Genazym Auctions is holding an auction on December 8^th and browsing the catalog (available here) one can view beautiful photos of various rare books and documents, and learn more about numerous works, events and people related to many different time periods of Jewish History from all walks of life.

Just to highlight some of the items:

The first lot is a complete set of the Hanau 1610 edition of the Arba’ah Turim, with an illustrated frontispiece. There are two very similar versions of the same title page, the same year, by the same printer.  Which is first and which copied from the other?  One version appears in Shu”t Mahril, Hanau, 1610 and the other adorning the Tur, Hanau, 1610 (lot 1).

These were certainly among the first books published by Hans Jacob Hanau because both include a publisher’s note that describes the creation of his press.  Because the note appears in both (and no others in 1610), we can establish that both were among the first, but not which is first.

The most obvious physical difference between the two is size, the Tur is considerably larger than the Shu”t.  The former is a folio and the latter an octavo.

A close examination of the title page images yields interesting differences, using these differences we can determine which is the original.  Both contain non-Jewish elements, specifically Aaron with a bishop’s mitre and the incense, and Moses with horns. Yet, Aaron’s garment is considerably more embellished in the Tur.  Two winged cherubs appear above Moses and Aaron, in the Tur the wings are clearly visible and, in the Shu”t, they look more like a small scarf.  Both include a border surrounding the printer’s name, yet the Tur includes a border with figures, including a bare-breasted woman and the Shu”t is a simple border without any figures.  Underneath the printer’s mark, the Tur includes an additional panel that is completely absent in the Shu”t. That panel includes a raven, deer, and griffins.  The upper illustration is also different. Both depict the binding of Isaac, but in the Tur, Isaac is bowing whereas in the Shu”t he is kneeling.  [Regarding the image of the binding of Isaac in Hebrew books, see Marvin J. Heller, Further Studies in the Making of the Early Hebrew Book (Leiden, Brill, 2103), 35-56; Daniel Sperber, “Isaac of Prostitz’s Akedahs,” in Eshkolot: Essays in Memory of Rabbi Ronald Lubofsky (Melbourne, 2002), 213-25.] Perhaps most significant is Abraham’s clothing.  Whereas Moses and Aaron’s clothing are of indiscriminate time and is more focused on the ritual elements, in the Tur, Abraham is depicted in decidedly Renaissance garb with a neatly shaped beard.  In the Shu”t, Abraham is in the same dress as Moses and an unkempt beard.

The sum total of these changes points to a more expertly executed frontispiece on the Tur and a cruder imitation in the Shu”t.  It is possible that Hans Jacob purchased the original and then when the frontispiece was too large for the book, he created a new, smaller version.  Consequently, the first Hebrew book to include Moses and Aaron and printed in is indeed the Tur and not the Shu”t Mahril. The Tur holds both a record as the first Hebrew frontispiece with biblical imagery, Prague, 1540, and also as the first specifically with Moses and Aaron.

It appears that Hans Jacob sold the larger woodcut as it appears in 1615 in Elijah Zulkiman Ulma’s edition of Ginnat Egoz.

Finally, no matter which book is first neither qualifies as the first Hebrew book published in Hanau.  At best they can qualify as the first Hebrew books printed entirely in Hebrew and for a Jewish audience. The title of the first published Hebrew book in Hanau goes to a Latin Hebrew work, Mikneh Avraham, Grammatica Hebrae una cum Latina interpretation, published by Gulielmum Antonium in 1594. [For a description of this work, see Yitzhak Yudolov, Ginzei Yisrael (Jerusalem, Hebrew University Press, 1984), no. 1868.] The inclusion of a Latin translation and that the book opens left to right indicates a non-Jewish audience.   Thus, the Tur is the first Hebrew book for a Jewish audience published in Hanau.

Important Historical Broadsides & Documents

Lots 8 and 9 are of particular interest as they are printed editions of the classic Shu”t Noda Beyehuda but have numerous glosses from various Rabbonim of the time.

Lots 27 and 29 are original documents of the Chasam Sofer. Especially of note is lot 28 which is a manuscript copy of the very interesting autobiographical account of the Chasam Sofer when Pressburg was under siege from Napoleon’s armies in 1806. Also featured are other documents of his students and family members.

Lot 36 is R. Akiva Eiger’s personal copy of Masseches Megilah containing over fifty notes which were only printed in 1999.

Lot 39 a a broadside appealing for help after a pogrom in Posen 1716, where many Jews were killed. This item does not appear to be in any collection!

