16] pages.
[d] Order of blessings for all weekdays and Sabbaths of the year, festivals and all occasions. 266 pages. Typewritten note with the names and addresses of Karaites.
Background: Special title page for each volume. The second volume was printed in 1935, and as hypothesized in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, the edition before us is a continuation of that volume. At the end of the third volume: 16 pages with a special title page: Translation of supplications and piyutim for the evening and morning of Yom Kippur from Hebrew to Arabic. There are copies which have [6] additional pages at the end of the first volume, with the date 1955, it seems that these leaves were printed later.
Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef served as the Av Beit Din of the Rabbinical Beit Din in Cairo and the Deputy Chief Rabbi of Egypt at this time, and he was asked about the Karaites’ status and ruled that they should be permitted to be part of the Jewish people, under certain conditions.
Condition: Fine with the exception of loose leaves in several places. Original semi-leather bindings for three volumes. Simple, blemished binding for the fourth volume.
Petach Tikva. G rammar R ules of the Hebrew Language , by Mordechai Sultansky the Karaite from the community of Kale, son of the sage Yosef from the community of Lutsk. Gozleve, 1857, only edition.
Specifications: 4, 3-6, 5-8, 11-226, 21 cm.
Background: Mordechai Sultansky [1772-1862] was one of the leaders of the Karaites in Gozleve in the Crimean Peninsula. There were Karaite communities in several cities in Crimea.
Condition: Fine. Very few worming holes on the first three leaves. Simple binding.
Large lot of hundreds of Samaritan writings from the 19th and 20th centuries, letters, telegrams, various documents regarding Samaritan issues, from the estate of a member of the Samaritan committee which dealt with publishing writings, Mr. Abraham Ben-Nur Tzadka. The manuscripts include versions of the Samaritan bible, Samaritan prayer, and Marque’s sayings, some of which are translated in Hebrew and Arabic writing.
The collection was not investigated and is being sold as is. Various conditions. Generally fine condition.
Curiositez Inouyes, sur la Sculpture Talismanique des Persans, Horoscope des Patriarches, et Lecture des Estoiles, Gaffarel, 1632.
Specifications: [16], 315 pages, paper. 17 cm. French. Several kabbalistic and astronomic charts and diagrams, including two folded plates of a map of the stars which appear in Hebrew letters, sized: 26×34 cm, 26×30 cm.
Unique Features: In the first part of the book the author defends the Jews, and claims that they do not defame the Christian messiah. In the second part he defends Persian astrology. In the third part he discusses ancient Hebrew astrology. In the fourth part the author presents his theory that according to Hebrew astrology the stars are arranged in the form of Hebrew letters, and reading them enables the reader to prophesy future world events.
Jacques Gaffarel [1601-1681] priest and researcher of Semitic languages, librarian and astrologer, author of this book, was one of the key figures in 17th century Christian kabbalah.
Condition: Fine. A few aging stains, ancient parchment binding.
Histoire des Juifs : ecrite par Flavius Joseph, sous le titre d e Antiquités Judaïques. traduite sur l’original Grec reveu [sic] sur divers manuscrits par Monsieur Arnauld d’Andilly. Paris, 1681.
Specifications: [20], 758, [21] pages, paper. 30 cm. French. Decorated with woodcuts connected to Biblical and historical events up to the Roman period.
Unique Features: Yosef ben Matityahu [c. 37-100], known by his Roman name Flavius Josephus. Commander of the Jewish rebellion of 66 in the Galilee, surrendered to the Romans and became a Jewish historian for them. The four books which he wrote in Greek, The Jewish War , Antiquities of the Jews , The Life of Flavius Josephus and Against Apion ( On the Antiquity of the Jewish People ), were preserved and are the central source of information about the years preceding the destruction of the Second Temple. Christian theology took great interest in his books, and the founders of the Church often quote him. In contrast, rabbis only learned the writings of Yosef ben Matityahu from the book Josippon which was written in the 10th century based on his works. Jews only began to investigate Ben Matityahu’s Greek works in the 19th century, and they were translated in Hebrew for the first time in 1862.
Condition: Fine-very fine. Minimal aging stains. Wooden cover covered with original leather with slight blemishes on the spine.
The ketubah of “The rabbi our teacher Rabbi Yehuda son of our teacher Rabbi Moshe the bridegroom, ” and the widow “Chaya daughter of our teacher Rabbi Chanoch known as Henich HaLevi”, Alt-Kanizsa [?], 1853.
