Perushim le-Rashi [Sefer ha-Canizal] (Supercommentaries to Rashi's Commentary on the Pentateuch by: Samuel Almosnino, Jacob Canizal, Aaron Abulrabi, Moses Albelda et al.), Constantinople: [1525]

173 leaves (11 1/8 x 7¾ in.; 283 x 197 mm). Title soiled and stained with bibliographic notes in pen, pen-trials, and fore-edge frayed, a few marginal annotations and underlines, occasional wormtracks, tears or dampstains in a few margins; owners' inscriptions on title page recto and verso, owner's stamp on ff. 2, 3 and final leaf; censor's inscription (Laurentius Franguellus, 1574) on final leaf; marginalia. Boards, ms. title label on spine; joints and edges torn.

Dr. J[oseph] Perles, Rabbiner (1835-1894)—his stamp on ff. 2, 3 and final leaf and his marginal notes throughout. Perles used this copy in preparation of his article "Ahron b. Gerson Aboulrabi" in Revue des Etudes Juives, XXI (1890), pp. 246-269.; Peretz Perles, his signature, f.1v and final leaf.

Vinograd, Constantinople 134; Yaari, Constantinople 101; Hacker, 101; Steinschneider, 5515 (liber ad Rarissimos pertinet); Mehlman, 633;  Yitzhak Yudlov, 'Different Title Pages to a Book of Commentaries from the Constantinople Press," Alei Sefer no. 17, p.137-38; Isaac Rivkind, Alexander Marx Jubilee Volume (Hebrew) (1950), pp. 409-410; Eric Lawee, "From Sepharad to Ashkenaz: a case study in the Rashi supercommentary tradition," AJS Review 30:2 (2006), 393–425

173 leaves (11 1/8 x 7¾ in.; 283 x 197 mm). Title soiled and stained with bibliographic notes in pen, pen-trials, and fore-edge frayed, a few marginal annotations and underlines, occasional wormtracks, tears or dampstains in a few margins.owners' inscriptions on title page recto and verso, owner's stamp on ff.2,3 and final leaf; censor's inscription (Laurentius Franguellus, 1574) on final leaf; marginalia. Boards, ms. title label on spine; joints and edges torn.
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a rare complete copy—scarcer than many incunabula

The work consists primarily of four supercommentaries on Rashi's Torah commentary from Aaron Abulrabi (Abu al Rabi), Samuel Almosnino, Jacob Canizal, and Moses Albelda, as well as brief passages of several other commentators. Abulrabi (c.1376- c.1430) was a Sicilian of Spanish origin, whose commentary demonstrates his diversity and facility in grammar, astronomy, philosophy, and mysticism. Almosnino (d. 1551) served as rabbi in Salonika in the sixteenth century. Less is known of Abelda (d. 1549), who is often confused with his similarly named, more prominent grandson. Finally, Canizal is mentioned in a single manuscript source as Rosh Yeshiva (head of an academy) in Avila de Campos in Northwestern Spain at the time of the expulsion; but he remains best known for the commentary printed here and by the vagaries of bibliophily, the present work has come to be colloquially referred to as Sefer ha-Canizal.

There exist several variants of this work. In this copy, which shares the characteristics of the JTSAL "A" copy as described by Rivkind, the title page consists of a single line and simply reads, Perushim le-Rashi zatzal. The text begins with the commentaries of Canizal and Almosnino in parallel columns. After several pages, commencing with the commentary on the pericope Noah, there is an apology from the printer (f.8v), stating that he did not initially have the text of Moses Albelda's commentary, but has since obtained it and prints it here. At the end of Lekh Lekha (f.13r), there is a second, similar note from the printer who now adds the commentary of Aaron Abulrabi. The first 18 leaves have pagination at the bottom of the page, with the exception of folios 13 and 15-18; starting with folio 19 the numbers move to the top of the page. The format is inconsistent and in some places, the commentaries, while still in two columns, are offered sequentially. Yudlov describes three differing title pages of this book. The present copy contains the rare abbreviated version: Peirushim le-Rashi zatzal.  According to Yudlov, only two other copies with this title are known; at the 'Ez Hayyim Library in Amsterdam and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Another copy was sold at auction in 2007. A variant title page adds the names of the commentators and notes that it was printed during the reign of Sultan Sulemein who ruled from 1521 to 1567. However, based on the typography, Perushim le-Rashi may confidently be dated to between 1525–1530.