Lot 50 is a beautiful Machzor, yet another volume from the excellent collection of R’ N ’ ochum Dov Sadigur. A lot of his been written about this collection For more on this see R’ Zusha Dinkel’s article on this topic (PDF available upon request).

Lot 52 looks incredible (one can only to dream to own such an item). This is a few-page autograph manuscript of the Ramchal, where he lists out clearly and concisely fundamental concepts in Kabbalah.

Lot 53 is a manuscript of an important work of the Arizal. Of note is it’s a volume from the famous Library of R’ Daniel Itzig Berlin which the Prei Megadim used when composing some of his classic works.

Lot 61 Is a first edition of the Tikunei Shabbos. This important work was one of the key works which help “spread” and make famous various customs of the Arizal related to Shabbos.

Lot 64 is an amazing new discovery. This item is glosses of the Rogatchover Gaon on Kabbalah, written in a copy of the Rema Mi-Fano’s classic Asarah Ma’amros. As more and more of the Rogatchover Gaon’s material we learn more and more about him these notes shed light that he was also into Kabbalah (on some level).

Lot 77 is a copy of the Chortkover Rebbe’s, Avnei Miluim. What makes this of bibliographic interest is their a famous legend that Chasidim do not look at this work of the Ketzos as it was indexd by his maskilic son in law Shi”r and even contains comments of his. This copy remained in the family and was alsogin his Grandson’s collection.

Lot 90 is an original fascinating letter of R’ Yosef Zundel Salant where we learn about the following incident with the Mashgiach and some Talmidim in Volozhin:

מעשה שהיה ביה בוואלזין, פעם אחת בליל מוצא שמחת תורה משמחת יום טוב נשתכרו הר’ הג’ מו”ה אליקום ארדעצענר… והכו זה את זה והיה לחם עג”ג לאדמו”ר הרב הגאון זלה”ה… ושלחוהו מן השאלקע למטה לישיבה וגם שם לא שקט עד שאמרתי נצרך לכפתו וכן עשו, וביישתי את פניו ברבים, והיינו אוהבים נאמנים גם אחרי כן…. עתה נפלי בלבי ספק אולי שכחתי לבקש ממנו מחילה עד שימחול לי בלב שלום,… הגם שנצטויתי לעשות כן… על כן גודל בקשתי שימחול לעשות שליח עבורי… ולהביא יוד בני אדם להעמידם על קברו ולבקש מחילה בשמי…

Lot 92 is a copy of Rabbenu Yeruchem which has a signature of R’ Yisroel Salanter which is very rare to come by, interesting to see this item was in his library.

Lot 94 looks very special, as its twenty-seven original pages of the Classic work Meshech Chochma from R’ Meir Simcha Of Dvinsk. One hope who ever purchases this item prints it for the world to benefit from it.

Lot 100 relates to a controversy which took place about one hundred years ago involving many Torah giants related to a case of Chalitzah. R’ Yudolovetz offered a unique heter. Although he was a great gaon, this heter, was to put it mildly attacked by many. Yet, hundreds of people “pass” this work daily as it comes up as the first item on the Otzar Hachomah data base. The joke goes someone has to come up with a sefer with a title which would put them earlier on the list.

Lot 101 is the important and well-known, if not relied upon, responsum of R’ Chaim Ozer Grozensky on gelatin. This copy includes unpublished materials. For some sources on this topic see R’ Spitz collection here in footnote 12-13.

Item 125 is autograph copy of a responsum of R Meir Arik in regard to making Havdalah on seltzer.

Lot 183 Is the personal copy of the Chida’s classic work Birkei Yosef with over fifty glosses of his which have never been printed before. One only hopes that the future owner prints this material for the Torah world to benefit from it.

Lots 199-203 Are very important documents containing historical information about the Mir Yeshiva while it was in Shanghai.

Lots 207-208 must be pointed out as they are full manuscripts of classic Teshuva’s of the two previous Poskei Hador, R’ Moshe Feinstein (21pp.) and R’ Sholomo Zalam Auerbach (20 pp.).  R’ Moshe’s Teshuvah being offered for sale here relates to opening up cans and bottles on Shabbos has been the start of numerous Shiurim, articles and even seforim on this topic.

Lot 213 is a Letter and a Tefilah written by R’ Chaim Berlin, in honor of the of Czar Alexander III of Russia in Moscow, 1886. It appears to be written to Moses Montefiore and thanks him for his donation. R. Berlin describes that he, together with his students, recited this prayer. Additionally, the document discusses a heretofore unknown Talmud Torah that R’ Chaim Berlin had in Moscow.