Specifications: [1] leaf, paper. 19×25 cm.
Unique Features: The traditional ketubah of one of the first and most prominent Neolog rabbis. A note is attached to the ketubah claiming that the bridegroom’s details were recorded by Meir Tzipser, rabbi of Rechnitz, where the bride lived.
Background: Yehuda Leib [Leopold] Low (1811-1875), was a native of Moravia, knowledgeable in Jewish wisdom and one of the leaders of the Neolog rabbis in Hungary, a theologian and historian. In his youth he studied in various yeshivot, and at the age of 19 he travelled to the center of the Enlightenment in Moravia, Prostějov, and he also studied secular studies and European languages. From 1841 onward he began to serve as rabbi of Nagykanizsa, Pápa and Szeged, and became the most influential figure in the Neolog movement in Hungary. Low was married twice and had 14 children. His son Emmanuel succeeded him after his death.
Meir Tzipser (1815-1869), a native of Balassagyarmat was a Hungarian rabbi and historian. He studied in various yeshivot and also had a general education. He was appointed as rabbi of Székesfehérvár in 1843, and in 1853 he published the booklet “Mi Shalach” in order to justify a get which he wrote there despite the custom not to grant a get in the town due to its complex name. His approach was refuted by Rabbi Yedidya Gottleib Fisher in his work Deltayim U’Bariach . In the resultant tumult which arose from this, Rabbi Tzipser was removed from his rabbinic post, and was marked as a Neolog “from the new cult which has recently appeared.” He became rabbi of Rechnitz until his death.
Condition: Fine, fold marks, wear on some of the corners with no damage to text.
Ausführliches Kochbuch für die einfache und feine jüdische Küche, by Marie Elsasser.
Specifications: VII, 926, 16 pages, 22 cm. German. First edition.
Unique Features: Comprehensive book with 3759 recipes. First edition of the classic recipe book, which was later printed in many editions. Not in the National Library.
Condition: Very fine. Original binding illustrated in red. Minimal stains, minimal small tears on a small number of leaves with no damage to text.
Der Ohlsdorfer Begräbnißplatz in seinem Verhältniß zu den Israelitischen Gemeinden zu Hamburg – The Hamburg Jewish Communities’ Connection with the Ohlsdorf Cemetery: Collection of Contracts, Halachic Opinions and Responsa, with Additional Introductions. Hanover, 1889.
Specifications: 42 pages, paper, 13×20 cm. German and some Hebrew.
Unique Features: The Ohlsdorf cemetery, second largest in the world, was established in 1877 on land which was then outside of Hamburg. The book discusses laws which relate to burial there, because of the requirement to clear the bones of the deceased from their graves after ten years. Among others, the book brings responsa from Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan of Kovna and Rabbi Yitzchak Dov Bamberger, the rabbi of Würzburg.
Condition: Fine, fold marks, small tears on two leaves without damage to text.
Bound with:
Die Leichenverbrennung vom Standpunkt des Judenthums, The Jewish opinion on cremation, by Rabbi Dr. Isaac Unna, Frankfurt am Main. 1903.
Specifications: 29 pages, paper, 13×20 cm. German.
Unique Features: In-depth discussion of the Jewish view on cremation.
Background: Rabbi Yitzchak Unna (1872-1948) was ordained as rabbi by Rabbi David Zvi Hoffman from the Rabbinic Seminary in Berlin headed by Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer, and by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai HaLevi Horowitz, rabbi of Frankfurt. Rabbi Unna was known as a talented public speaker and wrote two hundred articles and studies. He served as rabbi of Mannheim, chairman of “The Union of the Traditional Rabbis who Keep the Torah” in Germany and a member of the Rabbinic Council of Jerusalem.
Condition: Fine-very fine, fold marks.
Sigmund Freud’s book, Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego. Yiddish. Warsaw, 1928.
Specifications: 112, [2] pages, paper. 20 cm.
Unique Features: The first Yiddish edition of Freud’s famous work which was originally written in 1921. The book explains group psychology based on the individual’s mental state, while examining the individuals’s social connections and identification with the group and its leaders.
Condition: Very fine, except for the cover binding which is damaged at the edges without damage to text. The pages are not cut.
