Seven leaves of Tractate Gittin (from Chaps. IV-V): ff. 78, 79, 81(in duplicate), 84, 87, 100. With several other leaves (glued within old binding), including f. 88 and a duplicate of f. 87

(TALMUD, BABYLONIAN)

Abraham ben Yedidyah Gabbai (Kaf Nachath)

Salonika

1707

Vinograd, Salonika 208

Salonika imprints of the Talmud are extremely rare. Our own edition, produced by Abraham Gabbai, is Salonika's seventh edition of the Talmud. Concerning Tractate Gittin of this edition, Mehlman records there are extant five leaves (from Chaps. I, II, IV) in the Benayahu Collection; four leaves (from Chap. V) in the Mehlman Collection; and six leaves in the Ben-Zvi Institute. Thus, based on quantity alone, the leaves offered hereare unsurpassed. In Ginzei Yisrael (no. 157), Mehlman elaborates by saying that the four leaves in his collection are foliated 89-91 and correspond to ff. 55-56 in the standard Vilna Sha"s. See Mehlman, Genuzoth Sepharim, p. 61, no. 25; Rabbinowicz, Ma'amar al Hadpasath HaTalmud, pp.100-101, 226; I. Rivkind, "Siphrei Saloniki," Kiryath Sepher I (1924-5), pp. 294-6; M. Heller, Printing the Talmud: A History of the Earliest Printed Editions of the Talmud, pp. 293-297; idem, Printing the Talmud: A History of the Individual Treatises Printed from 1700 to 1750, pp. 328-332