Menorat ha-Ma'or, Isaac Aboab, Constantinople: Astruc de Toulon, 1514

163 [of 164] leaves (9 1/8 x 7 in.; 232 x 178 mm), lacking only the final blank; double-leaf signatures (collation: 1-76 by fours, 77-82 by threes, = 1-19^{8, 206,215); sixth quire misbound. Title stained and mended in lower outer corner with numerous pen-trials, lower outer corner of first few quires bumped and creased, damp-stained and soiled throughout, a few leaves frayed at upper outer corner affecting a few words, upper margin cut short with top line of last leaf shaved, various mends in gutter and fore-margins, owners' notes on title, ff. 70, 133; armorial stamp on final leaf, censor's signature and inscription (Antonio Francisco Enrique) on final leaf. Blue cloth, ms. title label on spine; tears in joints and in one corner, signs of damp on upper cover.}

Vinograd, Constantinople 39, Yaari, Constantinople 23 ; Mehlman, 944

163 [of 164] leaves (9 1/8 x 7 in.; 232 x 178 mm), lacking only the final blank; double-leaf signatures (collation: 1-76 by fours, 77-82 by threes, = 1-198, 206,215); sixth quire misbound. Title stained and mended in lower outer corner with numerous pen-trials, lower outer corner of first few quires bumped and creased, damp-stained and soiled throughout, a few leaves frayed at upper outer corner affecting a few words, upper margin cut short with top line of last leaf shaved, various mends in gutter and fore-margins, owners' notes on title, ff.70, 133, armorial stamp on final leaf, censor's signature and inscription on final leaf (Antonio Francisco Enrique, Urbino ca.1687.) Blue cloth, ms. title label on spine; tears in joints and in one corner, signs of damp on upper cover.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Menorat ha-Ma'or, (Candlestick of Light), was one of the most popular works of religious edification among the Jews of the Middle Ages. Written "for the ignorant and the learned, the foolish and the wise, the young and the old, for men and for women," it has been translated into Spanish, Ladino, Yiddish, and German and printed in over 70 editions since the editio princeps was produced by Astruc de Toulon in Constantinople in 1514. According to his introduction, Isaac wrote the book in order to return aggadah to its rightful place. Complaining that, because of lack of order in the sources, aggadah had been neglected in favor of legal casuistry, he argues that aggadah is an essential part of rabbinic tradition, as necessary for man as halakhah. It has been suggested that he wanted to provide a structured compilation of aggadah, similar to that which Maimonides, in his Mishneh Torah, had provided for the halakhah. Developing the image of the seven-branched candlestick (cf. Num. 4:9), Isaac divides his work into seven nerot (lamps). These, in turn, are subdivided into main divisions, parts, and chapters. Into this framework lsaac provided a wealth of aggadic material, culled from the Talmud and the vast midrashic literature. His use of passages from aggadic works now lost and the variants in the talmudic and midrashic texts he cites make the Menorat ha-Ma'or a work of singular importance for establishing the text of the Talmud used in the Spanish and North African academies as distinct from that of the Franco-German school.