Tzedah la-Derech [“Provision for the Way”]
AUCTION 29 |
Monday, June 20th,
2005 at 1:00
Superior Hebrew Printed Books: Singular Selections from Two Distingushed Private Collections with American-Judaica.
Lot 18
Eilenburg, Issachar Baer
Tzedah la-Derech [“Provision for the Way”]
Prague: Joseph and Judah Bak 1623
Est: $3,000 - $4,000
An important super-commentary to Rashi, the most famous Jewish Bible exegete. The author, R. Issachar Baer Eilenburg (c.1570-1623) was mentored by R. Judah Löw in the latter’s yeshivah in Prague. He later studied in Posen in the yeshivah of Rabbi Mordecai Jaffe, author of the Levush. Eilenburg served as rabbi of Austerlitz, Moravia before he was called to serve the rabbinate in Safed (see f.2b), which his premature death prevented. See JE, Vol. V, pp. 77-8.
The author was evidently proud of this work of his; he states he titled it Provision for the Way - “in the hope that it would protect [him] on [his] way to the One Above after [his] sojourn in this world