Manuscript, lengthy letter by R. Immanuel Aboab, on the behavior of Jewish merchants who waited too long to leave the Iberian Peninsula. [Amsterdam, late 17th to early 18th century]. Portuguese. Scribal copy.

The present manuscript is the only one known to be written in Portuguese, the dominant spoken language among the former Marranos in Amsterdam. Written in Amsterdam (based on watermarks) but evidently translated from a Spanish original dated ca. 1626-1627.

The letter discusses Marranos who, for financial or other reasons, refused to leave the Iberian Peninsula and continued to live under the Inquisition. The letter also discusses those Marranos who, though having immigrated to a country with greater freedom for open practice of Judaism – France, Flanders, Italy or the Ottoman Empire – did not join the existing Jewish communities, did not openly return to Judaism, or in some cases returned to Spain. The letter includes discussion of the Marranos with respect to their honest and dishonest business practices, fashion, gambling, their success in their new lands, and more. R. Imanuel Aboab begs the Marranos to return fully to Judaism and join communities in Europe, such as Amsterdam, Venice, Livorno or the Ottoman Empire.

Pages numbered with catchwords; erasures and corrections.

R. Imanuel Aboab (ca. 1555-1628) was born in Porto, Portugal to a distinguished family of Spanish exiles whose members included R. Yitzchak Aboab, author of Menorat HaMaor, and R. Yitzchak Aboab of Castile. He was orphaned as a child and was raised in the home of his grandfather Avraham, and in 1585 he moved to Italy in order to openly return to Judaism. He wandered from city to city in Italy, including Pisa, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara and Venice, and in the course of his travels he participated in theological debates with Christian scholars, managing a vast correspondence on ethics and Biblical exegesis. He served as rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community of Venice. He authored his Nomologia between 1615-1625; in 1628 he immigrated to Eretz Israel, following his daughter Gracia, who had established yeshivas in Safed and Jerusalem, and he passed away there.

Cecil Roth published Immanuel Aboab's letter in Spanish, which is extant in a small number of manuscripts that circulated among the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of converso origin.

For further information, see:

• Cecil Roth, Immanuel Aboab's Proselytization of the Marranos. From an Unpublished Letter, Jewish Quarterly Review, XXIII, 2 (1932), pp. 121-162.

• Moises Orfali, Imanuel Aboab's Nomologia or discursos legales: The Struggle over the Authority of the Law, Jerusalem 1997 (Hebrew).

Provenance: Mozes Heiman Gans collection, no. 14.

[44] leaves. 20.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including light dampstains. Creases. Tears and minor holes to margins, not affecting text. Pen inscriptions inside front board (new). Old parchment binding, with wear and defects.

Bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.

We thank Prof. Harm den Boer, Basel, for his assistance in preparing this description.

Pardes Shoshanim – Asirei HaTikvah, allegorical play in rhyme, in three acts, by Joseph Penso de la Vega (author of Mehumat HaMehumot – Confusion de Confusiones, Amsterdam 1688). Amsterdam: Yosef Athias, 1673.

Morality play in three acts, on the theme of human free will. The play's hero is an unnamed king, representing man's free will. Satan attempts to tempt the king to evil, using his three servants – Pleasure, the Evil Inclination and Woman. They are opposed by Intellect, Providence, Truth and an Angel of G-d, who attempt to direct him to the right path.

Penso authored this play in 1667 (about six years before it was printed), at the young age of 17, and he is in fact referred to on the title page as "the young student" (Schirmann, referenced below, argues that the play may have been staged when Penso finished his school studies).

The book begins with an approbation in Portuguese by R. Moshe Refael de Aguilar and R. Avraham Kohen Pimentel, as well as a dedication in Portuguese by the author to his father, Yitzchak Felix Penso. The author's introduction is followed by many poems in praise of the book, in Hebrew, Spanish and Latin, by distinguished contemporary rabbis and poets (including the authors of the approbations).

Ownership inscriptions on title page: "Belongs to my father R. Pinchas Posner".

[20], 54 leaves. 14.5 cm. Most leaves in good condition. Stains. Small tears to title page and several other leaves, repaired with paper. Old binding, with defects.

See: A. Yaari, HaMachazeh HaIvri, Jerusalem 1956, p. 104 (Yaari notes that this is the first Hebrew play to be published by its author); Ch. Schirmann, LeToldot HaShirah VehaDrama HaIvrit, Mechkarim UMasot, Mosad Bialik, Jerusalem 1980, II, pp. 132-137.

The author,
Joseph (Yosef) Penso de la Vega (1650-1692), was a Jewish-Dutch merchant, preacher, poet and philanthropist, and a member of the Sephardic-Portuguese community in Amsterdam. He was born to a family of Marranos originating near Cordova, Andalusia, who fled to Holland to practice Judaism openly. Penso was educated in the Sephardic Torah school in Amsterdam, under the auspices of R. Moshe Refael de Aguilar and R. Yitzchak Aboab. Like his father, Yitzchak Penso, he was also a merchant, but in addition to his financial activities he also took part in cultural and spiritual community life.

