Chizkuni [commentary to the Pentateuch]

Chezekiah ben Manoach

Vicenzo Conti

Cremona

1559

FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. Title letters as well as initial Chapter words historiated, f. 79r diagram of the twelve stones in the High Priest’s breast-plate. Owner’s signature in an Italian hand on f. 3a. Scattered marginalia in a square and cursive Ashkenazic hand. A well-margined copy

Vinograd, Cremona 26; Benayahu, Cremona, no. 24 (illustrated p.76)

Chezekiah ben Manoach (mid-13th century), apparently of France, was a Biblical commentator of the School of Rash”i. Although this work was included in the Venice 1524 edition of the Pentateuch, this particular Cremona edition is the first seperate edition. See EJ, Vol. VIII, cols. 459-60 (illustrated). Meir Benayahu writes that most copies of Chizkuni are lacking ff. 155-156, which were removed by Church censorship (see his Hebrew Printing at Cremona (Jerusalem, 1971), p. 211, fortunately, our copy is entirely complete.