Michtav Eliyahu [commentary to Shir HaShirim and Book of Habakuk].

Auction 94 | Thursday, June 17th, 2021 at 11:00am
Rare & Excellent Hebrew Printed Books: From the Library of Arthur A. Marx

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Lot 124
ELIJAH, GAON OF VILNA.

Michtav Eliyahu [commentary to Shir HaShirim and Book of Habakuk].

<<FIRST EDITION.>> Karl Fischer censorship certification in Latin on title-page. Four-page list of Prenumeranten (subscribers). ff. (4), 24. Few marginal repairs. Modern marbled boards. 4to. Vinograd, Prague 1107.

Prague: Franz Sommer 1811

Est: $600 - $900
PRICE REALIZED $550
Six of the Gra’s works were published in the space of five years (1810-15) in a project undertaken by Dayan Shimon Oppenheim of Pest, Hungary. In a message clearly mandated by the censor to this work, the publisher exhorts the reader not to think that the term ‘Oved Kochavim’ (idolator) applies to the Christians of today “in whose shade we shelter… rather, we are obligated to pray for their welfare.” For an examination by Elli Fischer on the subscription list to this work, see https://blog.hamapah.org/mapping/reception-of-the-vilna-gaon-in-central-europe/.