He was one of the founders of literary circles ("academies") in Amsterdam and Livorno, and some of his addresses to these groups have been published. He authored poetry and prose, mainly in Spanish. Of special note is his early Hebrew play Asirei HaTikvah (Amsterdam, 1673), authored at the young age of 17, widely celebrated and considered one of the first plays to be printed in Hebrew. His fame is mainly due to his Mehumat HaMehumot (Confusion de Confusiones), published in Amsterdam in 1688, regarded as the first literary work about the stock market. The book, written as a philosophical dialogue, drew attention even outside of Jewish circles, and was translated to various languages and printed in many editions over the course of the 20th century. In 2000 the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) began to award the De La Vega prize, named for him, to outstanding securities researchers.

Sermoës que pregaraõ os doctos ingenios do K.K. de Talmud Torah, desta cidade de Amsterdam, sermons for dedication of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam. Amsterdam: David de Castro Tartaz, 1675. Only edition. Portuguese and some Hebrew.

Comprises seven sermons delivered during the inauguration of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam by: R. Yitzchak Aboab da Fonseca (the third), R. Shlomo de Oliveyra, R. Yitzchak Saruco, R. Yitzchak Nieto, R. Eliyahu Lopes, R. Yitzchak Vellozino and R. David Sarphati.

The book opens with two spreads of exquisite engravings by the Dutch artist Romeyn de Hooghe (1645-1708). The richly detailed engravings present various views of the synagogue – the exterior, a plan of the interior, the sanctuary, the Torah ark, and more. One of the engravings depicts the inauguration ceremony; with the members of the Jewish community in prayer in the center (women and children are seen amongst the community members at the forefront of the engraving).

The Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam served the community of Spanish and Portuguese Jews who immigrated to the Netherlands in the wake of the inquisition, and their descendants. In 1670, with the encouragement of R. Yitzchak Aboab da Fonseca, the lot upon which the synagogue was to be built was purchased, and in 1675, on Motzaei Shabbat Parashat Nachamu, the inauguration ceremony was held with much fanfare. The celebrations continued for eight days (apparently inspired by the Maccabean reconsecration of the Temple; see: M.H. Ganz, Memorbook, p. 101).

[8], 155 pages + [4] leaves ([4] engraved pages, [4] blank pages), bound before title page. 21.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains, including some dark stains. Minor creases. Small marginal tears to some leaves. Ink inscriptions to title page and inside the front board. Early parchment binding, with wear, stains and defects.

Bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.

Rare.

This book is documented in the Center for Jewish Art (CJA), item 373985.

Historia Real de la Gran Bretaña, dividida en tres partes [Royal history of Great Britain, divided in three parts], by Daniel Levi de Barrios. Amsterdam: Yahacob de Cordova, [ca. 1688-1689]. Spanish.

A chronicle of Great Britain, tracing its history from Biblical times to the author’s own time, interwoven with poetic, kabbalistic, etymological, and prophetic-mystical elements. Written and printed during the dramatic events of the Glorious Revolution (1688), which saw the deposition of the Catholic King James II and the coronation of the Protestant William III of Orange, Prince of the Netherlands.

De Barrios describes the historical events and the central figures involved, while emphasizing the position of the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam, which was politically and economically aligned with William III and enjoyed the protection of the House of Orange.

Notably, the book includes the text of a prayer recited in the synagogue in Amsterdam on October 27, 1688, imploring divine aid for the success of William’s military expedition and safe passage of his invasion fleet to the shores of England. This prayer was also translated into Dutch and distributed separately among the community.

The book contains important early references to the Jewish communities of Amsterdam and London, as well as mentions of Jewish communities throughout the British Empire, including Jamaica, Barbados, the Caribbean, and Madras (India).

The printing of the book began shortly before the deposition of the Catholic King James II in November 1688 and was completed on July 28, 1689, after the coronation of the Protestant king William III. The political upheaval compelled de Barrios to make substantial textual changes in the book – omitting passages dedicated to the deposed king and inserting gatherings extolling the new monarch.

In the copy preserved in the British Library, presumably bound in late 1688, passages in praise of James II appear alongside rites for his victory over William III. The present copy, presumably bound in July 1689, omits the laudatory references to James II and incorporates gatherings and additional leaves printed after the coronation of William III. The main differences between the copies are as follows:

I. The British Library copy has a different title page, with a title dedicated to James II (Atlas Angélico de la Gran Bretaña, declaracion a su Gran Rey Jacobo Segundo), followed by a notice of the birth of his son, James Francis Edward Stuart. Pages 1-2 contain a text extolling James II.

The present copy is bound with a different title page emphasizing the historical contents of the work (Historia Real de la Gran Bretaña), omitting references to James II. The title page is followed by a blank page.

II. The present copy includes pages 61-64. These are missing in the British Library copy, where they are replaced by a separate poem, dated 1688, praising the leaders of the Talmud Torah congregation in Amsterdam (with handwritten pagination). In the present copy, the poem appears at the end, typeset and paginated 1-4.

