Auction 105 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Esther Scrolls and Jewish Ceremonial Art
Meametz Koach (by Rabbi Moshe Almosnino) – Venice, 1588 – Sermon for the Tax Exemption for Thessaloniki Community, Describing the Author's Meeting with the Sultan
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Meametz Koach, 28 sermons for various festivals and occasions, by R. Moshe Almosnino. Venice: Giovanni di Gara, 1588.
This book was previously printed in Constantinople, 1582; however, few copies of this edition are known to exist and the book was evidently not printed in full. The present edition is effectively the first complete edition of the work.
Brief introduction and postscript by author's son, R. Shimon Almosnino.
The first sermon was delivered in 1568 in a Thessaloniki synagogue, the first Shabbat after his return with the envoy to the Ottoman Sultan that he headed, having received a partial tax exemption for the Jews of Thessaloniki. The sermon describes his journey to Constantinople, where he met the Sultan, after several earlier failed attempts on the part of the Jewish community.
Ownership inscription on title page: "G-d also granted me this. The most recent owner, Shlomo Chazan" – apparently R. Shlomo Chazan, Rabbi of Alexandria (Egypt), author of HaMaalot LiShlomo. Another ownership inscription: "The most recent owner, R. Refael Aharon HaLevi" – apparently the famous philanthropist R. Refael Aharon HaLevi of Damascus.
On title page and p. 174a, ownership inscription: "G-d granted me this book, Yehudah Gonzaga" – R. Yehudah Gonzaga was a rabbi and physician in 18th-century Rome. His work Minchat Yehudah remains in manuscript.
236 leaves. 19.5 cm. Most leaves in good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains (many stains to some leaves). Tears and open tears to title page and other leaves, including tear to center of title page, affecting text on verso, and slightly affecting text of several other leaves. Worming, slightly affecting text. Bookplates. New binding.
On last and penultimate leaves, signatures of c
ensors Domenico Gerosolimitano and Petrus de Trevio (dated 1627), in Latin and Hebrew.
ensors Domenico Gerosolimitano and Petrus de Trevio (dated 1627), in Latin and Hebrew.
Provenance: Collection of Prof. Jordan S. Penkower.
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries
Early Printed Books – 16th-17th Centuries