ALFALAS, MOSES. Ho’il Moshe.* Vayakhel Moshe

(BINDING)

Daniel Zanetti

Venice

1597

Two works in one volume. FIRST EDITION. Title within architectural arch. Front end-paper with Hebrew pastedown of Treves Family. Contemporary chestnut morocco, panels alike with gilt outer foliage roll around blind triple rule border and four rule central diamond, gilt carnations in corners and in center, small gilt daisies and gilt tulips scattered about, spine with a gilt bouquet in each compartment (two damaged, crown and base slightly chipped, gilt partly rubbed off rear panel), edges red (first book) and green (second book). Contemporary ms. shelf mark on a piece of paper fixed with wax to the front pastedown and folded down over bottom edge (to be read with the book on its side)

Vinograd, Venice 830, 831; Adams M-1861,1862

A CONTEMPORARY RENAISSANCE BINDING FROM A JEWISH FAMILY LIBRARY. It is very rare to find such a fine binding on works of Judaica from the period. The book once belonged to the collection of the wealthy Treves family of Italy. In the Renaissance period, rather than standing on shelves, books were laid down, and identified not by its spine, but by a pastedown folded down over the bottom edge (as the present copy) The late 16th-century preacher Moses Alfalas was a native of Tetuan, Spanish Morocco. A contemporary of R. Judah Löw (MaHaRaL) of Prague, he too employed philosophical terms in his sermons, while giving them novel meaning. The thirteen chapters of Ho’il Moshe treat the midrashic sayings concerning the giving of the Torah to Israel. These are followed by seven chapters on the significance of circumcision. Vayakhel Moshe is a collection of 25 homilies preached in Venice, Salonika, and Tetuan. Both books contain indices by Samuel ibn Dyssos. (See EJ II, col. 596)