III. Both the British Library copy, and the present copy lack eight pages (pp. 127-134; gatherings E and H), likely omitted during the preparation for the publication of the book. The British Library copy contains instead two independent works: a poem (dated 1684) dedicated to the Spanish general governor of Flanders (Clarin de la antiguedad belgica) and an epistle dated 1682 (Epístola al excelentísimo señor don Otón de Acareto). The present copy includes only the latter.

IV. The principal difference between the two copies lies in an entire section present in the present copy but absent from the British Library copy (which concludes on p. 162). The present copy contains over forty additional pages (pp. 163-208; gatherings Ll-Rr), comprising fifteen short chapters printed after the coronation of William III as King of England in April 1689. These chapters reference the dramatic historical events that unfolded during the printing of the book: the landing of William’s army on the shores of England, the deposition of James II, the magnificent coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey (in the "Bishop’s Chapel") in London, with colorful details concerning the participants, costumes, and medals distributed), the alliances with the Protestant powers, the war with Louis XIV of France, the fierce criticism of the Pope and the Catholic Church, and more. De Barrios declares that he had foreseen these events, interweaving the historical narrative with mystical-theological interpretation, portraying William’s rise to power as the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah and Daniel.

These chapters also include remarks on the production and distribution of the book. De Barrios notes that on September 28, 1688, before William departed with his army from Amsterdam to England, he sent him the first gathering of the book with a personal letter. In March 1689, he distributed the first part (pp. 1-162) among Amsterdam’s Jews and the Spanish nobility. He completed the second part (pp. 163-208) on July 28, 1689 in Amsterdam.

V. Four additional pages are bound at the end of the present volume. These pages, absent from the British Library copy, contain two further works:

• Adicción Parnasea y Mosayca – a laudatory poem for the new leaders of the Amsterdam community: Aaron Hisquiyahu Pereyra, Mosseh Alvares, and Abraham Yesurun Enriques, mentioning other figures such as Jacob Nunes Henriquez, Abraham del Soto, Aharon Curiel, Mosseh Curiel, Abraham de Miranda, and Ishac Mendes de Silva. The poem concludes with praise for William III.

• Octavas a su Magestad Británica Guillermo Tercero – an ode to William III by Duarte Lopez Rosa, referencing de Barrios and the present book.

[2] leaves, 80, [2], 81-86, [2], 87-126, [4], [135]-207, [1], 4, [4] pages. Approx. 19 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Light wear. Worming, affecting some text. Inscriptions. Old leather binding, worn and rubbed; boards detached; gilt spine tooling.

Exceptionally rare. Not listed in the NLI catalogue. Two similar copies are known (Rostock University Library and Etz Chaim Library, Amsterdam). Another copy, kept in the British Library, bears a different title page, with variations in the gatherings, lacking the second part of the work (pages 163-208, [4]).

References:

• Peeters-Fontainas, Bibliographie des impressions espagnoles des Pays-Bas 1520-1799 (1933), no. 112.

• Kayserling, Biblioteca Española-Portugueza-Judaica, p. 25.

• Harm den Boer, Spanish and Portuguese Printing in the Northern Netherlands, p. 161.

• Harm den Boer and Jonathan I. Israel, "William III and the Glorious Revolution in the Eyes of Amsterdam Sephardi Writers", in The Anglo-Dutch Moment, Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991, pp. 439-461.

Daniel Levi de Barrios (1625-1701), born Miguel de Barrios in Montilla, Spain, was a Spanish-Jewish poet, historian, and playwright, a descendant of Marranos who returned to Judaism in Amsterdam. Having served as an officer in the Spanish army, he later emerged as a central figure in the Amsterdam Sephardic community.

Though for a time aligned with the Sabbatean movement, he was also a close friend of Rabbi Jacob Sasportas. His writings, often controversial, include invaluable historical insight into 17th-century Jewish life in Amsterdam.

Bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.

Sermon que predicó el Doctíssimo Señor Haham Moreno A-Rab R. Selomoh Ailion... en dia de Sabath Echá año 5483, Shabbat sermon delivered by R. Shlomo Ayllon. Amsterdam: Semuel Teyxeyra Tartaz, [1723]. Spanish and some Hebrew.

A sermon delivered on a Shabbat of that year by R. Shlomo Ayllon, rabbi of the Sephardic-Portuguese Talmud Torah community in Amsterdam.

R. Shlomo son of Yaakov Ayllon (ca. 1655-1728), a native of the Ottoman Empire, rabbi of the Sephardic-Portuguese communities in London and Amsterdam. He was associated with Sabbatean circles, supporting Nechemiah Hayyun and opposing the Chacham Tzvi, then the Ashkenazic Rabbi of Amsterdam, who had accused Hayyun of Sabbateanism.

27 pages. Approx. 20 cm. Good condition. Stains, creases and light wear. New binding.

Bookplate of Mozes Heiman Gans.

Exceptionally rare. Not in NLI. A single copy is documented in OCLC (in the Etz Chaim library in Amsterdam). The book was last auctioned by Sotheby's, London, May 9-10, 1932, Lot 537.