ASCHKENAZI, ELIEZER BEN ELIJAH HA’ROPHE. Ma’asei Hashem [commentry to the Six Days of Creation, Chapters of the Fathers, the Passover Hagadah (with text) and various Biblical portions]

(HAGADAH)

Giovanni di Gara

Venice

1583

FIRST EDITION. Title within woodcut architectural arch

Vinograd, Venice 661; Habermann, di Gara 61; Yudlov Hagadoth 30, not in Yaari, not in Adams

Eliezer Aschkenazi held influential positions in widely scattered Jewish communites from Egypt, Cyprus and Italy to the major 16th century centers in Poland, where he died. As a biblical exegete, Aschkenazi follows the rationalist trend in rabbinical scholarship. He suggests that irrational elements in Jewish tradition had occurred due to copyists’ errors, misunderstandings and misreadings, or had been precipitated in times of trouble and expulsions, or even inserted by adversaries. Aschkenazi’s commentary on the Hagadah annotates in an aggadic vein alongside a mystical explication, it served as a basis for later commentators. It was very popular and has been republished numerous times to this day. Aschkenazi attacked Rabbi Judah Löw of Prague’s Gevuroth Hashem who differs in his view of the redemption from Egypt.