(Hayarchi). Sepher Hamanhig

ABRAHAM BEN NATHAN OF LUNEL

Solomon ben Mazal-Tov

Constantinople

1519

FIRST EDITION. Title within woodcut block floral border. A good, crisp copy

Vinograd, Const. 110; Yaari, Const. 63; Mehlman 691; not in Adams

The first work on European Minhag. A record of customs, particularly concerning prayer and synagogue functions as practiced in France, Germany, England and Spain. Its explicit purpose was to demonstrate the Halachic underpinning for every Minhag. Due to the wider circulation of Halachic decisions emananting from Spanish Rabbinic authorities, a need arose to record indigenous communal practices and so prevent confusion. A scholarly treatment of the work, with a lengthy introduction emphasizing its importance and influence was prepared by Yitzchak Raphael in 1978