Masechta Bava Kamma [Tort Law]. With Rashi and Tosaphoth
AUCTION 9 |
Tuesday, March 28th,
2000 at 1:00
Fine Judaica: Books, Manuscripts and Works of Art
Lot 331
(TALMUD, BABYLONIAN).
Masechta Bava Kamma [Tort Law]. With Rashi and Tosaphoth
Salonika: Joseph Ya’avetz 1563
Est: $20,000 - $25,000
There is some dispute amoung bibliographers as to whether Tractate Bava Kamma was the very first Tractate printed by Joseph Ya’avetz.
Following the shocking Papal ordered Burning of the Talmud in Italy, Ya’avetz was motivated to print eight frequently learned Tractates to compensate for the tremendous loss. Mehlman in Gnuzoth Sepharim, identifies three Tractates that preceded Bava Kamma: Kiddushin, Kethubboth and Bava Metzia which were all printed in a smaller size and not corresponding to the standardized Bomberg format of the page. Upon printing the fourth Tractate, Bava Kamma, Ya’avetz came to appreciate the value of a standard pagination for students of the Talmud and therefore arranged the format according to the order of the Venetian editions. See M. J. Heller, Printing the Talmud (1992) vol. I, pp.277-283