Huge, Important Collection - Approximately 200 Bibles and Chumashim - Including Rare Editions, Early Items from the ...

Huge, Important Collection - Approximately 200 Bibles and Chumashim - Including Rare Editions, Early Items from the 16th Century, Various Editions of Mendelssohn and his Disciples' Commentary and Many More Important Items
Several of the copies contain important signatures.
Following is a list of some of the items included in the collection.

Important and Rare Bibles
• Torah, Nevi'im Ketuvim, twenty four holy scriptures. Frankfurt, 1692.
Two title page" Hebrew title page with a nice engraving and a title page in a foreign language. On this title page the year 1711. However, at the end of the Hebrew preface, the year noted is 1710. The date of the colophon is 1692. According to the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, it is most likely that the book was printed in 1692; yet, in 1711 or 1712, new title pages were added and it was republished. The bible was proofread by early, precise books (according to the preface).
[12], 686, [22] leaves. 21 cm.
Condition: Excellent. Thick volume. Rare, special item. Original leather-covered wooden binding with nice decorations. Remains of buckles. Ownership inscriptions in a foreign language. Among the leaves of the book, several handwritten glosses in a foreign language.

• Torah, Nevi'im Ketuvim, twenty four holy scriptures. Frankfurt, 1692.
An additional copy of the above.
This copy contains hundreds of long, handwritten glosses in a foreign language from the 19th century.
Condition: Excellent. Detached, ancient leather binding.

• Bible, Amsterdam, 1705.
Two copies. Both contain the two sections: Torah and Nevi'im Rishonim (with a special title page for each section). In one of the volumes, a title page with a copperplate illustration was added.
Includes a long Latin preface and Latin approbations by the academic scholars of Holland.
[26] 333 [22] leaves.
Condition: Very Good.

• Bible. Frankfurt am Mein, 1716.
[6] leaves. 10 pp, [1] 686 [2]] leaves. 20 cm.
Condition: Very Good.

• Bible. Halle, 1720.
Latin title page. On its upper part "Twenty Four Holy Books". A title page that differs from the known copies! An impressive illustration on the half-title page.
[32], 332; [16], 334-448 [1] leaves. An especially thick volume.
Condition: Very Good.

• Bible. Frankfurt, 1738.
On the title page it is written that the book was printed according to manuscripts.
Extremely rare edition. Does not appear in the National Library or in other libraries in Israel.
Hebrew text. Most of the introduction and preface are in Latin.
Many inscriptions and glosses.
44 leaves.
Condition: Good. The first leaves are worn and loose.

• Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim. Amsterdam, 1753.
The first page is an Impressive copperplate illustration on the half-title page.
Second title page in a foreign language, with inscription in red ink.
The book contains folded pages of illustrations. Four pages of illustrations (on a folding leaf) were glued at the beginning of Shemot and four additional ones were glued at the beginning of Vayikra.
[11], 640, 320, 384, [1], 79, [1], 72 pp. [8] pp. of folded illustrations. 20 cm.
Condition: Excellent. Tears on the illustrations due to folding. Back binding is missing.

• Bible. Leipzig, 1756.
[7], 516, 580, [4] pp.
Condition: Good.

• Bible. Halle, 1822.
With Latin prefaces and long research appendices about the terminology of the Bible.
1334, 140, 112 pp.
Condition: Good. Red edges. Loose binding.

• Large format Bible, impressive edition. Oxford, 1818.
Two sections bound together. English. Rare edition, does nor appear in the National Library.
Large format, with dozens of nice engravings depicting different scences of the Bible and the New Testament.
32 cm.
Condition: Very Good. Golden edges. Impressive binding with golden illustrations. Detached back binding.

• Bible. Leipzig, 1826.
Extremely rare edition, bibliographically unknown and does not appear in libraries in Israel.
Gothic German text.
584 pp.
Condition: Good. Original binding. Slight wear.

• Bible. London, 1836.
[2], 280, 315 leaves.
Condition: Good.

• Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim. Halle, 1767.
With a Latin preface and Latin lexicon.
Thick volume. The last leaf of the lexicon is most likely missing. The lexicon has a separate title page. Separate partial title pages for Nevi'im and Ketuvim.
75; 48; [1]; 79; 1334, xvi pp.
Condition: Detached, original binding. Colorful edges.

• Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, Gothic German. Berlin, 1838.

• The German Bible for the Jewish family. With 154 engravings and illustrations by Gustave Dore. Stuttgart, 1874.
The first rare edition of the Gustave Dore's bible for Jews. Large, impressive copy.
42 cm.
Thick volume. Thick, high-quality leaves. Wide margins. Golden edges. Detached, original binding, impressively engraved.

• Bible proofread by Meir Ha'Levi Letteris. Berlin, 1903.
Condition: Good.

• Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, vowelized and with cantillation note. Printed by the America Company for Holy Books. Constantinople, 1898.
Thick volume.
Condition: Good. Stains.

The 16th century - Special editions
• Bereshit. Antwerp, 1566. Rare copy.
From the edition of the bible which was printed by Cristoforo Plantetz by the order of Minister Bomberg and in the Bomberg letters. The illustrated title page has an architectural frame.
An alternate copy, that is, a white blank leaf was bound between any two leaves. Extremely rare!
Lacking copy: before us are the leaves up to leaf 61, the end of Parashat Vayechi. It is most likely that one leaf is missing to complete the book of Bereshit.
Ancient parchment binding.
17 cm.

• Mikra'ot Gedolot. Basel, 1618.
Tehilim with the Rashi and Ebn Ezra commentaries, Mishlei with the Rashi, Ebn Ezra and Ralbag commentaries, Job with the Rashi, Ebn Ezra and Ralbag commentaries, Daniel with the Rashi, Ebn Ezra and Rabbi se'adya Gaon commentaries, Ezra with the Rashi and Ebn Ezra commentaries, Divrei Ha'Yamim with the Rashi and Radak commentaries, the five scrolls with the Rashi and Ebn Ezra commentaries. Basel, 1618.
The fourth sections of the four sections of the edition of Mikra'ot Gedolot which was published in Basel. All the sections were printed almost word-for-word according tot the Venice edition, Daniel Bomberg, 1547-1549.
Nice, illustrated title page with an architectural frame.
On the second title page, ownership inscriptiosn: "Yoel ben Shalom … 5539 (1779)". An additional early signature: "Ya'akov … Moshe Rechnitz…"
707-946, 7 leaves. 39 cm.
Condition: Good-Fair. Wear. Stains. Loose, ancient leather binding.

Large collection of volumes of "Ha'Biur"
Moshe ben Menachem Mendelssohn of Dessau, father of the Haskalah, the Jewish Enlightenment movement, and father of the Ashkenazic translation and commentary on the bible.
His objective was double: to translate the bible into German and to write a new commentary on the bible, explaining the literal meaning of the text according to the rules of the Hebrew language.
Immediately with its publication, the commentary was a great success and several editions of it were printed.
Mendelssohn himself wrote the translation of the Torah in Hebrew letters. The commentary was the work of others too: the commentary on Bereshit was written by Reb Shlomo of Dubna, on Vayikra by Reb Naftali Hirz Wessely, on Bamidbar by Aharon Friedental and on several Parshot of Devarim by Hertz Hamburg.
The last volume was published in 1783 and then Mendelssohn added an introduction to the complete series, titled "Or Le'Netivah". He also wrote a commentary on Kohelet. Actually, the commentary on Kohelet was the first to be printed. See next item. After his death, the members of the Haskalah movement continued his enterprise and wrote a translation and commentary on the other twenty four books.

Before us are dozens of volumes of early editions of the commentary and translation, both of the Pentateuch and the other twenty four books. Most of them are in very good condition.

Following is a partial list:
• First edition of "Ha'Biur" of the bible by Mendelssohn's disciples.
Shmuel A, translation and commentary by Meir Obernik. Shmuel B, translation and commentary by Shmuel Detmold. Vienna, 1793. First edition!
[2], 103; 88 leaves.
Condition: Excellent. Impressive binding.

• Derech Selulah. Furth, 1802.
A nice, complete edition of 'Ha'Biur'. Nicely engraved title pages. Second, detailed title page.
Five volumes: Bereshit, Shemot, Vayikra, Bamidbar, Devarim.

• Sulzbach. 1830-1837.
Complete set. Five volumes.
Condition: Very Good. Part of them are with leather bindings.

• Netivot Ha'Shalom. Vienna, 1817-1818. At the end of some of the volumes before us, "Luach Ha'ta'ut" was printed, which does not appear in some of the copies of libraries in Israel.
Shemot. 1818. [3], 256, 98, [2] leaves. Includes the Haftarot and Esther,
Bamidbar. 1817. At the beginning of the book, preface by the printer and by Hertz Hamburg. Includes the Haftarot. [4], 194, 61, [1] leaves. Dozens of handwritten glosses and corrections.
Yehoshua-Shoftim. 1817. [8], 93 leaves. [1], 100, [2] leaves. At the beginning of the volume, prefaces to the two books and at its end, a table of error corrections for both.
Yirmiyahu. 1817. [8], 198, [1] leaves. Includes the "Luach Ha'Taut".
Five scrolls. 1818. [1], 166, [8], [20] leaves. Rare copy. Includes [8 pages] of subscribers. At the end of the book [20 leaves] of "Luach Ha'Taut" and at their end, words by the proofreader about his work. Stamps: "Aharon Zvi Friedman … New York". Added is an additional copy without "Luach Ha'taut", yet with a portrait of David Friedlander, the translator of Kohelet.
Trei Assar. 1817. [20], 227 leaves,
Divrei Ha'Yamim. 1817. With a translation and commentary by Detmold. [8], 203, [1] leaves. Many corrections throughout the translation and commentary.
Added are two additional copies of later editions: Tehilim. Vienna, 1839. Commentary by Yoel Brill. Fifth edition. 157 leaves. An impression on the binding: "Itzik Leib".
Yehoshua-Shoftim. Vienna, 1827. 93, 100 leaves.

