Kaftor VaFerach, about Eretz Israel and the laws pertaining to it, by R. Eshtori HaParchi. Venice: Meir son of Yaakov Parenzo, [1548?]. First edition.

First rabbinic study of Eretz Israel and its borders. R. Eshtori son of R. Moshe HaParchi, a Spanish and Provençal Torah scholar in the times of the Ramban, who lived in and toured Eretz Israel for seven years, studied its sites and clarified its laws. This work is the primary source for those researching the Torah's boundaries of Eretz Israel, and for the study of the commandments pertaining to the land.

Printer's device of Meir son of Yaakov Parenzo on title page: a seven-branched menorah with knobs and flowers, with captions on the side alluding to the printer's name (bottom of illustration damaged and lacking; see: A. Yaari, Diglei HaMadpisim HaIvriyim, Jerusalem 1944, no. 14; note on p. 128).

Censorship expurgations by ink and scraping (entire lines deleted on one leaf).

Handwritten inscriptions, glosses and corrections in margins and within text in several places (in Italian script).

24, 24-95, 95-109, 200-209, 300-309, 400-444, 444-447, [2] leaves. Leaves 433-436 misordered. 21 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dark dampstains and traces of former dampness, with mold stains. Tears and open tears, including open tear to bottom of title page, affecting printer's device, and large tears to several leaves, affecting text in many places, repaired with paper (with handwritten text replacements). Worming to last leaves. New binding.

On last page – signatures of censors: Antonio Francesco Enriques d'Urbino, dated 1687; Domenico Gerosolimitano (undated); Alessandro Scipione, dated 1597?; Domenico Carretto, dated 1618.

CB, no. 5038,1.