Commentary on the Torah by R. Yaakov son of R. Asher. Constantinople: Shmuel ibn Nachmias, 1514. First edition.
Fine copy.
Title page with frame decorated in fine woodcut, with figures of animals and vegetal patterns.
Fine woodcut initial panels for first letter of Bereshit and first word of each of the other four books.
First edition of the Baal HaTurim commentary on the Torah. This edition is of the short commentary, the allusions that the author included at the beginning of each Torah portion, based on numerical value and Masoretic notes, as mentioned in his introduction (p. [1b]; see below for more information on the different versions of the Baal HaTurim commentary).
An interesting tradition has it that the Rosh once admonished his son R. Yaakov for studying only the Oral Torah and not the Written Torah. R. Yaakov consequently authored the entire commentary on one Thursday night.
The title page features the printer's device of Yehudah Sason – an erect white lion against a black background, within a square frame (see: Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, Jerusalem 1944, p. 7 and p. 126, no. 8).
Colophon on p. [71b]: "The heavenly labor was completed, beautiful and pure and refined sevenfold… by the wise R. Yehudah Sason who was inspired to increase and disseminate Torah among the Jewish people, and entered the fray with his money and wealth, may G-d be satisfied with his work and may his righteousness stand forever, for him and the typesetter R. Shmuel ibn Nachmias, Amen. And it was completed on Sunday, 15th Tamuz 1514, in Constantinople…".
On last leaf, poem in praise of the book by R. Shlomo son of R. Mazal Tov.
A few censorship expurgations, with handwritten correction to margin of one leaf.
Pencil inscriptions on endpaper, handwritten by Salman Schocken. On verso of title page and last page, stamps of the "Schocken Library, Jerusalem".
[72] leaves. 19 cm. Overall good condition. Stains, including dampstains. Worming, affecting text. New parchment binding.
The Baal HaTurim commentary has been printed in several versions over the years, with differences of content. The present edition, as stated above, contains the short version, with the allusions written by the author at the beginning of each Torah portion. The second version, selected allusions from the present edition, was first printed in the margins of the Venice 1590-1591 Chumash edition (and in many editions since). The third version is the full-length commentary, first printed in Zhovkva 1806 and called the Tur HaAroch.
On the short Baal HaTurim commentary, see: A. Ahrend, HaPerush HaKatzar Shel Baal HaTurim LaTorah, Machanayim, 3, Kislev 1992, pp. 108-189.
Recorded in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book based on a copy in the British Library (the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book records only [71] leaves, probably in error).
Provenance:
1. Salman Schocken Collection, Jerusalem.
2. Kestenbaum, New York, 2 June 2003, Lot 15.