• Kiryah Ne'emanah. Furth, 1804-1826.
Divrei Ha'Yamim. 1821. Signatures and inscriptions by Rabbi Avraham Rbinowitz, the grandson of Hagra's brother.
Yehoshua with Ashkenazic translation and commentary. 1805. Translation and commentary by Reb Meir Obernik. Copper engraving.
Mishlei. 1805. Two title pages. First title page with a copper engraving.
Daniel, 1823.
Divrei Ha'Yamim B. 1822.
Yirmiyahu. 1810.
Shoftim. 1805.
Ezra and nechemya. 1818.
Yesha'ayahu. 1807.
Mekachim A-B. 1805.
Shmuel A-B. 1805.
Condition: Good-Excellent.

• Netivot Ha'Shalom. Vilnius, 1848-1853.
Netivot Ha'Shalom, Devarim. Vilnius, 1852. Two title pages.
Shemot. 1850.
Yesha'ayahu. 1849.
Yehoshua. 1848. Includes the Hagra commentary.
Bamidar. 1852.
Melachim. 1849.
Yechezkel. 1850.
Job. 1853.
Condition: Fair-Very Good.

• Netivot Ha'Shalom and the commentary by Shmuel David Luzzatto.
The Pentateuch with Mendelssohn's commentary and the commentary by Shmuel David Luzzatto. Netivot Ha'Shalom. Vienna, 1846-1848. Each section has two title pages. The first one is illustrated.
Devarim, Bamidbar, Shemot.
Condition: Fair-Very Good.

• Kiryah Ne'emanah. Dyhernfurth, 1825-1828. Condition: Good-Excellent.
Yehoshua-Shoftim, 1825.
Shmuel, 1825.
Melachim A-B with separate title pages. 1825.
Yecha'yahu. 1826.
Yechezkel. 1824.
Tehilim. 1826-1827. Includes 3 tables-illustrations (of musical instruments). Commentary by Yoel Brill.
An additional volume of Tehilim, third-fifth books. 1816.
Job. 1827, bound with Mishlei. 1828.
Daniel, Ezra, Nechemya. 1827.
Divrei Ha'Yamim A-B. 1827.
(Missing from the set: Yirmiyahu, Trei Assar).

• Or Le'Yisrael Bible. (1839-1843). With a preface and commentary by Raphael Firstentel.
Bamidbar (with Ruth).
Tehilim.
Yechezkel.
Yirmiyahu.
Yehoshua, Shoftim, Shmuel, Melachim.
Divrei Ha'yamim.
Yesh'ayahu.

• Netivot Ha'Shalom. Vienna, 1795.
The Pentateuch with translation and commentary by Mendelssohn.
Bereshit. Wein, 1795. Long preface by Moshe ben Rabbi Menachem Mendel Sofer. In some of the copies, leaves with the commentaries of Onkelos and Rashi and the Haftarot were added. The copy before us includes these leaves. The first leaves are missing. Condition: good. On the Forsatz leaf: birth inscriptions from 1816-1828. Ownership signature on the title page: Ya'akov David ben Rabbi Moshe".
An additional copy of Bereshit. Condition: Good. Many signatures in a foreign language.
Four additional volumes: Shemot, Bayikra, Bamidbar and Devarim with original bindings.

• Ha'Biur. Vilnius, 1851-1853. "Printed according to our rabbis"
The set of Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim. Vilnius, 1851-1853. With the commentary by Mendelssohn.
On the Hebrew title page: "Printed according to our rabbis", which are listed. Among them, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the "Tzemach tzeddek" of Lubavitch! Articles written on the subject indicate that this is a forgery of the members of the Haskalah movement who wanted to print these book and teach them in Jewish schools, while actually the rabbis, including the "Tzemach Tzeddek", strongly objected to their publication and teaching in schools. Some of the rabbis mentioned by name as approving the publishing of the book were actually biased rabbis or simply intellectual authors … There are also other opinions on the subject.
The volumes were printed during the years 1851-1853 in two similar editions, one of the m with a German translation, which was printed in St. Petersburg and bound at the end of each volume with a special title page.