Hallmarked silver goblet, marking the silver jubilee of the “Don Abarbanel Brit Avraham” order of brotherhood, with the figure of “The American Eagle” on a star of David with the initials of the organization’s name, and with the figure of Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel. New York, March, 10, 1912.
Specifications: [1] silver goblet hallmarked STERLING and the artist’s stamp. Height: 14 cm. Maximum diameter: 6 cm. Two reliefs on the goblet’s two sides – a relief of the “American Eagle” with the details of the “Brit Avraham” brotherhood’s jubilee celebrations, and a relief of the figure of Don Abarbanel.
Background: The Jewish order of brotherhood “Don Abarbanel Brit Avraham” [“The Brit Avraham Independent Brotherhood”] , the OBA, was founded in 1887. This brotherhood was one of a series of Jewish social societies for mutual assistance which were established from the 19th century and onward in America and England. Among their other goals, the organizations dealt with cases of distress, sickness and orphanhood. They were active in education and arranged life insurance for the brotherhood’s members. The order of brotherhoods often operated in a similar manner to the free masons. The orders of brotherhood became less popular and the number of members registered in them decreased dramatically with the increase in commercial insurance companies and activities of societies which dealt with the needs of the deceased and cultural activities.
Condition: Fine-very fine. Slight dents on the goblet’s rim.
* Di Geshichta Fun America in Drei Taheil, by N.M. Babad. New York, 1898. Yiddish. Fine-very fine condition. Book about American history. Blemishes in the corners of the cover with no damage to text.
* Constitution Fun Congregation Agudas Achim Anshei Sfarad . Rare. Not found in the National Library. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada [c. 1925]. Yiddish. Regulations of the Agudat Achim Anshei Sfarad, which was founded in 1912. Fine-very fine condition. Tears in the cover without damage to text.
* Der Amerikanisher Witzling: 116 Shene Vitzen. New York, 1926. Yiddish. Jewish humour book. Cover is missing. Fine condition, light wear on the edges of the leaf without damage to text.
* Constitution of the Cemetery Department of the Workmen’s Circle. [New York], 1936. Two title pages, reads from right in Yiddish and from the left in English. Not found in the National Library. Very fine condition.
* Leher-Bichel Fun D.A.R. Fer Birgersheft. Yiddish edition. 17th edition. Washington, 1938. Yiddish. The American anthem appears on the inner side of the back cover. Book for studying American citizenship. Not in the National Library. Fine condition. The back of the binding is torn along most of its length. Slight stains on the cover.
* Haggadah for Children prepared by Rabbi Jacob P. Rudin. New York, 1953. The text of the Haggadah in Hebrew, translation, instructions for the Seder and commentaries in English. With musical notes for the festival songs and illustrations, including pictures of the Old City of Jerusalem and a picture “Celebrating Passover in Palestine” depicting a march near to the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem with children holding Israeli flags, lulavs, flowers and a sign saying “Chag HaPesach.” Very fine condition. Short tear on the back of the cover.
* Jewish Protectory and Aid Society, New York, 1907. 9, [III] pages, paper. 15 cm. New York, 1907. Architectural plans for the Jewish center, with an addition pasted on with an illustration of the Jewish center and its surroundings, on a folded leaf at the size of 29×16 cm. English. Very fine condition. Fold marks and a small tear along the fold lines on the map.
* Constitution Fun Der First Congregation Anshei Sfarad. New York, 1924. 44 pages, paper. 17 cm. Yiddish. Very fine condition. Some of the letters on the original hard binding are faded.
* Constitution and By-Laws of Congregation Emanu-El, New York, 1929. 27 pages, paper. 16 cm. English. Fine-very fine condition. Minimal aging stains, wear on the corner of the front cover without damage to text.
* Constitution and By-Laws of Daughters of Zion Jewish Day Nursery and Infant Home. Chicago, 1939. [8] pages, paper. 14 cm. The booklet is in fine-very fine condition. Stain on the corners of the leaf. Original cover, dismantled and blemished at the corners.
* Constitution and by-laws of the Maine Jewish Council. Lewiston, Maine, 1945. English. [18], 1 page. Paper. 15 cm. Very fine condition.
