Chamishah Chumshei Torah [PENTATEUCH, HAPHTAROTH AND FIVE SCROLLS], With commentaries of rashi, targums, etc.

Among the compositors listed in the colophon is "Jacob, Son of the Sage Moshe Rephael de Cordova of the Holy Congregation in Brazil." - an early record of a rabbinic scholar in the new world. This Bible with traditional commentaries appeared without a main title-page in the front of the volume, but with a full title-page for the section of Haftarot (second collation.) The Haftarot title page is dated 1682, however no printer is mentioned. The copy that Fuks records (Hebrew Typography in the Northern Netherlands no. 603) does contain a title-page in the front - but one dated 1703. Fuks explains that the entire volume was indeed printed in 1682, however in that year Christoffel van Gengelt, an Amsterdam paper merchant, placed ninety sheets of this edition in the warehouse of his creditor Josephus Deutz. At some point the sheets were released and the complete volume was issued sans a main title-page. Later, in 1703, a title-page with that date was issued and added to some copies. On the final page of the Book of Exodus (f. 165v) is listed the typesetter: "Yaakov ben HaChacham HaShalem HaMekubal Moshe Raphael di Cordova MiKahal Kadosh Brazil.” Di Cordova was an experienced typesetter working not only for Uri Phoebus, but also for David de Castro Tartas, Moses Coitinho and others. For Tartas, he was the compositor for David Lida's Shir Hilulim (1680) and in 1681- while known simply as Jacob de Cordovera - he composed “Parafrasis Commentada sobre el Pentateucho” by Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, former Rabbi of Recife. Rephael de Cordova, one of the exiles of the Jewish community in Dutch Recife, was active as a compositor upon resettling in Brazil. In less than half a dozen volumes does he specifically identify himself in a colophon as one of the Brazilian exiles. See R. Weinstein, “Stones of Memory” in: American Jewish Archives Vol. XLIV (1992) pp. 106-7. This Bible edition is "of the utmost rarity and unknown to bibliographers". See Mendel Silber, America BeSifrut Yirsrael (1920) p. 69.