The Pentateuch - Special Editions
• The Pentateuch, "which is Tikun Sofrim proofread according to the Holy Tongue … with the Don Isaac Abarbanel commentary and novellae by Rabbi Shaul Levinstam Av beit Din of Amsterdam:. 1868.
Leib Zusmensch printing press.
Separate title page for each Chumash. Th efirst illustrated title page is missing.
Thick volume, in a cardboard case (original?). important approbations.
Condition: Good. The first leaves are worn.

• The Pentateuch, with Esther, "Tikun Sofrim", the laws of raeding the Torah by the Gaon of Lisa. Warsaw, 1838. Extremely rare.
Is not listed by the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book.
[1], 112, 5 leaves. Ancient ownership inscriptions.

• The Pentateuch, with alternate versions from ancient manuscripts, by K.D. Ginzburg. London, 1909.

• The Pentateuch. Berlin, published by Soncino, 1930-1933. Limited edition.
According to the Massorah and old and new printings and according to the Ginzburg edition 1926. The printing of the Chumash continued from 1930 until 1933. 850 copies were printed on Van Gelder paper and six on parchment, for the subscribers Yehuda Yechezkel, Zvi Meir and Shlomo Zalman Shoken.
The book was published booklet by booklet. The copy before us, with a German preface which was added to the first booklet before us, contains the first two booklets (Bereshit and the first three chapters of Shemot).
The edition had not been completed due to the war.
134 leaves. 40 cm.

• The Pentateuch with Russian translation, column by two columns. Berlin, 1873.
Half-title page and two title pages. Hebrew and Russian.
Third edition of that year.
276 pp. [1] 540 columns.
Condition: good. Slight damage to title page. Stamps and signatures with ownership inscriptions in Russian.


• The Pentateuch, with the Haftarot and five scrolls. Sulzbach, Chaim Frank printing press, 1843.
[1], 55; 46; 33; 46; 39; [1]; 60, [1] leaves.
Condition: Fair. No binding.

• The Pentateuch, with Yemen translation. Jerusalem, 1894-1901.
The Pentateuch with Onkelos and the translation by Rabbi Se'adya Gaon (Arabic in Hebrew characters), copied from the Yemen books. The text and the two translations appear verse by verse.
Two volumes. Separate title page for each Chumash.
Bereshit, 1894. [1], 79 leaves.
Shemot. 1898. [1], 69 leaves.
Vayikra. 1899. [1] leaves.
Bamidbar. 1900. [1], 59 leaves.
Devarim. 1901. [1], 54 leaves.
Condition: Excellent.


• The Pentateuch, Bereshit, according to the Tikun by Rabbi wolf Heidenheim. Wein, 1856. Rare.
Several words on the title page are in red ink.
According to the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, sections A-D have not been seen.
This Bereshit does not appear in the National Librray.
Twenty leaves at the end are missing.
Condition: Good.

• Mikrah, Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim. Leipzig, 1858.
This section of the Pentateuch includes dozens of woodcut illustrations (the complete bible includes 500 such illustrations).
On each page, the text of the Torah with German translation and commentary. The illustrations are integrated into the text.
Before the title page, an illustration of Moses with the Stone Tablets.
1002 pp. 25 cm.
Detached binding.

Additional rare items
• Commentary on Nevi'im Rishonim by Don Isaac Abrabanel. Leipzig, 1686. Second edition.
Includes a Latin and Hebrew introduction by the proofreader - the convert Friedrich Albrecht Christian, whose former name was Baruch Ben Moshe of Proistitz.
Ancient signature: "Yekutiel Ziskind ben … Hirzt" (it is most likely that he is Av Beit Din of Ashave, the father of Rabbi Raphael of Hamburg). Additional ancient signatures.
Condition: Good-Very Good.
• Ketuvim, "Magishei Mincha", with the Rashi commentary and an Ashkenazic translation with Tzor letters. Amsterdam, 1793.
Fourth section of the four sections of the bible of this edition printed by Yochanan Levi Rofeh and his brother-in-law Baruch.
Mishlei, Job, Daniel, Ezrah and Nechemya, Divrei Ha'yamim. Each with a separate title page.
The numbering of the leaves is a continuation of the section of Nevi'im Achronim: title page, 181-536.
These sections do not appear in the National Library!
17 cm.
Condition: Good. Worn binding.

Important Tehilim Books
• Tehilim. Amsterdam, 1816. Has not been cut during its printing.
The printing press of Yochana Levi Rofeh and his son Binyamin. At the end of the book, Shimush Tehilim, most likely missing its end. Extremely rare.
• Tehilim. Hanover, 1841.
On the title page, an illustration of King David playing a musical instrument.
Height: 9 cm. Width: 11.5 cm.
Stains of use.
• Miniature Tehilim. Berlin, 1927.
173 pp. 8.5 cm.
Various Arabic inscriptions.

This list is only part of the list of books included in this important collection, which includes about 200 different items!
Important collection!