She’eloth u-Teshuvoth / Dinei Shechitoth u-Bedikoth [Laws of Ritual Slaughter and Inspection in the form of Questions and Answers]

(FRENCH JUDAICA)

Carpentras

1777

Square Hebrew lettering with nikud. Hand-drawn endpiece. On front fly: “Ce livre apartien a Moyse Cremieux Juif de la ville de Carpentre” [This book belongs to Moïse Cremieux, Jew of the city of Carpentras]. Also, “Ce livre apartien a Moyse Cremieux citoyen de la ville de St. Esprit, 1796” [This book belongs to Moïse Cremieux citizen of the city of St. Esprit, 1796]. The Hebrew colophon reads: “Na’asu al yadei ha-tza’ir Yitzchak …, shochet de-matha k”k Carpentras, ha-yom k”b le-chodesh Sivan, shenath h’tkl”z la-yetzirah. Na’asu ba-ad tzivuy ha-bachur Moshe ben Yoseph Carmi, shochet“ [Done by the youth Isaac …, ritual slaughterer of the holy congregation of Carpentras, today, 22 Sivan, 5537 anno mundi. Executed for the youth Moses ben Joseph Cremieux, ritual slaughterer]

In the two inscriptions on the fly leaf one sees the transformation of “Moses Cremieux, Jew” to “Moses Cremieux, Citizen.” One assumes the earlier inscription predates the French Revolution and the granting of citizenship to the Jews of France, while the later 1796 inscription reflects this newly won privilege