Parchment manuscript, Memorbuch (memorial book) of the Ràppschwihr (Ribeauvillé, Alsace) community, [1731-1867].

Ashkenazic square and cursive scripts, on parchment leaves. Some initial words in red ink, and some decorated.

Illustrated title page. Written within the illustration: "Memorbuch, i.e. memorial for the souls of the righteous and pure… donated by the lofty chief, officer and community leader… R. Meir son of community leader R. Yekel Weil, to the synagogue here in Ràppschwihr in the year 1731".

On p. 19a, colophon of original manuscript (before the later additions): "Memorbuch is completed, 22nd Cheshvan 1731, by the scribe Meir, Torah scribe, prayer leader and official here in Ràppschwihr".

On verso of second leaf, inscription by the scribe "Meir Netter", dated 1853, stating that he went over the manuscript and retraced the letters.

Memorbuchs were commonly used in Ashkenazi communities to commemorate the deceased members of the community in the yizkor prayers on Shabbat. They included the text of the prayers recited between the Torah reading and musaf, with the addition of special lists memorializing the leading German Torah scholars and the many Jews martyred in the numerous massacres suffered in Ashkenazi lands over the generations, as well as lists memorializing the rabbis of the local community.

The present manuscript includes: Yizkor memorial service for early rabbis of Germany and France (leaf 2), yizkor for rabbis and residents of Ràppschwihr, in various hands, until the 1840s (leaves 3-4, 8-10, 19-20); yizkor for martyrs of communities and yeshivas killed and burned "for the unity of G-d's name" (leaves 5-7; contains names of many yeshiva deans); texts of prayers recited on the bimah, including prayers for the government (see below), blessings over the Megillah for Purim and order of blowing the shofar for Rosh Hashanah; high holiday prayer for the prayer leader and order of changing a name.

Many of the deceased are from the famous Weil family. Some of the deceased were martyred; for example, on p. 3b: "The martyr R. Refael son of Yitzchak HaLevi… who sacrificed his life to sanctify G-d's name and was burned alive and suffered harsh affliction and torture… burned in Metz, 25th Shevat 1670".

There existed a Jewish community in medieval Ràppschwihr (Ribeauvillé). The modern history of the Ràppschwihr community begins in the 17th century, and it was the residence of the provincial rabbi from the early 18th century. The rabbis who lived there, who are mentioned in the present manuscript, are: R. Yaakov son of R. Yitzchak HaKohen (d. 1722), R. Shmuel Zanvil Weil (mechutan of R. Yaakov Reischer, the Shevut Yaakov; served from 1711 until his passing in 1753), R. Meshulam Zissel Enosh of Frankfurt am Main (served from 1753 until his passing in 1787), R. Naftali son of R. Yishai (d. 1817), R. Shmuel Blum (d. 1820) and R. Eliezer Lipman Mayer (the first to approve of machine matzot, invented by his fellow townsman R. Itzik Singer in 1838; served from ca. 1820 until his passing in 1849). R. Shlomo Ze'ev (Wolf) Klein, Rabbi of Colmar and the Upper Rhine (d. 1868) is also mentioned.

The list of German and French rabbis includes: the Maharam of Rottenburg; Rabbeinu Peretz. Rabbeinu Gershon[!] Meor HaGolah; R. Shimon son of R. Yitzchak (R. Shimon HaGadol); Rashi; Rabbeinu Tam, Rashbam and Rivam; Maharil; R. Yisrael author of Terumat HaDeshen; Rabbeinu Chananel; Rivan; Ri HaZaken; R. Shimshon (Rash) of Sens and his brother the Ritzba; and others.

The prayer for the government in the original manuscript is HaNoten Teshuah LaMelachim (p. 13b; the names of the king and his family are deleted). Another version which was adopted in France was added later, beginning "Elohim Chaim Melech Olam" (on which see: HaMaayan, XXXII, pp. 54-55). This formula appears twice in the present manuscript (on p. 19b, with the title: "Prayer for our master the Emperor", and on p. 21a; the names in these prayers are also deleted).

Inscription on binding: "Martyrologe" (record of martyrs; French). The double leaf 10-11 was added at a later date, and is made from a different parchment.

[1], 21 leaves (parchment). 25.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains. Several tears. Original leather binding, damaged, partially detached.

Manuscript, Yom Kippur machzor, according to the rite of the communities of Carpentras and southern France. Venasque, France, 1653.

Large-format volume. Sephardic semi-cursive (Provençal) script, vocalized; handwritten by scribe R. Eliyahu Dalpuget.

Title page at beginning of manuscript: "Order of Yom Kippur according to the custom of the community of Carpentras".

The machzor contains piyyutim according to the customs of the communities of southern France, with the text of the main prayers. Marginal commentary to some piyyutim, in another hand.

Colophon at end of machzor (leaf 264): "…Order of Yom Kippur completed here in Venasque, by me… Eliyahu Dalpuget, today, 13th of Elul 1653…" (his signature appears twice more there).

The scribe, Eliyahu Dalpuget, copied many Carpentras-rite machzorim between 1645-1664, found in libraries around the world.

