Biur al HaTorah [commentary to the Pentateuch]
AUCTION 42 |
Thursday, December 18th,
2008 at 1:00
Fine Judaica: Hebrew Printed Books, Manuscripts, Graphic & Ceremonial Art
Lot 243
SFORNO, OVADIAH
Biur al HaTorah [commentary to the Pentateuch]
Venice: Giovanni Griffio 1567
Est: $500 - $700
PRICE REALIZED $900
True to the humanistic Italian-Jewish tradition, Obadiah Sforno (c.1470-c.1550) excelled in several diverse fields: philosophy, mathematics, and particularly medicine. It was he who taught the Hebrew language to the German philo-Semite Johannes Reuchlin (for which Sforno had been criticized by some).
Though written in a deceivingly simple style, Sforno’s present commentary contains great depth and offers original rationales for the various commandments (ta’amei ha-mitzvoth). Of late, Rabbi Yehuda Copperman of Jerusalem (in Hebrew) and Rabbi Ralph Pelcowitz (in English) published annotated editions of Sforno’s commentary.