* Invitation to a meeting of the Talmud Torah Re-Organization Commission, with a list of speakers, lists of the performers of the songs in Hebrew, the narrators and details about the play performed by the Talmud Torah in the “Bethal Green” region of East London. In addition, a list of the Talmud Torah’s goals [building an educational structure for Torah study in the post-Holocaust world], the committee’s activities and its plans for the future for training teachers and preparing equipment, with an urgent request for financial and moral support, [London, 1945]. Double leaf, paper. 13×15 cm. English. Fair-fine condition. Fold marks, short tears along the fold marks, wear in the corner of one of the leaves. Without a cover.
Bibliographical list of Hebrew books, manuscripts and prints, which are found in the library of Mayer Sulzberger in Philadelphia, United States. 28 manuscripts and 394 prints. By Efraim Deinard. New York, 1896.
Specifications: 100 pages, 20 cm. High-quality paper.
Background: Meir Sulzberger (1843-1923), Jewish-American judge, born in Germany. Jewish activist, among the wealthiest American Jews of his time, member of philanthropic organizations. Involved with Jewish literature and taught in Jewish educational institutions. His library was one of the best private libraries in the United States and contained rare and valuable Hebrew books, including approximately 45 incunabula.
Condition: Fine. Tears in the white margins of pages 60-72. Simple binding.
Proclamation of the Reform rabbis of the United States against the Balfour Declaration which proclaimed “The Establishment of a National Home for the Jewish Nation in Palestine.” Chicago, 1918. Rare. Not found in the National Library.
Specifications: [1] leaf, paper. 14×21 cm.
Content of the Resolution: The Conference expresses its appreciation for the good will toward the Jews expressed by the Balfour Declaration. They are in favor of Jews being able to immigrate to Palestine, as well as anywhere else, and to enjoy equality in political, civil and religious rights. Nevertheless, they oppose the declaration that “Palestine is to be a national homeland for the Jewish people.” In its opinion, Judaism is a religion, not a nationality: the Jews are not a nation without a land, but rather belong to any place in which they live, and as such they should be considered. Jews, like the members of any other religion, are entitled to live and assert their message anywhere in the world. Jews in America are part of the American nation, and they have no need for a “national home” in the Land of Israel. The current ideal of the Jew, as they define it, is not the establishment of a Jewish state or to renew the antiquated idea of the revival of the Jewish nation. The survival of Judaism depends on its historic religious role to witness [the existence of] G-d, and not in receiving the Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis (The CCAR) was founded in 1889, and is the largest and most long-standing organization of Reform rabbis in America.
Condition: Excellent.
Siddur Divrei Tzadikim, contains the order of prayers for the entire year according to the congregations of Germany and Poland … proofread and copied to English by me … Yitzchak son of Uri son of Eliezer [Leeser]. Philadelphia, 1848. Rare prayer book.
Specifications: 242, 243, [1] page. 22 cm. Rosenbach 636, Goldman 37.
Content: First prayer book according to the Ashkenazic custom printed in the continent of America. With an additional English title page: The Book of Daily Prayers … edited by Isaac Leeser. The English translation is on facing pages with parallel pagination. The prayer book was edited by Isaac Leeser, one of the leaders of American Jewry.
Unique Features: Rare prayer book, complete with the introduction and indexes. Typical binding. Ownership inscription.
Condition: Minimal stains. Very fine condition.
Siddur Siftei Tzadikim, the order of prayers for the entire year according to the Sephardic custom. Philadelphia, 1878.
Specifications: [1], 7 pages, 277 leaves, 279-285 pages, approximately 18 cm. Goldman 65.
Content: With an additional English title page: The Form of Prayers … new edition … edited and revised by Abraham de Sola.
The English translation is on facing pages with corresponding pagination. The prayer book was printed by David de Sola and Isaac Leeser.
Unique Features: New edition with additions by Rabbi Binyamin Artum, rabbi of the Sephardic community in England, printed by Avraham son of David de Sola from Montreal, with an introduction by him. Machzorim were also printed together with the Siddur, and on the title page before us: Part One.
Condition: Fine-very fine. Aging stains. Original binding.
Torah, Prophets and Writings, Seu Biblia Hebraica, a Bible proofread according to Johann Leusden, August Hahn … Rabbi Wolf Heidenheim and Isaac Leeser. Philadelphia, 1849. The first vowelized Jewish Bible printed in America.
Specifications: XX [1] 1416 pages, 21 cm. Goldman 9. With an introduction by August Hahn in his lifetime. With an introduction in Latin by Isaac Leeser. Short dictionary printed on the last leaves.