On leaf following colophon, the scribe copied a historical document dated 1596 relating to the recitation of piyyutim, containing a "communal agreement" of Carpentras not to recite piyyutim in the festival and high holiday Amidah prayer or in the blessings of the Shema, "but permission is granted to recite all piyyutim after the Amidah…". The reason given is that "it appeared to us, in consultation with our local Torah scholars and R. Avraham Tzahalon, a sage of Safed, that the early custom contradicted the law…". This decision was made in Adar II 1596, and it is signed by the community leaders as well as the emissary from Safed: "Avraham Tzahalon, Shmuel Dalpuget Barur, Yisrael de Monteux Barur, David Vidal, David Karmi, Crescas Bendig". The scribe of the present machzor confirms with his own signature: "Copied word for word by the undersigned, today, 13th Elul 1653… Eliyahu Dalpuget". Further down on the leaf, the scribe copies another, later decision, dated 1618: "The community agreed to recite Pitum HaKetoret twice daily, morning and afternoon, both on Shabbat, holidays, and the preceding days, as well as on weekdays, whereas it was previously the custom to recite it only on weekdays. And it was agreed to annul the previous custom in consultation with our local Torah scholars, R. Shaul Kaspi and R. Shlomo Ezovi, since they saw the virtue of Pitum HaKetoret in many places…". The agreement is signed by: "Moshe Leon Barur, Yosef de Monteux Barur, Yeshayah de Basilea, Yaakov de Lunel, Yechezkel de Digne, Yisrael d'Agde, Eliyahu Shmuel, Crescas Karmi, Yosef de Monteux, Shmuel Alfadari". This copying is also signed for confirmation by the scribe Eliyahu Dalpuget (on Yosef de Montel [de Monteux], see: Henri Gross, Gallia Judaica, Paris, 1897, p. 322; on R. Shlomo Ezovi, see: ibid., p. 611).

On back endpaper appears an inscription (in another hand) of names of community members and their place in the synagogue (the locations are given relative to the Torah ark).

Additional inscriptions on title page and colophon, including: "Immanuel de Meyrargues son of Yitzchak Chaim…", "I the writer Yitzchak Chaim de Meyrargues", "Yaakov de Roquemartine".

Censorship expuragtions to one leaf. On colophon leaf, signature of censor dated 1687.

[267] leaves. 27 cm. Fair-good condition. Stains, including large dampstains, with faded ink in several places. Few tears. Detached or loose gatherings. Original leather binding, with tears and damage.

Set of Machzorim for high holidays. Part I: Seder Ashmurot, selichot for Elul and ten days of repentance, "according to the rite of the Carpentras, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Cavaillon rite"; Part II, Rosh Hashanah service; and Part III, Yom Kippur service, "according to the Avignon rite", edited by R. Avraham Montel. Amsterdam: Hertz Levi Rofe and his son-in-law Kashman, 1763-1766.

Three volumes in original leather bindings (non-uniform).

Gilt inscriptions on both sides of second volume: "Eliezer De Carcassonne" [Eliezer of Carcassonne, southern France].

Gilt inscription on front of third volume: "Israel Ravail".

Handwritten prayer mounted on endpaper of Rosh Hashanah volume.

Signature on title page of second volume: "Joseph Vallabrègue".

Inscription on endpaper of first volume: "Yosef son of Pinchas".

In some copies of Seder Ashmurot, including the present copy, the title page reads "according to the rite of the Carpentras, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Cavaillon" instead of "according to the Avignon rite"; apart from this, the two editions are entirely identical (on the differences between the selichot rites of Carpentras and Avignon, see: Zunz, Rites of Synagogue Liturgy, Breuer-Fraenkel Hebrew translation, Jerusalem, 2016, pp. 137-138, 291-294).

The Carpentras prayer and piyyut rites are unique to the southeast French community. Its text was copied in manuscript machzorim for community members until the local scribes were unable to meet the demand. At that point a young local Torah scholar named R. Avraham son of Shmuel de Monteux (Montel) began to print the unique Carpentras prayer rite.

On the background to the publication and the work of the publisher Avraham son of Shmuel de Monteux (here called Montel), see: Sh. Schwartzfuchs, Documents on the Printing of "Mahzor Karpentrats", Alei Sefer, 6-7, 1979, pp. 145-147 (Hebrew).

Three volumes. Volume I (Selichot): [1], 82 leaves. Leaves 81-82 appear twice. Volume II (Rosh Hashanah): 60, 65-68 leaves. Volume III (Yom Kippur): 89 leaves. 24-25.5 cm. Overall good condition. Stains. Original leather bindings (non-uniform). Wear and damage to bindings (tears to spines and corners).

Before title page of first volume is bound [1] additional leaf not mentioned in the Bibliography of the Hebrew Book, with approbations of Carpentras rabbis, identical to those appearing in the other two volumes.

Zedner, p. 456; C. Roth, The Liturgy of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, in: Journal of Jewish Bibliography (1939), pages 102-103.

Tehillim, "with roots in margins". Leipzig: Melchior Lotter by Anton Margaritha, 1533.

Vocalized, with roots of words in the margins.

Four additional leaves are bound at the end of the present copy, with a Hebrew translation of several verses from the Gospel of Matthew. Some copies were bound originally without these leaves, possibly because they were intended for sale to Jews (see Kedem Catalogue 53, Lot 11).

Colophon on last leaf (Hebrew with Latin translation below): "…here in the capital city of Leipzig, in the press of Melchior Lotter by Anton Margaritha of Jewish stalk".

CB, no. 73.

Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim. Paris: Robertus Stephanus, 1544-1546. Complete set in seven pocket-size volumes.

Each title page bears the Stephanus printer's device – an elderly man standing by a tree with several falling branches and a banner that reads "Noli altum sapere" (Latin: Do not be proud). See: Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, illustration 27 and p. 135.

Gilt inscriptions on bindings, with two interlinking letters G and the inscription "Caifsottil".