Torah Or [Kabbalistic homilies to the Book of Genesis]

Estimate

$300–$500

Hammer price

$250

Historical auction record. Hammer prices exclude buyer’s premium and taxes.

author

SAMUEL BEN JOSEPH HAKOHEN

printer

Giovanni di Gara

Place

Venice

Publication

1600-05

Description

FIRST EDITION. Title within architectural arch

references

Vinograd, Venice 903; Habermann, di Gara 203; Mehlman 899

summary

According to Habermann and Yudlov, the author intended to publish a second part to this work focusing on the Book of Exodus. The Mehlman copy of the Torah Or, contains the unfinished commentary (until Parshath Bo only) USE FOR ANOTHER TIME: There is discussion among bibliographers whether the chronogram should be deciphered as 1600 or 1605. Perhaps instructive in this regard is the fact that the author mentions on a few occasions "the recently published Tikkunim Chadashim," i.e., Zohar Chadash (see e.g. f.33r.). The first edition of Zohar Chadash is Salonika 1597, the second edition Cracow 1603. (See G. Scholem, Bibliographia Kabbalistica [1933], p. 175.) If there were some way of proving that the Author made use of the second Cracow edition, that would clinch that the book was published ihn 1605 as opposed to 1600

ff. 307 (of 360) lacks - as most all copies final 58 leaves, the commentary to the first two portions of the Book of Exodus. Some staining and mostly marginal worming. Old cloth-backed boards, rubbed. 4to

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