Unique Features: Extraordinarily rare. Not in the National Library and not listed in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book.
Condition: Very fine. Old, worn, semi-leather binding.
Yearbook in honor of the grade finishing the Jewish high school in Chicago, Ill. Chicago, 1929.
Specifications: 63 pages, paper. 25 cm.
Unique Features: The original works of 24 graduates of the second year of the “Jewish Academy” in Chicago, providing a glimpse into the inner world of Jewish Zionist students in America in the late 1930’s. The works contain articles [such as: Antisemitism in America, Dr. Theodore Herzl, the Hebrew language], “Stories, poems and descriptions” and “Parperaot.” Pictures of the graduating class are on page 6, the names of the graduates and a short description of their characters are on page 56, and information on the school and its activities is on page 57. The booklet is decorated with many illustrations and several photographs.
Condition: Fine. Aging stains, detached binding cover with a slight tear.
Long letter regarding the kollels in Jerusalem, by Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Charif, the Chief Rabbi of New York, to Rabbi Shmuel Salant. New York, 1891.
Specifications: [3] pages, paper. 12×20 cm. The entire letter is in the handwriting and with the signature of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef. In the letter, he mentions Rabbi Yerucham Kanterovitz who was the chairman of Eretz HaKodesh in New York.
Rabbi Yaakov Yosef , who was known ever since his days as a student in Volozhin by the name Rabbi Yaakov Charif due to his great sharpness, was born in the village of Kražiai in Lithuania in 1841, studied in Volozhin, from where he moved to Kovno, to the study hall of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter who built a close relationship with him and formed his mussar personality. He served as rabbi of several villages: Vilon, Yurburg and Zhager, and in 1883 was appointed as Maggid and head adjudicator of Vilna, one of the most respected positions in the rabbinic world of the time. He was a talented public speaker and many people came to hear his sermons, in which he quoted the mussar teachings of his teacher, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. He printed his well known book of sermons in Vilna, L’Beit Yaakov, in 1888, and in the same year was appointed as Chief Rabbi of New York. He found that much work was needed to raise the level of Jewish observance in New York, and he established a yeshiva, made many decrees in the fields of ritual slaughter and kashrut, and at the end of his life established America’s well known “Union of Orthodox Rabbis.” He passed away in 1902 and was greatly honored after his death ( Tnuat HaMussar part two pages 295-310). He was the first and last Chief Rabbi of the state of New York and no subsequent rabbi bore this honorable title.
Condition: Very fine.
Volume One of the Protocols: The State of Israel – Moetzet Ha’Am. Meetings 1-4 … The Provisional State Council. Meetings 1-21. Tel Aviv, 1948.
Specifications: 8, 26, [2], 23, [1], 20, 35, [1], 48, 46, [2], 30, 16, 18, [2], 15, [1], 15, [1], 23, [1], 40, 43, [1], 28, 23, [1], 29, [3], 48, 32, 43, [1], 43, [1], 32 pages. Paper. 23 cm.
Unique Features: Fascinating primary historical documentation of the discussions in the Moetzet Ha’Am and the Provisional State Council of the new State (May 4, 1948-September 27, 1948), during which the challenges of the time are discussed – declaration of the establishment of the State, the War of Independence, the state of emergency in the country, the “Altalena” case and more – and the frameworks and principles of the governmental bodies are established: elections for the president of the State, the Order of Government Ordinance, the Courts Ordinance, discussions about the flag and the symbol of the State, transferring responsibility for education to the government and more.
Includes minutes of the special meeting which was convened the day after the Altalena tragedy, a tempestuous meeting in which Ben Gurion argued with several ministers, and the proposal to establish an investigatory committee to discuss the matter was dismissed.
Condition: Moderate-fine. Aging stains. Loose binding without a spine.
Map from the game “Tiyul B’Aretz.” Map to help acquire knowledge of the Land of Israel, with the game’s instruction booklet. Published by “Sifrut, ” B. Berlau. Tel Aviv, 1946.
Specifications: [1] Map from a game, paper. 47×67 cm.
[1] Instruction booklet: [6] leaves, paper and cover. 15×25 cm.
[1] Lid of the game box, paper. 19×26 cm.
