Zemah Zaddik, Leone (Judah Aryeh) Modena, Venice: Daniel Zanetti, 1600

40 leaves (5 3/8 x 3 ½ in.; 136 x 90 mm). COLLATION: 1-5⁸=40 leaves. Title page, with decorative typographic frame, lightly stained, a few pen marks, loss to upper corner repaired, affecting frame. 34 woodcut miniature illustrations, 4 decorative tailpieces. A few marginal repairs not affecting text; f. 40 strengthened at gutter and remargined; running titles, and/or folio numbers shaved in quire 2; ex library stamps, ff.1r, 40v.; cataloging notations in pencil on verso of front free endpaper; patterned endpapers. nineteenth century blind tooled morocco.

Vinograd, Venice 910; Steinschneider, "opusculum inter omnia rarissimum,"  C.B. 5745, col. 1354, no. 34; Simon Bernstein, Diwan le-R[abi] Yehudah Aryeh mi-Modena, Philadelphia: 1932, p.237).

Zemah Zaddik is a translation of the extremely popular Italian book of ethical parables, Fiore di Virtù, (flower of virtue) into Hebrew by Leone (Judah Aryeh) ben Isaac Modena (1571-1648). The Hebrew title, Zemah Zaddik (a righteous branch) taken from Jeremiah 23:5, alludes to the work’s inherent value, despite its overtly secular contents. Modena's name does not appear explicitly in the book, consistent with its anonymous nature. Nevertheless, an allusion in the initial words of the introduction (f.3r) and an acrostic in the first words of chap 1.(f.4r), make his authorship certain. Modena translated the text from the standard Italian, taking care however, to modify any references to Christian scriptures or saints, substituting sayings of the rabbis from the Talmud and Midrashim. The text is accompanied by 38 handsome woodcuts, illustrative of exempla of dozens of virtues and vices, usually arranged in pairs, such as: Love and Jealousy, Cruelty and Kindness, and Humility and Pride. The images themselves include depictions of all manner of animals, birds, and people including even mythical creatures, such as mermaids (19r.) and devils (23r.). These are augmented by images by both biblical and rabbinic imagery, for example, the embrace of David and Jonathan (I Samuel 20:41), and the flaying of Rabbi Akiva (Berakhot61b).

The book was published by Solomon Hayyim and his son Abraham Haver Tov, and dedicated to a young member of the Calimani family, Jonathan Simhah ben Abraham. Although the exact reason for the dedication is unknown, Leone Modena is known to have composed poems on numerous occasions, both happy and sad, for members of the Calimani family. In 1610, Modena wrote a poem which was inscribed on the tombstone of three year old Avraham Calimani, infant son of the young man to whom he dedicated this book.