The Forged Jerusalem Talmud Kodashim - Two Sections - 1907-1909

The Forged Jerusalem Talmud Kodashim - Two Sections - 1907-1909

Jerusalem Talmud (forged), Kodashim tractate, with the "Cheshek Shlomo" commentary by the publisher "Shlomo Yehuda … called Friedlaender". Section A – Zevachim-Arachin, Section B – Chulin-Bechorot.

Szinervaralja (Seini), 1907-1909.

 

Shlomo Yehuda Friedlander (1860-1924), born in Beshankovichy in Russia, a strange character of a Rabbi of the Enlightenment Movement. He immigrated to Hungary, settled in "Satu Mare Keramim", a suburb of Satu Mare and proclaimed himself rabbi of that place. He was accustomed to wander throughout Hungary and Galicia and give sermons. Renowned for the deceit of the "forged Yerushalmi", when he very skillfully copied all the sayings of the Yerushalmi Kodashim brought in the books of the Rishonim integrated with sayings of the Yerushalmi of other Sedarim, and then publicized that he found an ancient manuscript of the lost Yerushalmi. This forgery tricked many rabbis and researchers. As part of the pretense, he adopted a fake identity of a descendant of the Spanish Algazi family. After his deception was discovered, he was forced to wander far away to Russia, where he was less known, to give his sermons.

 

At the beginning of the two volumes before us there are interesting approbations by the most prominent rabbis, describing the great efforts of Friedlander the publisher to figure out the ancient "manuscript"…

These approbations also refer to the rumors that the tractates are forged, yet they reject them vehemently.

At the beginning of the first section, a long, interesting essay by Friedlander reviewing the discussions and historical testimonies regarding the lost Kodashim tractate and a detailing the exceptional metamorphosis of the manuscript on whose base the volume was printed and published…

After the forgery was discovered, most of the copies of the Yerushalmi Kodashim tractate were archived and today they are most valuable!

 

The special copy before us contains additional details for example, a photocopy of the ancient "manuscript" from which the book was seemingly printed (printed on the reverse side of the title page of the first section); the complete Yerushalmi Arachin, while according to the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, only the first leaf had been printed.

An additional (detached) title page is added, printed in black-and-white (in contrast to the colorful title page of the copy before us).

Volume A: [8], 100 leaves.

Volume B: [10], 78; [1], 47 leaves.

36 cm.

Condition: Very Good. Slightly worn binding. Few time stains.