Unique Features: The game “Tiyul B’Aretz” has six tracks to deepen familiarity with the Land of Israel. The game map is designed as a map of the Land of Israel, from Rosh HaNikra until Metula in the north, the eastern side of the Jordan and until south of the Dead Sea in the east. The map shows roads on different levels, the Hejaz railway tracks, mountains, ruins and springs, as well as Hebrew and Arab cities and settlements, orchards and more. Settlements with historical-political-moral importance at the time were emphasized with illustrations next to the name.
Binyamin Berlau [1894-1964], Israeli publisher, native of Warsaw, published children’s books and developed educational games which were meant to impart national Zionist values to Israeli children. He opened the store “Sifrut” to sell books and stationary, and the games factory on the level above.
Condition: Moderate. Tears along the fold marks. Tear with lack in the center. Some of the leaves in the instruction booklet are detached from the cover.
Kol Yaakov [Our Right to the Western Wall]: Unser Recht auf die Klagemauer, by Rabbi Dr. Avraham Y. Merik. Czernowitz, 1928.
Specifications: 14 pages, paper. 12×19 cm. German with expressions quoted in Hebrew. Title in Hebrew and German.
Unique Features: The booklet quotes the rabbi’s words from his speech on October 31, 1928. The background to his words was the British and Arab harassment of Jews praying at the Western Wall in those years. About a month before the speech was delivered, the “Kotel Affair” broke out: On Yom Kippur 1928, armed British policemen entered the area of the Western Wall, destroyed the screen which served as a partition between men and women, and removed the benches on which the worshippers sat. The Mufti Haj Amin incited against the Jews and intensified the situation. As a result of protests from the Jews in Israel and worldwide regarding the harrassment and the insult to the worshippers, the British established the “commission to determine the rights and claims under dispute of the Muslims and the Jews at the Western Wall.” The British authorities eventually determined that the Western Wall alleyway belongs to the Arabs but that the Jews have the right to pray there.
Background: Rabbi Dr. Avraham Yaakov Mark [1884-1941], studied Torah with his grandfather, Rabbi Ephraim of Jagielnica and with Rabbi Mordechai Pohorila. He was ordained by Rabbi Binyamin Weiss, and served as Av Beit Din of Ustrzyki when he was only 20 years old. Served as the Chief Rabbi of Czernowitz and the Jews of Bucovina from 1926 onward. Active in Austria and Romania and well known throughout the Jewish world. He was murdered by the Nazis in the massacre of the Jews of Czernowitz.
Condition: Fine-very fine, a few stains, fold mark.
Hagaddat HaAtzmaut by [Aharon Megged]. Tel Aviv, General Staff/Israeli Manpower Directorate, Education Corps, IDF. 1952. Retracted edition.
Specifications: [20] leaves, 20 cm.
Unique Features: Description of the War of Independence and the establishment of the State of Israel in the style of the Passover Haggada, for Independence Day. Written in a poetic, literary style. Many black and white photographs from the beginning of the state. One page features all IDF emblems.
The text of the haggada was created especially for Yom Ha’azmaut. The similarities to the original ‘Passover Haggada’ – not just in format, but also including the consumption of four cups of wine – created a piercing controversy within the young State. The religious community demanded that the Haggada be destroyed, and this edition was eventually retracted. Rare.
Condition: Very fine. Bound in an original, colored jacket binding. Part of the map on the back binding leaf has a small stain.
‘Imrei Shefer’: Poetry and song, for morals and lessons … as a memory for my estate … Meir She’en. At the end of the manuscript: Rosh HaShana Eve, 1914.
Specifications: 336, XXIV leaves, paper. 14X22 cm.
Unique Features: In the introduction, the author praises creativity in the Hebrew language, and criticizes those who wrote in inferior Hebrew and write Hebrew literature “Full of delusions, works of wooers and matters of darkness, ” he tells of his history and distress which brought him, at the advice of his friends, to collect all his writings into this work, and explains the reason for the name of the book.
Meir She’en , son of Yaakov Simcha and Mrs. Raizel, son-in-law of Rabbi “Wonderous Torani and rabbinic … Rabbi Moshe Ungar, ztz”l.” As arises from the book, the author was exposed to learning the Hebrew language and began to write poems and letters in it under the influence of youths who learned with him in yeshiva. He was an author, cantor and slaughterer many years in the service of his community. In his later years, after he was fired due to false claims and found no source of livelihood, he came almost to the point of having only a loaf of bread. Also, he still had a daughter left and was without means to marry her off. A picture appears before the title page.
Condition: Detached title page. Very fine condition.
