Anthology of literature and poetry by the sages of Spain and Provence including Behinat Olam (Examination of the World), Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi ha-Penini and Ka'arat Kesef (Tray of Silver) Jehoseph Ben Hanan Ben Nathan Ezobi [Northern Italy, ca. 1435]

Lelio (Hillel) della Torre (1805-1871) Professor of Talmud, Padua Rabbinical College-his stamp on ff.1r, 57v.

Malachi Beit-Arié , Hebrew Codicology: Tentative Typology of Technical Practices Employed in Hebrew Dated Mediaeval Manuscripts. Jerusalem:Israel Academy of Sciences & Humanities, 1981.

Contents:
ff. 1r-37r: The first work in this anthology is Behinat Olam, the best known literary composition of the Provencal philosopher, poet and scientist Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi ha-Penini (ca. 1270-1340.)  A lyrical monograph on the theme of the futility and vanity of this world, and the inestimably greater benefits of intellectual and religious pursuits, Behinat Olam, written in florid prose and rich in imagery, combines philosophic doctrine and religious fervor with a good measure of asceticism and pessimism. The work closes with a brief paean to Maimonides.

ff. 37r-43r: The second work in this collection is a tautogram, a poem in which every word begins with the same letter, also by Jedaiah ha-Penini.  While still in his youth, he created this poetic prayer of one thousand words, each beginning with the Hebrew letter mem, an amazing feat of literary adroitness. He has also been credited with a similar tautogram using the letter alef , however some scholars maintain that this latter poem was written by Jedaiah's father Abraham ben Isaac Bedersi (c. 1230-c. 1300).

f. 43v: The third piece is laudatory poem written by Jedaiah's father, Abraham Bedersi, an accomplished poet in his own right, praising his son for his masterful achievement in composing the Bakashat ha-Memin. A similar tautogram, Elef Alfin, composed entirely of words that begin with the letter alef has often been attributed to Abraham Bedersi as has Shir ha-Lamedim , a poem for Yom Kippur, in which each word contains the letter lamed, and all subsequent letters of the alphabet are excluded.

ff. 43v-45r: An acrostic poem by Jedaiah that incorporates his name and patronymic and is intended to serve as a coda to the Bakashat ha-Memin. Normally a poet of Jedaiah's caliber would find a way to integrate this biographical information into the body of the poem itself, a possibility precluded by the unique structure of the Bakkashat ha-Memin.

ff. 45r-46r: A work is by Abraham ibn Ezra (1089-1164), who in addition to being a skilled poet, was a renowned biblical commentator, philosopher, astronomer, and physician. Born in Tudela, Ibn Ezra spent much of his life as an itinerant scholar and often wrote poems based on his own experiences. He includes his own name in this rather angry poem, B'ati be-Yom Tzom, in which he promises revenge against an ungracious host.

ff.46r-46v:  Another brief poem by Ibn Ezra in the muwashshah style whose first line is my honor is in place. The Hebrew word for place, makom is also occasionally used as a euphemistic name for God.

ff. 46v-57r: The final three compositions in this manuscript are centered around Ka'arat Kesef ("Silver Plate"), an educational, ethical, and religious poem. Written by Jehoseph ben Hanan ben Nathan Ezobi who flourished in the thirteenth century, a short introduction (ff. 46v-47r ) informs us that its name derives from its 130 verses—emblematic of the 130 shekels in weight that each of the leaders of the twelve tribes brought as offerings to the Tabernacle in the desert as recorded in the book of Numbers. The introduction relates further that Jehoseph composed the poem in Perpignan in honor of the wedding of his son.  The text of Ka'arat Kesef itself is followed by a poem written in identical meter (ff. 56r- 57r) that praises the quality of the work. Interestingly, it is composed by Jehoseph himself.

Both the codicology and paleography of the manuscript support its localization to Northern Italy and its dating to ca. 1435. Particular codicological characteristics include gatherings of ten and the method of ruling used in our manuscript. Further evidence may be adduced from the distinctive Hebrew script characteristic of early fifteenth century Italian Jews in conjunction with the clearly Ashkenazic influences in the square script of the incipits and the decorated catchwords at the end of each quire. (See Beit-Arié, Hebrew Codicology, p.86).

This small volume is a superb example of a pocket sized anthology of pearls of Hebrew literature of the Middle Ages by the great poets of Provence and Spain.

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