Godines, Benjamin Senior, Ed. Me’ah Berachoth / Orden de Bendiciones

(LITURGY).

Albertus Magnus

Amsterdam

1687

Hebrew and Spanish translation face `a face. Engraved frontispiece by Jewish artist Benjamin Godines depicting Man’s Five Senses by way of the performance of five ceremonial acts. On final blank, inscription by Daniel Nunes da Costa of New York. (See J.R. Rosenbloom, A Biographical Dictionary of Early American Jews (1960), p. 28)

Vinograd, Amsterdam 550; Fuks, Amsterdam 606; Gans, Memorbook p.141; Roth, Jewish Art, col. 474

“One Hundred Blessings”: A most striking volume of collected prayers and instructions issued for Marrano refugees. Included in the Me’ah Berachoth are: the Hagadah for Passover, an index of blessings for the entire year including relevant laws and commentary according to Sephardic rite, a perpetual liturgical calendar, a recipe for Charoseth (f. 138), instructions for constructing a Mikvah, prayers for the sick, prayers for the last rites, and prayers for martyrs who were burned at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. Of interest are the ceremonies celebrating the birth of a daughter, “Zeved ha-Bath” (Fadas de la hija) (f.181), and the circumcision ceremony of proselytes and servants (ff.182-6). Me’ah Berachoth is the only known Hebrew publication by the gentile Albertus Magnus. A publisher, bookseller and bookbinder, he did not have a printing house of his own, though his name appears on several Dutch publications. It is difficult to ascertain who printed the Me’ah Berachoth for Magnus. Fuks suggests David de Castro Tartas