Auction 62 Judaica - Books, Manuscripts, Rabbinical Letters, Ceremonial Art
Aug 28, 2018 (Your local time)
Israel
 8 Ramban St, Jerusalem.
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LOT 204:

Manuscript – Chayei Yehuda – Autobiography of Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh of Modena – Venice, 1857

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Sold for: $500
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Manuscript, Chayei Yehuda, by R. Yehuda Aryeh of Modena – autobiography, copied by R. Moses Soave. Venice, 1857. Notebook, Italian Rashi script.
Chayei Yehuda is an autobiographic account of the life of R. Yehuda Aryeh of Modena (one of the rabbis of Venice, 1571-1648), which he began writing at the age of 47, and concluded a few days before his passing at the age of 77. This book is one of the few and of the finest autobiographies in rabbinic literature from the period preceding the Emancipation. The Chida writes in Shem HaGedolim about this book: "I saw a manuscript of Chayei Yehuda by the aforementioned rabbi, which relates all that transpired to him in his lifetime for better and for worse".
The copyist writes in the colophon of the manuscript: "And so is completed the copying of the book Chayei Yehuda… from the handwriting of the author himself… I copied it for myself and for my own use, I, Moshe son of Shlomo Refael Soave… of Venice, and I completed it today, 32nd day of the Sefira, Parshat Behar 1857, here in Venice which used to be a leading Jewish city in Torah and wisdom, may G-d have mercy on myself, my wife and my four and a half (!) children, and may I not require the gifts of human beings, whose gifts are scarce and the shame is great… 1857". The copying is in Hebrew, in Italian Rashi script, with a few lines in Italian and Latin on the penultimate page.
Chayei Yehuda was published in its entirety for the first time in Kiev, 1912, by the researcher Avraham Kahana, based on this manuscript.
The copyist, Moses Soave, believed the manuscript he held and was copying from was an autograph of the author, and the publisher and additional researchers followed his opinion. Yet other researchers proved that the manuscript he possessed was not an autograph (see enclosed material).
R. Yehuda Aryeh of Modena (1571-1648) was one of the rabbis of Venice, teacher, cantor, grammarian and poet, exceptionally talented orator and preacher, scholar and erudite, original and fascinating polemist. He authored Midbar Yehuda (Venice, 1602) of his selected sermons, and many other books in print and in manuscript, including some polemic books.
The copyist, R. Moses Soave (1820-1882), was a prominent member of the Venice community, teacher, publisher and editor, collector of rare books and manuscripts. He corresponded with Shadal (mentioned in his books) and Moritz Steinschneider.
22 pages. 33.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. Folded notebook.

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