Hebrew Bible, Ketuvim (Hagiographa), manuscript on parchment written by Joseph ben Benaya, Yemen:1485-6

139 leaves (121/4 x 9 in.; 315 x 230 mm). Written in black ink on parchment in Yemenite Hebrew square script, in two main columns of 25 lines with nikkud (vowel points) and masoretic notes alongside each column and in 2 lines above and from 2-4 lines below main text; blind ruled, some leaves have been laid to size with some loss of the masoretic notes but not affecting the main text, others strengthened at gutters; numerous repairs; some flaking, especially on f.1r and 139v; stained.  Modern crimson morocco gilt stamped and tooled with inlaid multicolored decorative plaque and frame; spine gilt stamped in six compartments over raised bands with title and date in Hebrew on a red lettering piece; in a patterned red cardboard slipcase, edged in red leather.

Michael Rigler, "Benaya the Scribe and His Descendants: a Family of Scribes From Yemen" Pe'amim 64, (Summer, 1995), pp.54-67. (Hebrew).

Contents:

f.1r: Dedication:

From Thee cometh my praise in the great congregation; I will pay my vows before them that fear Him (Psalms, 22:26

This is the book of Ketuvim  bought with the money and effort of Abi el Saud, may his Rock preserve him, son of Abi el Faisal, may his rest be in the Garden of Eden, son of Joseph, may his soul be bound up in the bond of life. Altawil [ ... ] bought it and dedicated it to the San'a synagogue, the place where God, may He be blessed will be of help to him and grant him [... ] and preserve [... ] and be gracious to him and may he multiply in his fortune and his money and may the biblical verses be fulfilled upon him in which it is written: Wealth and riches are in his house and his merit endureth for ever (Psalms, 112:3);  May his horn be raised in honor (Psalms 112:9); He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord (Psalms 112:7); With long life will I satisfy him, and make him to behold My salvation (Psalms, 91;6).  S[o] M[ay it be His] W[ill].

ff.1v-39r-Chronicles [ I & II ]; ff. 39r-72v-Psalms; ff. 72v-86r-Job; ff. 86r-97v-Proverbs; ff. 97v-99v-Ruth; ff. 99v-102r-Song of Songs; ff. 102r-106v-Ecclesiastes; ff. 106v-109r-Lamentations; ff.109r-114r-Esther; ff. 114r-124r-Daniel; ff. 124r-139v-Ezra [and Nehemiah].

f.139 v: Colophon:

And he wrote it in honor of the glorious synagogue Knesset Mas[wari in] the blessed Sana'a, may God grant it prosperity until the building of the sanctuary and the courtyard. [t]his which is written a good sign and a diadem and a crown as a pure vessel of offering.  May God help them and reveal his righteous messiah to them [ ... ] who dwells in the clearness of the sky and fulfill upon them the verse which is written: I will [not reject] them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for [I am the Lord] their God (Lev 26:44), and the verse which is written: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (Malachi, 3:24-25). A[men] N[ezah] S[elah].

The weak and humble scribe Joseph, may his Rock protect him, son of Benayah of blessed memory son of Saadya of blessed memory, son of Zechariah [... ] as it is written [... ] in the year 1796 [of the Seleucid Era = 1485-86 C.E.] of imminent salvation. Amen may it be [His] will [... ].

Description:

The famous Benaya family of Yemenite scribes flourished in the latter half of the 15^th century through the first half of the 16^th century in and around the capital, San'a.  In addition to Benaya himself, at least four of his children (three sons and a daughter) and two of his grandsons followed in his footsteps and penned Hebrew manuscripts. In fact the combined efforts of the Benaya family account for more than 80% of the dated manuscripts written between 1460 and 1540 in San'a, the center of Jewish life in Yemen. 

Of the scribal production of Joseph, Benaya's second son, only nine manuscripts remain extant and are held in the collections of the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Oxford University, Cambridge University, and the British Library as well as in two private collections.

The books copied by members of the family, particularly the biblical works, are noted for their accuracy and beauty, and to this day, manuscripts of the Benaya family remain highly prized.  According to Yemenite Jewish tradition, the Benaya family copied some 400 books for synagogues and private individuals.  Sadly, only a very small percentage of this total has survived until the present. Asides from this volume, there is no extant Yemenite manuscript of Ketuvim penned by any of the Benaya family with the exception of the copy written by Joseph's father in 1469/70 (JNUL 1452).

We would like to thank Dr. Shlomo Zucker for providing information which assisted in the cataloging of this lot.